In 1925 Fr. Julius Bono was sent to the area to establish a new parish. He celebrated the first Mass for the new St. Mary Magdalen Parish in January of 1926 in the old Dasher School at the corner of Allen Road and Demean Street in Allen Park.
In 1927 Fr. Alfred Saylor arrived as the new pastor. He conducted a census by personally visiting area homes and found about 70 Catholic families in the area. He also purchased a two-acre parcel of land on Pepper Road, which is now known as Outer Drive. The purpose of this purchase was to build a school and church and any other facilities the parish may need in the future. Fr. John Hubert was assigned as our first assistant in June of 1927.
Groundbreaking for the new multiple-use building began in May of 1929. The new building, a combination church and school, consisted of four classrooms for eight grades on the upper floor and an equal area on the ground floor to be used as the Church. The north end of the upper floor served as the nuns’ quarters while the same area of the ground floor was used as an auditorium and parish hall. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on October 2, 1929.
The parish was steadily growing now with 150 registered families, many who had children attending our new school. The school was staffed by the Sisters of St. Dominic from Grand Rapids, Michigan. There were six sisters in all including a music teacher and a housekeeper.
Fr. Saylor was instrumental in the founding of the St. Mary Magdalen Parish Credit Union in 1930. It was the first parish credit union in the State of Michigan and is still in existence but known today as Alliance Catholic Credit Union.
Many organizations were established during Fr. Saylor’s pastorship including The St. Vincent de Paul Society, The Altar Society, The Legion of Mary, the C.Y.O. and the Holy Name Society.