About Good Shepherd Parish - St. Columbkille · Ubly, Michigan
Good Shepherd Parish of Ubly is a four-church Roman Catholic parish in Michigan's Thumb region, formed by merging the faith communities of St. John the Evangelist in Ubly, St. Columbkille in Sheridan Corners, St. Ignatius in Frieburg, and St. Joseph in Argyle. It is part of the Diocese of Saginaw (Vicariate 1) and is served today by Fr. Aruna Kumar Nagipogu (Fr. Kumar), supported by a small lay staff for faith formation, finances, and parish administration. The parish describes itself as a unified community striving to become 'missionary disciples of Jesus,' and over the past year has discerned a new mission and vision with the Catholic Leadership Institute focused on worship, the Sacraments, lifelong faith formation, and outreach to neighbors and beyond.
- Established
- 1898
- Patron
- The Good Shepherd (parish name); St. Columbkille (patron of the Sheridan Corners church)
- Rector
- Rev. Aruna Kumar Nagipogu (Fr. Kumar)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw (Vicariate 1)
Why belong here
Good Shepherd is a rural, family-sized Catholic community that worships across four historic country churches and centers its life on the Eucharist, the Sacraments, and lifelong faith formation. Its published vision commits every member to being 'on fire with the Truth' and the 'hands and feet of Christ' in the local Thumb-area community, with concrete goals to grow faith-formation participation and small faith-sharing groups by 2026. For visitors and new parishioners, it offers a clear schedule of weekend Masses in several locations, a direct line to the pastor for anointing of the sick, and an active youth ministry.
Mass times at Good Shepherd Parish - St. Columbkille
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- See bulletin or website for times (parish website directs to the bulletin for the current Penance schedule).
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration is offered at one or more parish churches — current schedule is published in the parish bulletin and on the website (see http://goodshepherdubly.com/mass-schedule/).
About Good Shepherd Parish
Good Shepherd Parish of Ubly is the merged faith community of four historic Catholic churches in Michigan's Thumb: St. John the Evangelist in Ubly, St. Columbkille in Sheridan Corners, St. Ignatius in Frieburg, and St. Joseph in Argyle. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Saginaw, Vicariate 1, and worships regularly at all four sites. Its stated purpose is to serve 'as a force for good in our local community, our diocese, and our world,' striving to become missionary disciples of Jesus.
- Four worship sites: St. John (Ubly), St. Columbkille (Sheridan Corners), St. Ignatius (Frieburg), St. Joseph (Argyle)
- Diocese of Saginaw, Vicariate 1
- Pastor: Fr. Aruna Kumar Nagipogu (Fr. Kumar)
Parish History and the Four Founding Churches
The four communities that make up Good Shepherd each have their own long history serving the rural Thumb. St. Columbkille, the oldest, dates to 1898 and honors the 6th-century Irish monk-missionary to Scotland; St. Ignatius in Frieburg traces its roots to 1826. St. John and St. Joseph grew up around the village of Ubly and the hamlet of Argyle to serve farming families across Huron and Sanilac counties. In recent years the four were canonically merged into Good Shepherd Parish; in 2025, after more than a year of prayer and consultation, the parish announced the sale of St. Joseph and St. Ignatius, reinvesting the proceeds into parish ministry with Bishop Robert Gruss's approval.
- St. Columbkille, Sheridan Corners — founded 1898
- St. Ignatius, Frieburg — founded 1826
- Canonical merger into Good Shepherd Parish
- 2025 announcement of sale of St. Joseph and St. Ignatius
Parish Purpose and Vision
Working with the Catholic Leadership Institute and a Parish Envisioning Team, Good Shepherd Parish has articulated its first formal Purpose and Vision statements. The Purpose Statement commits members, 'guided by the Holy Spirit and strengthened through sacraments, fellowship, and faith formation,' to serve as a 'force for good' locally and beyond. The Vision Statement calls the parish to be 'a community where every member is on fire with the Truth,' strengthened through worship, the Sacraments, lifelong faith formation, Scripture study, and fellowship.
Bold Goals for 2026
Through the Catholic Leadership Institute process the parish set six measurable goals to be achieved by early 2026, including targets for weekend Mass attendance, new-parishioner registration, family faith-formation participation, small faith-sharing groups, overall faith-formation participation (Goal #5: 70% of registered parishioners in at least one opportunity annually), and self-reported growth as a disciple (Goal #6: 75% of parishioners reporting they are growing as disciples by March 2026).
- Plan #6: Promote ministries that encourage active discipleship (mentoring, outreach, bible studies, OCIA)
- Plan #5: Expand, create, and invite parishioners to small faith-sharing groups focused on Scripture, prayer, and discipleship
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
Good Shepherd runs a full Faith Formation program for children in grades K–12, organized in a 'Family of Faith' model where families gather monthly (per bulletin). The parish also has a dedicated Youth Ministry (grades 7–12) and reaches out to Young Adults, with small faith-sharing groups and Bible studies supporting the broader 2026 goal that 70% of registered parishioners take part in at least one faith-formation opportunity annually. JaCie Tyrrell serves as Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry.
- Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry: JaCie Tyrrell
- Family of Faith monthly gatherings for parents and children
- Youth Ministry (grades 7–12)
- OCIA / RCIA for adults
Parish Staff and Leadership
The parish is led by Fr. Aruna Kumar Nagipogu (Fr. Kumar), supported by a small staff and two lay-led councils. Sheila Grifka serves as parish secretary; Kate Winkel is the bookkeeper; and JaCie Tyrrell coordinates faith formation and youth ministry. Maintenance and custodial care for the Ubly/Argyle and Sheridan campuses are handled by Mike Peplinski, Deb Sadro, Jerry Sweeney, and Whitey Pawlosky. Pastoral Council is chaired by Matthew Brown and Finance Council by Debbie Powell.
- Pastor: Fr. Aruna Kumar Nagipogu (Fr. Kumar)
- Secretary: Sheila Grifka
- Bookkeeper: Kate Winkel
- Faith Formation & Youth Ministry: JaCie Tyrrell
- Pastoral Council Chair: Matthew Brown
- Finance Council Chair: Debbie Powell
Parish Office, Contact, and Communication
The Parish Office (Parish Center) is located at 4470 N. Washington St., Ubly, Michigan 48475, and is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The main phone line is (989) 658-8824 and the general email is [email protected]. Beyond the website, the parish uses Facebook (fb.me/goodshepherdubly) and Flocknote (text BESTSHEPHERD to 84576) for parish-wide announcements.
- Office Hours: Mon–Thu, 8:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
- Phone: (989) 658-8824
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: fb.me/goodshepherdubly
- Flocknote: text BESTSHEPHERD to 84576
Worship Site Addresses
Each of the four churches has its own address and Google Maps location linked from the parish website.
- St. John Church — 4470 N. Washington St., Ubly, MI 48475
- St. Joseph Church — 4960 N. Ubly Rd., Argyle, MI 48410 (10 miles south of Ubly)
- St. Columbkille Church — 3031 McAlpin Rd., Ubly, MI 48413 (Sheridan Corners, 8 miles west of Ubly)
- St. Ignatius Church — 1826 Cumber Rd., Ubly, MI 48475
Diocese of Saginaw and Vicariate 1
Good Shepherd Parish is part of the Diocese of Saginaw, in Vicariate 1, which covers the northern Thumb and surrounding counties. The parish's diocesan page confirms the four-church structure, the parish leadership listed above, and the published Mass schedule.
- Diocese of Saginaw
- Vicariate 1
- Bishop: Robert Gruss (referenced in 2025 church-sale announcement)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Nate Harburgthrough at least April 2025
Led the 2025 discernment process resulting in the announced sale of St. Joseph and St. Ignatius churches.
- Rev. Aruna Kumar Nagipogu (Fr. Kumar)current
Listed as Pastor on the parish website and diocesan directory; succeeded Fr. Harburg as pastor/Parochial Administrator.