Mariners’ Church of Detroit held its annual Great Lakes Memorial service on Sunday, bringing together worshippers to honour sailors and civilians who have lost their lives on the region’s waterways.
The 11am service came one year after the church hosted a major commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, which disappeared in a storm on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975.
All 29 members of the freighter’s crew died in the disaster, which later became the subject of Gordon Lightfoot’s 1976 ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Mariners’ Church is the Detroit church associated with the song and has long held services remembering those lost on the Great Lakes. ([wxyz.com](https://www.wxyz.com/news/mariners-church-of-detroit-hosting-great-lakes-memorial-and-edmund-fitzgerald-service-on-sunday))
This year’s service was held at the church on East Jefferson Avenue and included an honour guard made up of maritime and military personnel with ties to the Great Lakes, as well as the church’s professional choir. Holy Communion was also offered, with visitors welcome to attend. ([wxyz.com](https://www.wxyz.com/news/mariners-church-of-detroit-hosting-great-lakes-memorial-and-edmund-fitzgerald-service-on-sunday))
Rev Todd Meyer, pastor of Mariners’ Church, said the annual gathering provided an opportunity to remember those who had died while also praying for people who continue to work and spend time on the water.
“The Great Lakes are beautiful and a constant source of inspiration and joy for those of us fortunate enough to live by their shores,” he said. “But they can become dangerous and unpredictable in a flash.”
Mr Meyer added that the service allowed the congregation and its guests to reflect on the lives lost and pray for safe passage and recreational enjoyment for everyone using the Great Lakes.
The annual memorial service marks the end of the Great Lakes shipping season and remembers all those who served on the inland seas, not only the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. ([detroitlodge7.org](https://detroitlodge7.org/Schedule.html?utm_source=openai))
