About St. Barbara Mission · Colon, Michigan
St. Barbara Mission is a small Catholic mission church located at 479 S Burr Oak Rd in Colon, Michigan, situated in the southwestern part of the state in St. Joseph County. As a mission church, St. Barbara is administered jointly with St. Mary's Assumption Parish in nearby Bronson, sharing a pastor, deacons, and parish office. The mission community gathers weekly for Sunday Mass and devotions to its patron, St. Barbara, and falls under the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Its close partnership with St. Mary's Assumption gives Colon-area Catholics access to a wider network of ministries, faith formation, and sacramental preparation while preserving a dedicated worship site in their own town.
- Patron
- St. Barbara
- Rector
- Rev. James Adams
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kalamazoo
Why belong here
St. Barbara Mission offers a small, intimate Catholic community in Colon with a single weekly Sunday Mass and the convenience of confessions right beforehand — perfect for busy rural families or anyone looking for a welcoming, easy-to-navigate parish. Because it is paired with St. Mary's Assumption in Bronson, parishioners benefit from a much larger Catholic network: shared priests and deacons, sacramental preparation, faith formation, and Spanish-language Mass opportunities just a short drive away. It is a faithful, sacramental home for Catholics in Colon and the surrounding St. Joseph County villages.
Mass times at St. Barbara Mission
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 7:30 AM – 7:50 AM (before 8:00 AM Mass)
St. Barbara Mission in Colon, Michigan
St. Barbara Mission is a small Catholic mission church serving the village of Colon in St. Joseph County, in the southwestern corner of Michigan. The mission sits at 479 S Burr Oak Rd, Colon, MI 49040, and falls within the Diocese of Kalamazoo. As a mission, it is administered jointly with St. Mary's Assumption Parish in nearby Bronson, sharing a pastor, deacons, and parish office. The mission's patron is St. Barbara, whose feast day is December 4.
- Address: 479 S Burr Oak Rd, Colon, MI 49040
- Diocese: Kalamazoo
- Phone (Parish Office): 517-369-2120
- Sunday Mass: 8:00 AM (English)
- Confessions: Sundays 7:30–7:50 AM
Pastoral Staff
St. Barbara Mission and St. Mary's Assumption Parish share the same pastoral team. The current pastor is Rev. James Adams, appointed in 2025 by Bishop Edward Lohse of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. He is assisted by two permanent deacons: Deacon Alan Sosinski and Deacon John Wielgos. All administrative and sacramental inquiries go through the St. Mary's Assumption parish office at 602 W. Chicago St, Bronson, MI 49028 (phone 517-369-2120).
- Pastor: Rev. James Adams
- Deacon: Alan Sosinski
- Deacon: John Wielgos
- Parish Office: 602 W. Chicago St, Bronson, MI 49028
Recent Pastoral History
St. Barbara Mission's pastoral leadership has been closely linked with St. Mary's Assumption in Bronson. In October 2016, then-pastor Rev. Richard Fritz resigned after a diocesan audit confirmed the misappropriation of more than $100,000 in parish funds over a six-year period. Bishop Paul J. Bradley accepted his resignation and suspended his priestly faculties; Michigan State Police subsequently opened a criminal investigation. Following his removal, Rev. Mark Vyverman, dean of the Eastern Deanery and pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Coldwater and Our Lady of Fatima in Union City, was asked to assume pastoral care of St. Mary's Assumption and St. Barbara Mission. In 2025, Rev. James Adams was appointed pastor by Bishop Edward Lohse.
- Rev. Richard Fritz — resigned October 2016 amid financial irregularities
- Rev. Mark Vyverman — assumed pastoral care after 2016
- Rev. James Adams — appointed pastor 2025
Connection to St. Mary's Assumption Parish, Bronson
St. Barbara Mission is administered as part of St. Mary's Assumption Parish, located about 10 miles north of Colon in Bronson, Michigan. Catholic life in the Bronson area began in the 1850s when Fr. Charles Rychaert came from St. Charles in Coldwater to offer Mass in pioneer homes, mostly to Polish and Irish families. In 1867, Fr. Cornelius Korst became resident pastor at St. Charles and took over the Bronson Mission, purchasing a home from Michael Coleman that the pioneers remodeled into a small mission church named in honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Mother. Today St. Mary's Parish has an enrollment of about 304 families, with 91 children attending its preschool through eighth-grade school.
- Catholic presence in Bronson began with Fr. Charles Rychaert (1858–1866)
- Fr. Cornelius Korst took over the Bronson Mission in 1867
- St. Mary's Parish enrollment: ~304 families
- St. Mary's School: preschool through 8th grade, 91 students
Visiting St. Barbara Mission
Visitors to St. Barbara Mission should plan to arrive a few minutes before 8:00 AM on Sunday morning to take advantage of confessions, which run from 7:30 to 7:50 AM. The mission is located on S Burr Oak Rd, easily reached from downtown Colon. Because the mission is staffed and administered from Bronson, all phone inquiries, sacramental records, and parish registrations are handled through the St. Mary's Assumption parish office. Mass is offered in English at St. Barbara; a Spanish-language Mass is available at St. Mary's Assumption in Bronson at 1:30 PM on Sundays for Spanish-speaking Catholics in the area.
- Arrive by 7:30 AM for confession before Mass
- Spanish Mass: Sundays 1:30 PM at St. Mary's Assumption, Bronson
- All parish business handled through St. Mary's office
Patron: Saint Barbara
The mission church is named in honor of Saint Barbara, an early Christian martyr traditionally venerated as the patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, miners, and others who work with explosives — a fitting patron for a small community in rural southwestern Michigan. Her feast day is celebrated on December 4, and she is often invoked for protection against sudden death and lightning. As a mission rather than an independent parish, St. Barbara Mission's liturgical calendar and devotional life are coordinated with St. Mary's Assumption Parish.
- Feast Day: December 4
- Patronage: artillerymen, miners, military engineers
- Veneration: protection against sudden death
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Richard Fritzuntil 2016
Headed St. Mary's Assumption in Bronson and St. Barbara in Colon; resigned October 2016 amid a diocesan investigation into misappropriation of over $100,000 in parish funds over six years. Bishop Paul J. Bradley accepted his resignation and suspended his priestly faculties.
- Rev. Mark Vyverman2016–
Dean of the Eastern Deanery and pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Coldwater and Our Lady of Fatima in Union City; assumed role of pastor at St. Mary's Assumption (and by extension St. Barbara Mission) after Fr. Fritz's removal.
- Rev. James Adams2025–
Appointed pastor of St. Mary's Assumption and St. Barbara Mission by Bishop Edward Lohse of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.