San Francesco Parish in Clinton Township is home to numerous Italian Clubs. Some of them are named after the patron saints of the Italian towns or regions from which its parishioners emigrated. These clubs are venues designed to deepen the bond with the old country and to spiritually enrich their members by imitating the virtues of their favorite saints. The sentimental and spiritual ties extend to newer generations of Italians living in this area of Michigan.
The Assunta Society is, by far, the oldest club in the parish of San Francesco. It was founded in 1940. Its bylaws state the society was established to unite women of the parish "to strengthen their Catholic faith under the patronage of the Blessed Mother venerated as Assumed into heaven in all the components of her being." The society "aims to assist all its members in imitating the virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, especially through corporal and spiritual works of mercy."
