WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE SOUTH OAKLAND VICARIATE FAMILY 5
Visit our Family Web Site HERE
FAMILY VISION STATEMENT
We are a diverse family of parishes comprised of The Church of the Transfiguration, Divine Providence Lithuanian, Our Lady of La Salette, and Our Mother of Perpetual Help. We value each parish community, and we celebrate our unique heritages and traditions. Together, we strive to:
Foster Unity: Embrace our differences to strengthen our bond as a family.
Promote Inclusivity: Ensure everyone feels welcomed, respected, and loved in our spiritual home.
Nurture Growth: Support the spiritual, educational, and personal faith development of all our members.
Serve with Compassion: Reach out to those in need, embodying the love and mercy of Christ in our actions.
Celebrate Together: Cherish our shared faith through worship, sacraments, and joyful gatherings.
By living these values, we aim to build a vibrant and united family of parishes, shining the light of Christ in our wider community.
Our Moderator...
Father Jeffrey Scheeler, OFM
Church of the Transfiguration
I am Fr. Jeff Scheeler, OFM, and I have been pastor of the Church of the Transfiguration for seven years. I am 72 years old, and in 2025 will be a professed Franciscan Friar for 50 years and ordained for 45 years.
Prior to coming to Transfiguration, I served in parishes in Galveston, Texas; Lafayette, Indiana; and Cincinnati, Ohio (my home town). I also served as part of a team of friars working with men as they entered our fraternity, as a campus minister at Rice University in Houston, and was part of administration/leadership of our Franciscan province for a time. I have enjoyed the variety of ministries that have been part of my spiritual and ministerial journey.
The various roles have allowed me to be part of different dioceses and to meet Franciscans from the various Franciscan provinces in the US and other countries.
I look forward to getting to know the other parishioners in our Family. I hope that we can support and strengthen each other, and perhaps work together on various projects. I would imagine that we could share some things like religious education, outreach and service projects, etc.
I hope each parish can learn from one another and grow stronger from our working together. I would imagine that there are things in each parish that work well, and areas where we could benefit from working together. Transfiguration has a strong outreach program, distributing food twice a week. We are also a relatively small and aging parish with few young families, children, and young adults.
I would hope our collaboration might help strengthen our ministry to these groups. I imagine that the clergy would celebrate Eucharist from time to time in the various parishes of the family.We are looking forward to the adventure, trusting in our cooperation with God’s grace and goodness.
Our Family Pastors...
Father Paul Chateau
Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish
I am Fr. Paul Chateau and I have served as Pastor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish for more than a decade.
I have lived at the rectory in Oak Park for the past 48 years.I was brought up on the east side of Detroit living near St. Anthony Church on the Boulevard and Gratiot and Guardian Angels at Kelly and Whittier. Sadly, both parishes are now closed. I went to Sacred Heart Seminary from 1954 through 1962 and then to St. John’s Provincial Seminary in Plymouth until my ordination in 1966.
Following my ordination, I served at St. Cecilia in Detroit, Queen of All Saints in Fraser, St. Martin de Porres in Warren, and St. Joseph’s in Monroe. In 1972 I came to serve at Our Lady of Fatima in Oak Park as Co-Pastor with Fr. Tom Flynn.I am eager to broaden my own personal outreach as well as that of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish with our neighbors and new family members at Our Lady of La Salette, the Church of the Transfiguration and Divine Providence. I was familiar with La Salette and Transfiguration but only recently was at Divine Providence.
While I am saddened that thirteen churches within a fourteen-mile radius of our church have closed over the years closed I am enthusiastic by the inclusion in our Family of Parishes.
My hope is that together we will continue to flourish and bring clearer light and life through greater cooperation. Working together in areas will help us to be more efficient. I look forward to being enriched by the wisdom and faith of our family and bring hope and excitement as we walk into the future together.
Our Family Pastors...
Father Tomas Miliauskas, M.I.C.
Divine Providence Lithuanian Catholic Church
Our Family Pastors...
Father Patrick Connell
Our Lady of La Salette Church
Father Connell was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Elmhurst, a Chicago suburb. In 1975, he moved with his family to Troy, Michigan where he attended Boulan Park Middle School and Troy High School. He graduated from Troy High in 1981. After high school, Father Cornell attended Oakland Community College for two years. He was going to attend the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana to become a lawyer. As he was involved in this process of discernment he decided to answer the call he heard in high school to become a diocesan priest.
Fr. Connell enrolled in Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 1983, planning to stay a year. He soon realized his call was to the priesthood and stopped the Notre Dame entrance process and fully entered into the program of priestly formation at Sacred Heart.
During his seminary studies, Father Connell earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy and a Master of Divinity with a concentration in medical ethics and moral theology. He was ordained on June 27, 1992. He was first assigned as Associate Pastor of St. Thecla Church in Clinton Township from 1992 until 1995. Father’s second assignment was as Associate Pastor of St. Regis Church, Bloomfield Hills. In addition to his duties as associate pastor and pastor, Father Connell has also served as Chaplain of Brother Rice High School and Marian High School and was Director of the Office of Alumni at Sacred Heart Major Seminary for one year.
In early 1998, Father Connell became pastor of Our Lady of La Salette Parish.
Father enjoys Notre Dame football, reading, astronomy, and computers.