Welcome. I’m Fr. John Dudek, priest in solidum for the St. Regis community.

I invite you whether you are a parishioner, member of the school community, thinking about joining either, or just wanting to know more about us to ask yourself three questions: “who am I,’’ “who are you,” and “who are we?” – the people of St. Regis. The answers will be telling.

First of all, “who am I”? Some may say it’s a bit amphibious, and it is. My earthly, human occupation: steward of St. Regis. My priestly occupation: being an instrument of God to get people to heaven.

I’m a runner, I’m a downhill skier and an over par golfer. But my proudest moments come from being a dad to two adult daughters. I was previously married, had an annulment and entered Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Boston, a school for “late in life vocations.” I’d come full circle, having received the call to the priesthood early in life, but life as with all of us, sometimes takes a different turn. My daughters, most of all, provided the encouragement to pursue the dream. The lesson: it’s never too late to do what you love.

 I was a special education teacher for 26 years and thought I’d never see a classroom again after entering the seminary.  But God gave me a new classroom. After ordination in 2021, I was assigned to the Church of the Divine Child parish in Dearborn as an associate pastor and they had both an elementary and high school. Then in March 2023, I received a call from the Archbishop of Detroit to serve in the West Maple Family of Parishes, taking the helm at St. Regis parish and school. It was and is beautifully humbling.

So, “who are we”? We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive community where relationships are formed, where meaning and purpose are found and where lives are transformed. We have a thriving parish of more than 1,000 people and an elementary school at current capacity of 500 that boasts some of the best teachers around and class sizes that provide the attention students deserve. We have a variety of ways and organizations to get you involved, depending on your time, your interests, your hopes and your dreams for this community.  We hope you find us authentic, relatable, hospitable and supportive. And most of all, we hope you find this to be a healing community that meets people where they are at.

Now, ask yourself, “who are you?”  If you are currently in our community, I invite you to get more involved. If you are seeking a place of worship, a school that provides high quality education with a moral pillar or just a spiritual touchstone that you want to explore, please give me a call. I look forward to meeting you and introducing you to a special place to call “home.”