About Holy Family Parish - St. John the Evangelist · Peck, Michigan
Holy Family Parish of Sandusky is a Catholic community in Michigan's Thumb region, part of the Diocese of Saginaw, that brings together three historic worship sites — St. Joseph Church in Sandusky, St. Elizabeth Church in Marlette, and St. John the Evangelist Church in Peck. The parish describes its mission as becoming 'a visible sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the heart of The Thumb' through reliance on God's providence and hard work in cooperation with His grace. It serves a wide, rural farming area across Sanilac County, with one shared pastoral team ministering to all three church communities through rotating Masses, confession, adoration, devotions, OCIA, and a live-streamed liturgy.
- Patron
- Holy Family (parish-wide patron; the specific Peck-site patron is St. John the Evangelist)
- Rector
- Rev. Amal Raj Madanu (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
Why belong here
Holy Family Parish offers three welcoming rural worship sites in Sandusky, Marlette, and Peck, so Catholics throughout Michigan's Thumb can find a Sunday Mass close to home. The parish runs OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), regular confession and adoration at every site, a daily-Mass schedule spanning the week, weekday rosary at St. Elizabeth, a live-streamed Mass from the Diocese of Saginaw, and recorded homilies on Spotify and Apple Podcasts for those who can't be there in person. With a small pastoral team that includes two deacons, a Pastoral Associate, and a Business Manager, the parish is a tight-knit, family-oriented community where parishioners are encouraged to know one another — new members and visitors are welcomed with name-tag 'Smile Sundays'.
Mass times at Holy Family Parish - St. John the Evangelist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 4:30–5:15 PM — St. Elizabeth Church, Marlette
- Wednesday 6:00–7:00 PM — St. Joseph Church, Sandusky
- Sunday 7:45–8:15 AM — St. Joseph Church, Sandusky
- Saturday 4:30–5:00 PM — St. John the Evangelist Church, Peck
Adoration times
- First Friday 9:00–10:00 AM — St. Joseph Church, Sandusky
- Wednesday 6:00–7:00 PM — St. Joseph Church, Sandusky
- Tuesday 4:30–5:30 PM — St. Elizabeth Church, Marlette
- First Saturday 9:00–10:00 AM — St. John the Evangelist Church, Peck
About Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Parish of Sandusky is a Catholic community in Michigan's Thumb region, anchored in three worship sites and served by a single pastoral team. The parish's stated mission is to become 'a visible sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the heart of The Thumb' through hope in God's providence, hard work, and openness to grace. Visitors will find rotating weekend Masses and a full week of daily Masses spread across the parish's three church sites in Sandusky, Marlette, and Peck.
- Three church sites: St. Joseph (Sandusky), St. Elizabeth (Marlette), St. John the Evangelist (Peck)
- Part of the Diocese of Saginaw
- Welcoming parish with quarterly 'Smile Sunday' name-tag events
- Parish Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Three Worship Sites
Because Holy Family Parish serves a large rural area, the parish schedules its weekend and weekday Masses across three different church buildings so Catholics can find a liturgy close to home. Each site also has its own devotion and confession slot.
- St. John the Evangelist Church — 5335 Sandusky Rd., Peck, MI 48466 (this entry's focus site)
- St. Elizabeth Church — 6817 Marlette St., Marlette, MI 48453
- St. Joseph Church — 59 N. Moore St., Sandusky, MI 48471
- Parish mailing address — 62 N. Moore St., Sandusky, MI 48471
Parish Staff & Leadership
The parish is led by a Parochial Administrator with the support of two deacons, a Pastoral Associate, a Business Manager, and office staff. A Pastoral Council and Finance Council provide lay governance. Deacon Andrew Waligorski also coordinates the OCIA program.
- Parochial Administrator: Rev. Amal Raj Madanu ([email protected])
- Deacon Andrew Waligorski (also OCIA coordinator) — [email protected]
- Deacon Jacob Huysentruyt — [email protected]
- Pastoral Associate: Suzanne Guttowsky — [email protected]
- Business Manager: Margaret Stevens — [email protected]
- Office Staff: Rita Maher
- Pastoral Council Chair: Lori Nugent
- Finance Council Chair: Gary Flynn
Sacraments & Faith Formation
Beyond Mass, confession, and adoration listed above, the parish supports the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), the Church's modern process for adults preparing to receive Baptism, Confirmation, or First Communion. The OCIA coordinator is Deacon Andrew Waligorski.
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- OCIA contact: Deacon Andrew Waligorski, [email protected]
- Eucharistic Adoration and Rosary devotions
- Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation) — multiple weekly sites and times
Parish Life, Welcome & Outreach
The parish places a strong emphasis on knowing one another and welcoming newcomers — including 'snowbirds' returning from Florida. Its 'Smile Sunday' initiative uses name tags for three weeks at a time to introduce the wider congregation to a new priest and to each other. The parish also maintains a Flocknote text-message list so members can be reached quickly with news and prayer requests.
- Quarterly 'Smile Sunday' name-tag weekends
- Flocknote text-message signup on the parish website
- Recorded homilies on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
- Diocese of Saginaw live-streamed Mass: Sunday 10:30 AM and Monday–Saturday 8:00 AM
Planning & Future Direction
The parish has published a 'Parish Priority Plan' linked from the homepage, signalling an active, forward-looking approach to life and ministry across the three sites. The plan is referenced as a way to organize the parish's mission in the rural Thumb of Michigan.
- Parish Priority Plan — available via link on the parish homepage
- Combined leadership and pastoral team for three worship sites
- Streaming and podcast outreach to reach homebound and seasonal parishioners
Visit, Contact & Connect
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone at 810-648-2968 during office hours (Monday–Friday, 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM). Individual staff and clergy can be contacted by email using the diocesan @diosag.org or parish @hfpsc.diosag.org addresses.
- Parish phone: 810-648-2968
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM
- Official website: http://www.holyfamilyparishsanilaccounty.com/
- Diocese of Saginaw parish profile: https://saginaw.org/parish/holy-family-parish-sandusky-peck