About Holy Family Parish - St. Joseph · Sandusky, Michigan
Holy Family Parish is a Roman Catholic community in the heart of Michigan's Thumb, united across three worship sites in Sanilac County: St. Joseph Church in Sandusky, St. John the Evangelist Church in Peck, and St. Elizabeth Church in Marlette. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Saginaw and is presently led by Parochial Administrator Rev. Amal Raj Madanu, a missionary priest from the Archdiocese of Hyderabad in India, working alongside two permanent deacons and a lay pastoral team. Holy Family describes its mission as becoming 'a visible sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the heart of The Thumb' through shared worship, faith formation, and rural fellowship.
- Patron
- The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Amal Raj Madanu (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw (Vicariate 1)
Why belong here
Holy Family is a welcoming rural parish serving three small Sanilac County communities — Sandusky, Peck, and Marlette — with a full weekly schedule of Masses, weekday adoration, and regular confession at every site. New and returning parishioners are intentionally welcomed through the parish's 'Smile Sunday' program, and the community gathers around the Eucharist, the rosary (prayed each weekday at St. Elizabeth), and an OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) process led by Deacon Waligorski. It is an ideal place for families in the Thumb who want a faithful, close-knit Catholic home with priests and deacons who know the parish by name.
Mass times at Holy Family Parish - St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- St. Elizabeth, Marlette — Tuesday 4:30 PM to 5:15 PM
- St. John the Evangelist, Peck — Saturday 4:30 PM to 5:00 PM
- St. Joseph, Sandusky — Wednesday 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- St. Joseph, Sandusky — Sunday 7:45 AM to 8:15 AM (before 8:30 Mass)
Adoration times
- St. Joseph, Sandusky — Wednesday 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
- St. Joseph, Sandusky — First Friday 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
- St. Elizabeth, Marlette — Tuesday 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
- St. John the Evangelist, Peck — First Saturday 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
About Holy Family Parish
Holy Family Parish is a Roman Catholic community in the Diocese of Saginaw serving the rural 'Thumb' region of Michigan. Its mission statement, published on the parish homepage, reads: 'We at Holy Family Parish will rely on our hope in God's providence and on our commitment to hard work in cooperation with God's grace to become a visible sign of the presence of the Risen Lord in the heart of The Thumb.' The parish brings together three worship sites — St. Joseph in Sandusky, St. John the Evangelist in Peck, and St. Elizabeth in Marlette — that together form a single faith community of families, farmers, and retirees spread across Sanilac County.
- St. Joseph Church — 59 N. Moore St, Sandusky, MI 48471
- St. John the Evangelist Church — 5335 Sandusky Rd, Peck, MI 48466
- St. Elizabeth Church — 6817 Marlette St, Marlette, MI 48453
- Diocese of Saginaw, Vicariate 1
Parish Leadership & Staff
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Amal Raj Madanu, a missionary priest from the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, India, who was assigned to Holy Family following his arrival in the Diocese of Saginaw. He is assisted by two permanent deacons, a pastoral associate, and a business manager, with lay leadership provided by the Parish Pastoral Council and Finance Council.
- Rev. Amal Raj Madanu — Parochial Administrator ([email protected])
- Deacon Andrew Waligorski ([email protected]) — also OCIA coordinator
- Deacon Jacob Huysentruyt ([email protected])
- Suzanne Guttowsky — Pastoral Associate ([email protected])
- Margaret Stevens — Business Manager ([email protected])
- Rita Maher — Office Staff
- Lori Nugent — Pastoral Council Chair
- Gary Flynn — Finance Council Chair
Parish Office & Contact
The parish office is located at the St. Joseph site in Sandusky. Office hours run from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The parish can be reached by phone, email, or through the Flocknote text-message system, and recorded homilies are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
- Address — 59 N. Moore St., Sandusky, MI 48471
- Mailing address — 62 N. Moore St., Sandusky, MI 48471
- Parish phone — (810) 648-2968
- Parish email — [email protected]
- Office hours — Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
- Flocknote — text-message parish updates and sign-up
- Recorded homilies — available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
Faith Formation & OCIA
Adults preparing to enter or return to the Catholic Church are walked through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly called RCIA) at Holy Family. The process is coordinated by Deacon Andrew Waligorski and is part of the parish's broader ministry of welcoming new and returning members.
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — coordinated by Deacon Andrew Waligorski ([email protected])
- Smile Sunday — quarterly welcoming event for new and returning parishioners
- Name-tag program — three-week parish-wide welcome for new clergy
Outreach & Communication
Holy Family maintains a number of digital and parish-wide communication tools to keep its far-flung rural congregation connected. The parish promotes a 'Parish Priority Plan' for ongoing renewal, and provides live-streamed Mass options through the Diocese of Saginaw for those unable to attend in person.
- Parish Priority Plan — active strategic initiative linked from the parish homepage
- Diocese of Saginaw live-stream Mass — Sundays at 10:30 AM and Monday–Saturday at 8:00 AM
- Flocknote — text-message parish updates and announcements
- Recorded homilies — Spotify and Apple Podcasts
- Pastoral Council (Lori Nugent, chair) and Finance Council (Gary Flynn, chair) — lay leadership