About Sacred Heart · Brown City, Michigan
Sacred Heart is a Catholic mission church located at 7090 Cade Road in Brown City, Michigan, in the rural Thumb region of the Lower Peninsula. It is served by SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in North Branch as part of the Northern Lapeer County (Northwest Thumb 3) Family of Parishes, which has been clustered together since July 1, 2021. Weekend Mass is celebrated in Brown City on Sunday mornings at 8:30 a.m., with the Rosary prayed beforehand. The mission sits within the Archdiocese of Detroit, in the Thumb Vicariate of the Northwest Region, and shares clergy, staff, and faith-formation resources with the wider family of parishes.
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. Richard L. Treml
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Detroit (Thumb Vicariate, Northwest Region)
Why belong here
Sacred Heart is a small, easy-to-find mission parish where the same Sunday-morning Catholics have worshipped together for generations, and where the Rosary is still prayed communally before Mass. As part of the Northern Lapeer County Family of Parishes it gives Brown City families the warmth of a tight-knit country parish with the full sacramental and catechetical resources of SS. Peter & Paul just up the road in North Branch — baptism prep, marriage preparation (arranged six months in advance), faith formation, and a pastor who knows the community.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday 6:00 p.m.–7:15 p.m. (priest will depart if no penitents; will wait ~15–20 minutes after the last person)
Sacred Heart Mission at a Glance
Sacred Heart is a Catholic mission church serving Brown City and the surrounding Thumb-area farm community in Michigan's Lapeer/Sanilac county line. It shares one Sunday Mass a week with the faithful and is administered from the parish office of SS. Peter & Paul in nearby North Branch.
- Address: 7090 Cade Road, Brown City, MI 48416
- Mailing: PO Box 208, North Branch, MI 48461
- Phone (mission): (810) 346-3036
- Parish office: (810) 688-3797
- Email: [email protected]
- Web: www.sspeterpaulnb.org/sacred-heart
History of the Brown City Catholic Community
Sacred Heart belongs to a network of small missions planted across the Michigan Thumb in the late 1800s to bring the sacraments to scattered rural Catholic families. Sacred Heart, Brown City once acted as a parent mission for outlying chapels, including St. Patrick's in Clifford (property acquired by the Diocese of Detroit in 1884, with the first wedding in the partially completed church in August 1886). St. Patrick's Clifford was later reassigned as a mission of SS. Peter & Paul, North Branch.
- Sacred Heart historically served as a parent mission for St. Patrick's, Clifford
- Father Charles Coughlin ('the Radio Priest') ministered at St. Patrick's Clifford 1924–25 during this earlier missionary era
- On July 1, 2021, Sacred Heart joined SS. Peter & Paul, St. Patrick's Chapel, and St. Mary's Burnside as the Northern Lapeer County Family of Parishes
Northern Lapeer County Family of Parishes
Sacred Heart is part of the Northern Lapeer County Family of Parishes (also called 'Northwest Thumb 3' within the Archdiocese of Detroit's Thumb Vicariate). The Family of Parishes model allows several smaller worship sites to share clergy, staff, faith formation, and administrative resources while each retains its own Mass schedule and identity.
- SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church, North Branch — anchor parish
- Sacred Heart Mission, Brown City
- St. Patrick Chapel, Clifford
- St. Mary Mission, Burnside
Clergy & Staff
Sacred Heart is pastored by the clergy team based at SS. Peter & Paul, North Branch. Parish office staff in North Branch handle administration, the bulletin, and parish communications, with a dedicated secretary supporting Sacred Heart.
- Pastor: Rev. Richard L. Treml
- Associate Pastor: Fr. Sama Muma
- Senior Priest: Fr. Larry Delonnay
- Deacon: Deacon Pete Lynch
- Weekend Priest Support / Administrator: Rev. James Houbeck
- Weekend Priest Support: Rev. Paul Czarnota
- Sacred Heart Secretary: Lisa Juip
- Office Manager: Barb Sinka; Bookkeeper: Paula Kaniut; Secretary: Margaret Almand; Bulletin Editor: Denise Edwards; Webmaster: Pam Orr
Sacraments
Sacraments for Sacred Heart parishioners are coordinated through the SS. Peter & Paul parish office in North Branch. Preparation classes and six-month advance planning are emphasized for Baptism and Marriage.
- Baptism — call (810) 688-3797 for appointment; preparation class required
- Marriage — arrangements must be made at least six months in advance; call (810) 688-3797 for an appointment with the pastor
- Confession — Tuesday 6:00–7:15 p.m. at the mission
Faith Formation & Pastoral Care
Catechetical and pastoral-ministry resources are shared across the Family of Parishes. Families from Brown City participate in faith formation, sacramental preparation, and pastoral care provided by SS. Peter & Paul.
- Pastoral Ministers & Catechetical Resources: (810) 688-3797
- Weekly parish bulletin (deadline Tuesday at noon)
- Family-of-Parishes sacramental preparation
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard L. Treml2002–present
Pastor of the cluster; oversees Sacred Heart Mission as part of the Northern Lapeer County Family of Parishes (since July 1, 2021).