About Holy Name of Mary Parish - St. Anthony of Padua · Helena, Michigan
Holy Name of Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Michigan's Thumb region, belonging to the Diocese of Saginaw (Vicariate 1). It is a clustered, two-site parish comprising Our Lady of Lake Huron Church at 413 S. First St. in Harbor Beach and St. Anthony of Padua Church at 8233 Helena Rd. in Helena (Huron County). The parish is currently served by Rev. Kevin M. Wojciechowski as pastor, with Joani Yingling as bookkeeper, Jessica Siemen as office manager, and Wally Tenbusch directing the music ministry. Holy Name of Mary welcomes visitors and parishioners to weekend Masses celebrated at both worship sites and to weekday liturgies, the Sacrament of Penance, and Eucharistic Adoration.
- Established
- 1910
- Patron
- St. Anthony of Padua (Helena site); Holy Name of Mary (parish title)
- Rector
- Rev. Kevin M. Wojciechowski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw (Vicariate 1)
Why belong here
Holy Name of Mary is a two-site country parish where the faith of Huron County's farming families is still lived out in real, everyday ways — at the altar, at the cemetery on the lake bluff, and in the priest's farm visits with parishioners. Fr. Kevin Wojciechowski is known for spending time with families on their land and in their homes, listening to their lives, and weaving those realities into his preaching. With weekday and weekend Masses at both Our Lady of Lake Huron (Harbor Beach) and St. Anthony of Padua (Helena), regular Confession, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and the Exodus 90 men's spiritual exercises, there is a real, grounded community to belong to and to visit.
Mass times at Holy Name of Mary Parish - St. Anthony of Padua
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Our Lady of Lake Huron, Harbor Beach)
- Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 6:20 p.m. (Our Lady of Lake Huron, Harbor Beach)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (Our Lady of Lake Huron, Harbor Beach)
Parish Identity & Two Worship Sites
Holy Name of Mary Parish is a clustered Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Saginaw made up of two worship sites: Our Lady of Lake Huron Church in Harbor Beach (the parish's main site, housing the parish office at 413 S. First St.) and St. Anthony of Padua Church in Helena (8233 Helena Rd., 48441). The Helena church sits in the heart of the Thumb's farm country, while the Harbor Beach church anchors the parish closer to the Lake Huron shoreline. The parish belongs to Vicariate 1 of the Diocese of Saginaw.
- Our Lady of Lake Huron Church — 413 S. First St., Harbor Beach, MI 48441-1325
- St. Anthony of Padua Church — 8233 Helena Rd., Helena, MI 48441
- Parish Office: 413 S. First St., Harbor Beach, MI 48441-1324
- Diocese: Saginaw (Vicariate 1)
History & Heritage of St. Anthony of Padua, Helena
St. Anthony of Padua in Helena was founded in 1910, when about seventy local farming families petitioned the Diocese of Detroit for a parish closer to home. Bishop John Foley approved the request and appointed Father Anthony Strauss as the first resident pastor that July — the patron saint, St. Anthony of Padua, was chosen as a tribute to him. Construction began that year on land purchased from Joseph and Carey Landra, and by 1911–1912 the Gothic Revival cement-block church with its tall bell tower was complete. A 38-inch brass bell cast in Baltimore in 1911 still hangs in the belfry. The parish was part of the Diocese of Detroit until 1938, when Huron County parishes joined the newly formed Diocese of Saginaw. The parish marked its 50th jubilee in 1960 and its 75th in 1985.
- 1910 — parish established; ~70 founding families petitioned
- First pastor: Father Anthony Strauss
- 1938 — transferred from Diocese of Detroit to Diocese of Saginaw
- 1960 — 50th jubilee; 1985 — 75th jubilee
- 2008–2010 — exterior restoration
Architecture of St. Anthony of Padua Church
St. Anthony of Padua is a vernacular Gothic Revival country church built of rock-face concrete block — a deliberate choice after the Great Fires of 1871 and 1881 destroyed earlier Thumb-area wooden churches. A central front tower soars above the entrance, with louvered openings to carry the sound of the bell; the gold cross-tipped steeple remains a Thumb-area landmark visible for miles across the flat prairie. An exterior restoration in 2008–2010 preserved the building for the next generation.
- Style: vernacular Gothic Revival
- Walls: rock-face concrete block (fire-resistant)
- Bell: 38-inch brass, cast in Baltimore, 1911; 65-inch wheel frame
- Exterior restoration: 2008–2010
St. Anthony's Cemetery
Parishioners were originally buried in a plot near the Helena church, but in 1935 the graves were relocated to a dedicated new cemetery on Helena Road at M-25, perched on a lakeside bluff overlooking Lake Huron. Today this cemetery (sometimes called Helena Cemetery) continues to serve the community.
- Established: 1935 (graves relocated from beside the church)
- Location: Helena Road at M-25, overlooking Lake Huron
Sacraments & Faith Formation
Holy Name of Mary prepares parishioners for the sacraments of initiation, healing, and vocation. Pre-Baptism Instructions are required for parents presenting children for Baptism, and Pre-Marriage Instruction is offered to engaged couples. The parish hosts OCIA (formerly RCIA) for adults preparing to enter the Catholic Church, and supports children's faith formation and baptismal preparation. Anointing of the Sick is available by appointment, and Fr. Kevin is regularly called to anoint parishioners facing surgery or serious illness.
- Baptism — Pre-Baptism Instructions; call the parish office
- Matrimony — Pre-Marriage Instruction; call the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- OCIA / RCIA — adult initiation
- Children's faith formation
Parish Staff & Leadership
Holy Name of Mary Parish is led by Rev. Kevin M. Wojciechowski, pastor, with a small, dedicated lay staff supporting parish operations and liturgical life from the Harbor Beach parish office.
- Rev. Kevin M. Wojciechowski — Pastor ([email protected])
- Joani Yingling — Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Jessica Siemen — Office Manager ([email protected])
- Wally Tenbusch — Music Ministry (989.269.8775)
Ministries & Outreach
Parish ministries are rooted in the everyday realities of a rural farming community. The Music Ministry supports liturgy at both worship sites, while the Exodus 90 men's spiritual exercises draw a small group of men into prayer and ascetical practice during Lent. Fr. Kevin's 'Farm Visits with Father' take the Good Shepherd model literally: he visits farm families across the parish, helping with chores, learning the land, and weaving parishioners' concrete lives into his preaching. The parish also prepares adults through OCIA and supports families through baptismal and marriage preparation.
- Music Ministry
- Exodus 90 men's spiritual exercises
- Farm Visits with Father
- OCIA / adult faith formation
- Baptismal and marriage preparation
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Name of Mary Parish at the Harbor Beach parish office, open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Helena is a small rural crossroads; the Helena church is the easiest landmark to find thanks to its tall, gold cross-topped steeple visible across the surrounding prairie. St. Anthony's Cemetery (Helena Road at M-25) overlooks Lake Huron and remains an active sacred burial ground for the community.
- Phone: (989) 479-3393
- Parish Office: 413 S. First St., Harbor Beach, MI 48441-1324
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 7:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
- Helena church landmark: gold cross-tipped steeple visible for miles
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Anthony Strauss1910–
First resident pastor; appointed by Bishop John Foley of Detroit; the parish's patron saint (St. Anthony of Padua) was chosen as a tribute to him.