St. Hugo's came into being as a parish through the very active effort of two lay people -- Theodore F. and Alice MacManus. From that day to this, the extraordinary involvement of the laity has been and is St. Hugo's great strength.

It had long been the fond hope of Mr. & Mrs. MacManus to have a church in this area since there was none between here and Birmingham to the south and Pontiac to the north. The MacManus family resided at Stoneycroft, which comprised considerable acreage, part of which is now the site of St. Hugo of the Hills. In short, they had the land, the idea and the will to do it. Together, Mr. & Mrs. MacManus were not only our sponsors but also our benefactors, bringing part of the reality that is ours today to fruition.

In 1931, Fr. William W. Ryan, then pastor of Holy Name, Birmingham, was appointed to St. Hugo's as its first pastor by Bishop Michael J. Gallagher. Eager to establish the new parish, Fr. Ryan purchased property north of the Stoneycroft site and built a small frame building to serve as a chapel and rectory prior to the construction of the Church. While the exact date is unknown, the first Mass celebrated in the Chapel was early in 1931. The stone church was begun in 1931 and was completed in 1936.

After Fr. Ryan's death, Fr. Daniel J. Wholihan became pastor serving until 1946. The original rectory was adjacent to the Chapel. During Fr. Wholihan's pastorate, the present rectory was built in 1941. It was a gift of the Frank J. Couzens family, The first unit of the school was completed in 1940 thanks to the generosity of Mr. & Mrs. Walter O. Briggs. The St. Hugo convent was then housed in the wing adjacent to the chapel. As the result of several gifts of property from Mr. William Van Dyke in 1942-43 and the subsequent purchase of two remaining tracts, St. Hugo's parish now owns all of the land between its two widely separated complexes of buildings.

Fr. Francis T. Stack succeeded Fr. Wholihan upon the latter's death and served as pastor until 1963. He continued the sorely needed expansion in the school and chapel. With the death of Fr. Stack, Msgr. Edmund Fournier was named pastor. He made a number of improvements in his two year term as pastor including the office wing attached to the present rectory. Msgr. Fournier took a new assignment in November of 1965 and was replaced by Fr. Clement J, Esper.

In 1967 the current St. Hugo convent was completed and St. Hugo's school reached its present form with the library, the art, science and classroom additions of 1968. The school was staffed by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Monroe, Michigan. On July 2, 1985, Fr. Esper retired after twenty years of devoted service and was replaced as pastor by Rev. Msgr. Anthony M. Tocco who currently is serving in that position.

In addition to the devoted laity, the above named pastors were aided from 1936 onward by a number of associate pastors. In chronological order, they were Fr. Bernard Regan, Fr. Joseph A. Canaan, Fr. John L. Howard, Fr. Arthur Childs, Fr. James Murphy, Fr. Arthur Fauser, Fr. Gerald Flanigan, Fr. Paul Bigley, Fr. Richard J. Cassidy, Fr. Arnold R. Bastien, Fr. James Cichon, Fr. Michael S. Filip, Fr. John A. Slater, Fr. James M. Sam, Fr. Lawrence Delonnay, Fr. Ronald J. Essman, Fr. Nicholas Zukowski, Fr. Jack H. Baker, Fr. James D. Bilot, Fr. Robert Schuster, Fr. Jim Rafferty and Fr. Ron Richards who is currently serving as Associate Pastor. Our Weekend Associates have also served our parish; they are Fr. George F. Hazier, Fr. Charles Kosanke, and Fr. Michael Buentello who is our present Weekend Associate. Each of them has been or is a unique member of our parish family adding to its total strength by their individual talents and devoted service.

After an extensive study during 1986 by the Forward Planning Committee, and on recommendation of the Stewardship Commission, the Parish Pastoral Council approved a plan for construction of a new Church/Parish Complex that included Administrative Offices, Meeting Rooms, Brides Room/Child Center and Multiuse Social Hall with kitchen. Fundraising began in early 1987 with over 300 parishioners volunteering to contact all members of the parish community for the necessary funds.

A Building Committee of representative members of the Parish was formed to develop the Construction Program. Five members were later chosen from this group to join with the Pastor, Construction Manager and the Architectural Team in a Design Committee to continue the decision making throughout the construction process. This committee will continue as the Art Review Committee to provide direction and guidance for future acquisitions for the Complex.

The design for the new church was determined by the strength and simplicity of the original stone church. The architectural firm of Harley Ellington Pierce Yee & Associates began their design work vowing not to overshadow but to honor the "jewel" we already have on our property. The new church incorporates much of the old by using many of the same building materials, most especially the stone taken from the very same quarry in Wisconsin. It was hand cut or "puffed" by skilled stonecutters.

Sunday, April 16, 1989, the church was dedicated with Edmund Cardinal Szoka officiating. This opened a year of celebration commemorating our coming together as one community in this new facility.