Our History
The idea of Cristo Rey Community Center began with Father William McKeon’s dream. He approached Bishop Joseph Henry Albers of the Catholic Diocese with the need for a church for the Hispanic community of Lansing.
In 1961, the Cristo Rey parish was established in downtown Lansing. In 1966, the church was demolished to build a new highway, I-496.
In 1968, Father Kenneth L. Faiver established a spiritual and social center on Ballard Street. Cristo Rey relocated a number of times over the next two decades before settling in its current location, the former High Street Elementary School.
In 1969, Tony Benavides was appointed as the Executive Director of the Cristo Rey Community Center. Under Tony Benavides’ leadership and with strong faith, the Center grew to serve 22,000 persons annually, with diverse community services. These services include: a medical health clinic, prescription programs, senior and community kitchens, youth programs, diversion programs, employment and training programs, counseling programs, direct assistance, food bank, disability services, English and Spanish as a second language classes, and parenting programs.
In 2003, Tony Benavides became Mayor of the City of Lansing. John Roy Castillo, Attorney, was appointed by the Board of Directors and Bishop Carl F. Mengeling as Executive Director of Cristo Rey Community Center.
Other important historic milestones include: On June 3, 2003, Bishop Mengeling dedicated the Cristo Rey statue that was donated to the Cristo Rey Community Center by Rosa Malcangi. On December 3, 2004, Governor Jennifer Granholm signed a bill at Cristo Rey designating March 31 of each year as Cesar Chavez Day.
Fifty-one percent of the members of the Cristo Rey Board of Directors are from the Hispanic community and approximately fifty percent of the staff is Bilingual.
