Bishop Flores looks forward to learning about the Detroit area
Kristin Lukowski of The Michigan Catholic
Published December 8, 2006
Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau
Selena: Corpus Christi's most famous memorial is probably the statue of Tejano star Selena Quintanilla-Perez, who was shot March 31, 1995. |
Kristin Lukowski | The Michigan Catholic
The Spirit of Detroit: Perhaps Detroit's most famous statue is the 26-foot Spirit if Detroit, outside the downtown Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. Installed in 1958, the statue has donned jerseys of most Detroit teams — the Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers and Shock. We still hope to see it in a Lions jersey. | People go to Corpus Christi, Texas for the water, the festivals, the sports and the warm weather. People come to southeast Michigan for the water, festivals and sports, too — but not so much the warm weather.
Luckily, Bishop Daniel Flores, Detroit's newest auxiliary bishop, has a winter coat.
"I think I'll be pretty snug and ready for a change in climate," he said.
Bishop Flores leaves south Texas and its attractions and special features, including the beaches, one of the area's main draws, said Kimberly Lemley, director of visitor and media services for the Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The allure is the water," she said.
Corpus Christi's bay, beaches, nearby Padre Island and the Gulf of Mexico all draw fishers, boaters and those who just want to walk along Corpus Christi's waterfront promenade. Also near the water are the Texas State Aquarium and the aircraft carrier USS Lexington.
"It's a beautiful city, it's not very large, and it's right on the Bay of Corpus Christi, so I'm used to seeing large bodies of salt water nearby," Bishop Flores said. "The Gulf of Mexico is not too far, and as a kid the family would go to Padre Island a lot – from our house it was only about 15 minutes. So, I have a lot of fond memories of going to the island and to the Gulf of Mexico."
 Detroit and Corpus Christi differ in many other ways:
Weather
106 degrees: typical hottest day in Corpus Christi
95 degrees: typical hottest day in Detroit
33 degrees: typical coldest day in Corpus Christi
19 degrees: average coldest temperature in Detroit
Population
Metro Detroit area: About 4 million people
Metro Corpus Christi area: About 550,000 people
Catholics in the metro Detroit area: 1,287,000
Catholics in the metro Corpus Christi area: 389,000
Parks
Cole Park: Corpus Christi's 43-acre park along Ocean Drive with a view of Corpus Christi Bay.
Belle Isle: Detroit's 983-acre park, which features five miles of shoreline drive, a peace tower carillon, memorial fountain, and recreation.
Bridges
Harbor Bridge: The second tallest bridge in Texas. Texas State Aquarium is underneath.
Ambassador Bridge: Connects Michigan and Canada; was once the longest suspension bridge in the world. Mexicantown is nearby. | Some of the more popular festivals in Corpus Christi include the fall Bayfest and the spring Buccaneer Days ("Buc" Days to the locals), which also includes a rodeo and barbecue, Lemley said.
They have a few sports teams, too; minor league baseball team the Hooks, who just won the Texas League championship, and minor league hockey team the Rayz are based in Corpus Christi.
"South Texans love sports," Lemley said. "Anything related to sports is huge here."
Bishop Flores said one thing he likes about Corpus Christi is that he grew up there and therefore runs into people whenever he goes to the store. "So, I will certainly miss the people and the priests, who have been very enjoyable to work with," he said.
Carolyn Artman, media relations manager for the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, said that among the metro Detroit's big attractions are The Henry Ford and Greenfield Village in Dearborn, the Detroit Institute of Art, the Detroit Zoo, and even the Cranbrook art museum and science institute. People go to those places and see the architecture, culture and grounds and are really impressed, she said. Of course, sports have been a big attraction over the past year and a half or so, since the All-Star baseball game, Super Bowl and the Tigers making it to the World Series, Artman said. There's Detroit's music scene: techno, Motown, jazz and the many concert venues. And there are cultural events in downtown's Hart Plaza, such as African World Festival, India Festival and the Downtown Hoedown.
Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau
Detroit River: Downtown riverfront has been under development by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. Plans are for the riverfront to eventually connect from the MacArthur Bridge (to Belle Isle) to the Ambassador Bridge. |
Corpus Christi Convention and Visitors Bureau
Corpus Christi Bay: Bay-front marina with yachts, sightseeing boats, water sport rentals and waterside
restaurants. A promenade allows visitors to walk, bicycle and roller skate. | "I think a lot of people who come in are pleasantly surprised by the variety of things we have to do," she said. "People have a great time here. There's so much to do they think about coming back."
From the Catholic standpoint, there are a few historic churches to see, such as the 300-year-old Ste. Anne de Detroit Parish, National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, and St. Mary's in Greektown, Artman said.
Bishop Daniel Flores said his impression of the Detroit area so far has been friendly people. "I was just overwhelmed by the kindness of the people's reception … and it just confirmed my sense that in the Church there is a great communion of heart," he said. "I had a sense of being among friends, in that people were very kind and encouraging.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know the city," Bishop Flores said. "There's a great diversity there that I'm looking forward to the challenge of getting familiar with, and I look forward to traveling around and meeting as many people as I can. Also, I love sports, and I know it's a great sports town, a great American League town, and so I'll look forward to that."
Michigan Catholic reporter Robert Delaney contributed to this story.
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