Basilica of St Adalbert — Attraction in Grand Rapids

The pastor along with the bishop of this diocese are the reason of why the church I was baptized in known as St. James Catholic Church has closed down. Their claims of why they closed the church down are the fact that it needs major repairs to the point where the diocese could not afford it. Yet they are spending all the money on this church and this church alone! If I'm not mistaken, part of the tithe's we make each week are supposed to go towards things like that? Also, I would think that if the church was in that bad of shape, the diocese could have created some campaigns to help cover the costs of repairs for the church and family center. But they didn't mainly because St. James hardly any members left. Those who were left are all elderly. With all of the revitalization that's taking place on Bridge street, once the area would start looking nice again, people would have come back to the church. But now these days you will find homeless encampments on the property and because of it, they had to board up entrances to the former rectory and family center which makes the property look trashy. Shame on you Diocese of Grand Rapids for letting the property become the way it is. The only reason I'm giving a 2nd star is that while the Basilica itself looks nice, the people in charge of it are not. I've now left Catholicism because of St. James being closed down as well as other...

My wife and I got married here. The church is beautiful; however the administration for the church is a joke. If you are looking to get married here expect a lot of hidden costs, a priest who dodges any form of contact with you, as well as the church can and will try to change the wedding time that you signed up for. My wife and I would not get married here again. We had really been hoping for a special bonding with the priest, church community as well as the wedding coordinator; however the wedding coordinator was no help at all and the priest we were assigned for the wedding backed out 2 months before the wedding. The only saving grace was deacon Stan. Stan actually spent time with us and truly cared about our marriage (he is actually the one who ended up marrying us). Deacon Stan's kindness and genuineness was modeled in Christ and made us happy. We were not satisfied with the Church, father, or wedding coordinator; however we were more than satisfied with Stan. Overall, we wouldn't waste our time with trying to get...

If you've ever wondered what the old churches in Europe look like, you'll get a good idea when you visit here!

What's particularly nice about this parish is the Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered daily as well as a 5:15pm Mass during the weekdays.

I've noticed there is a strong presence of younger parishioners, mostly in their 20's and early 30's, including married couples with small children.

The priests are very devout and take traditional Catholic teaching very seriously, yet in an approachable and loving way.

The acoustics inside the church can take you by surprise, due to the domed structure and marble interior. The interior is also ornate with its stained-glass windows, religious paintings and statues....