On March 10, St. Mary Student Parish unburied a copper time capsule placed in the cornerstone foundation block of the building’s construction 101 years ago. The capsule contained various relic items such as Catholic rosaries and coins as well as a copy of The Michigan Daily from April 5, 1924, which covered the dedication ceremony of the cornerstone.
2025 marks 100 years since the parish building’s official dedication. As part of its centennial celebration, the church plans to rebury the box with The Daily publication from 1924 as well as modern memorabilia such as photos of the church’s activities and The Daily’s April 2, 2025 publication.
The church will hold a short ceremony Sunday at 3 p.m. to replace the cornerstone., in between the Sunday Spanish and English masses. St. Mary Pastor Kyle Shinseki told The Daily the church hopes for the new time capsule to capture what the church is like in the modern day.
“This is not just a random box of things that we’re putting into the cornerstone,” Shinseki said. “It really is something that we hope represents who we are as a community and why people find so much meaning here. So by having a ceremony to mark that, I think it helps to set that apart. It’s not just placing a stone into the building.”
St. Mary was the first dedicated worship space for Catholic students at the University of Michigan. It currently serves more than 1,700 students, staff and community members. In an interview with The Daily, Paul Conway, University associate professor emeritus and St. Mary centennial celebration history committee chair, said he was surprised the contents of the time capsule were so relevant more than 100 years later.
“I think it’s an opportunity to reflect on the importance of historical continuity, or just historical facts (and) insight,” Conway said. “And it simultaneously says, ‘Well, how were things different?’ But it also tells how people were the same. If you read the newspapers we’re still facing some of the same — both political and social — activities that you see 100 years ago. So it’s a chance to bring heritage and history in front of students as an opportunity to reflect on the value of history.”
A building’s cornerstone is the first building block placed in construction and is often inscribed with meaningful symbols. Shinseki said he hopes in 100 years when people reopen the box they discover how vibrant and diverse the St. Mary community currently is.
“Our primary core mission is to serve students, but we really do serve the broader Ann Arbor community, and that’s something I think we want to express through what’s put in the box,” Shinseki said. “I like to say that we’re a parish that really prides itself in putting our faith into action.”
In an interview with The Daily, Kinesiology junior Therese Campos, Michigan Catholics president, said she admires the church’s mission statement of “faith doing justice” and thinks the time capsule shows the continuity of community outreach throughout the last 100 years.
“We’re so proud of St. Mary’s and we’re hoping it’ll be standing in 100 years,” Campos said. “We want people to see the history and the importance of what we stand for. St. Mary’s is trying to serve students and local resident parishioners in a way that they can grow in their faith, being welcoming of every path that people are on and what communities and backgrounds that they bring with them.”
Daily Staff Reporter Sarah Spencer can be reached at sarahsp@umich.edu.
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