About Immaculate Conception · Hartford, Michigan
Immaculate Conception Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the small town of Hartford, in Van Buren County, southwestern Michigan, belonging to the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The parish at 63559 60th Avenue shares ministry with neighboring Sacred Heart Parish in Bangor in an officially-paired Parish Collaborative, and serves both an English-speaking and a growing Spanish-speaking Catholic community — Sunday Mass is celebrated four times, including three Spanish-language liturgies. The parish is led by Parish Administrator pro-tempore Rev. Jacob Thomas, assisted by Deacon Arthur Morsaw, and offers the full sacramental life of a Catholic parish: daily and Sunday Mass, Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), and faith formation for children and youth.
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Rev. Jacob Thomas (Parish Administrator pro-tempore)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kalamazoo (Western Deanery)
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception is a bilingual parish (English and Spanish) in the rural southwestern Michigan community of Hartford, where Sunday Mass is offered four times — including three Spanish-language Masses — and weekday Mass is celebrated in Spanish on Tuesdays and Fridays. The parish is the spiritual home of an active Hispanic/Latino ministry that is recognized at the diocesan level, a faith-formation program for children and youth under Director of Religious Education Diana Morales, and an OCIA (adult initiation) process run by Lucia Patlan. Belong here and you join a small-town Catholic community that gathers for weekly Eucharistic Adoration through the night on First and Third Fridays, regular Reconciliation on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and outreach through its shared collaborative with Sacred Heart Parish in Bangor.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM (Spanish)
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 3:45 PM
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month: 9:00 PM – 5:00 AM (overnight)
- Third Friday of the month: 9:00 PM – 5:00 AM (overnight)
About Immaculate Conception Parish
Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic parish in the small Van Buren County town of Hartford, Michigan, within the Diocese of Kalamazoo. It ministers to both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics, and as of December 2025 is in a Parish Collaborative with Sacred Heart Parish in Bangor. The parish mailing address is 63559 60th Avenue, Hartford, MI 49057, and its parish office can be reached at (269) 621-4106 or [email protected].
Parish History
The parish predates the Diocese of Kalamazoo itself. When the new diocese was carved out in July 1971, Immaculate Conception's then-pastor Rev. Donald Albert Wieber — who had arrived in June 1968 from the Diocese of Lansing — was incardinated into the new diocese. He later served St. Mary Marshall, St. Mark Niles, and St. Joseph Watervliet before retiring in 2006; he died on January 13, 2026, at the age of 95. In 2016, Bishop Paul J. Bradley unveiled the diocese's first pastoral plan, creating 28 Parish Collaboratives. Immaculate Conception Hartford was paired with St. Joseph Watervliet under Rev. John Peter Ambrose, MSFS, and Rev. Fabio Garzon was reassigned to St. Peter, Douglas. Rev. German Perez-Diaz was placed in-residence at Immaculate Conception and made Director of the Hispanic/Latino Apostolate for the entire diocese. Most recently (Diocesan Directory updated December 2025), Immaculate Conception Hartford and Sacred Heart Parish in Bangor form their own collaborative, currently shepherded by Parish Administrator pro-tempore Rev. Jacob Thomas, who was ordained to the priesthood on June 5, 2022.
Clergy & Parish Staff
The parish is led by Rev. Jacob Thomas, who serves as Parish Administrator pro-tempore for both Immaculate Conception Hartford and Sacred Heart Bangor. He is assisted by Deacon Arthur Morsaw and Deacon Carlos M. Alfaro (the latter was assigned in late 2024 to assist with diaconal ministry at the parish and across the collaborative).
- Parish Administrator pro-tempore — Rev. Jacob Thomas ([email protected]; ordained June 5, 2022)
- Senior Deacon — Dcn. Arthur Morsaw ([email protected])
- Deacon (assisting) — Dcn. Carlos M. Alfaro
- Secretary / Bulletin Editor / OCIA Coordinator — Lucia Patlan ([email protected])
- Director of Religious Education (DRE) — Diana Morales ([email protected])
- Safe Environment Coordinator — Ana Tule ([email protected])
Faith Formation & Sacramental Preparation
Religious education for children and youth is coordinated by Director of Religious Education Diana Morales, while OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, formerly RCIA) — for unbaptized adults or Christians seeking full communion with the Catholic Church — is coordinated by Lucia Patlan, who is also the parish secretary and bulletin editor. The parish shares formation resources across its Sacred Heart Bangor collaborative.
- Children's Faith Formation / CCD — coordinated by Diana Morales
- Youth Ministry — coordinated by Diana Morales
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) — Coordinator: Lucia Patlan
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage — contact parish office
Hispanic / Latino Ministry
Immaculate Conception is the diocesan hub of the Hispanic/Latino Apostolate for the Diocese of Kalamazoo, a designation given in 2016 when Rev. German Perez-Diaz was placed in-residence there and named diocesan director. The parish's heavy Spanish-language Mass schedule (three of four Sunday Masses plus two weekday Masses) reflects this ministry.
- Diocesan Director of the Hispanic/Latino Apostolate historically based here
- Spanish Mass — Tuesday 7:00 PM and Friday 7:00 PM
- Spanish Mass — Sunday 12:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 6:00 PM
- Spanish Reconciliation — Tuesday 6:00–6:45 PM
Parish Collaborative with Sacred Heart, Bangor
Since the 2016 diocesan pastoral plan, Immaculate Conception has been formally paired with neighboring parishes. As of December 2025, the partnership is with Sacred Heart Parish in Bangor, and the two share one pastor — currently Rev. Jacob Thomas as Parish Administrator pro-tempore — and one pastoral team.
- Partner parish: Sacred Heart, Bangor
- Shared pastor / Parish Administrator pro-tempore — Rev. Jacob Thomas
- Shared staff includes DRE Diana Morales, OCIA coordinator Lucia Patlan, and Safe Environment coordinator Ana Tule
- Sacramental coverage across both churches as scheduled
Visit, Contact & Directions
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, email, or in person at the church on 60th Avenue. Driving directions follow I-94 to Exit 46 at Hartford.
- Address — 63559 60th Avenue, Hartford, MI 49057
- Phone — (269) 621-4106
- Email — [email protected]
- Website — https://ichartford.com/
- Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/ichartford/
- Directions — I-94 Exit 46 (Hartford); go north to 60th Avenue; turn right; church is half a block down on the right
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Donald Albert Wieber1968–1974
First pastor of the parish in the then-Diocese of Lansing; incardinated into the new Diocese of Kalamazoo in July 1971 when the diocese was created. Later served St. Mary Marshall, St. Mark Niles, and St. Joseph Watervliet; died January 13, 2026.
- Rev. Fabio Garzon2016 (reassigned)
Also pastored San Felipe de Jesus Parish, Fennville. Reassigned July 2016 to St. Peter Parish, Douglas in Bishop Bradley's new Parish Collaboratives plan.
- Rev. John Peter Ambrose, MSFS2016–
Appointed pastor of Immaculate Conception Hartford and St. Joseph Watervliet as part of the 2016 diocesan Parish Collaboratives plan.
- Rev. German Perez-Diaz2016–
Appointed in-residence at Immaculate Conception in 2016 and concurrently named Director of the Hispanic/Latino Apostolate for the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
- Rev. Jacob Thomascurrent
Current Parish Administrator pro-tempore of the Immaculate Conception Hartford – Sacred Heart Bangor Collaborative (Diocesan Directory, Dec 2025).