In response to the needs of Catholic families in the Birmingham area for a parish, the “Birmingham Mission” was created and in 1918 a three hundred foot lot at the corner of Woodland and Harmon was designated as a site for a church, school, convent and rectory.  For the first several years the priests from St. Mary Royal Oak (the nearest parish to the south) serviced the growing community.  In July 1921 with the appointment of Fr. William Ryan as its’ first pastor, the Mission became a parish under the title “Holy Name.”  Within nine months, the first parish church – in a Spanish mission style – was dedicated.  A school staffed by IHM Sisters from Monroe soon followed in 1928.  As the decades passed and growth intensified, the current 1954 church designed by Diehl & Diehl was built.  Parish offices and facilities expanded in 1984, 1991, 2001 and 2011 and the worship space was renovated several times as well.  The school also had many additions over the years.  Many parishes were created out of the original Holy Name boundaries which stretched from Royal Oak to Pontiac; among them are St. Hugo, St. Regis and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs and the now closed St. Columban.
 

The majestic windows of Holy Name Parish are registered with the Michigan State University Stained Glass Census.  To view images of the windows and a brief theological interpretation, folllow this link: Michigan Stained Glass Census.