About St. Dominic Oratory · Clinton, Michigan
St. Dominic Oratory is a Roman Catholic oratory located at 220 Brown Street in Clinton, Michigan, in the northeast corner of Lenawee County. It is not an independent parish but rather the former church building of St. Dominic Parish, established as an oratory and permanently attached to St. Elizabeth Parish in nearby Tecumseh under the Diocese of Lansing. Sunday Mass is celebrated in the oratory, confession is heard before Mass, and the oratory shares a pastor and pastoral staff with St. Elizabeth Church.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- St. Dominic
- Rector
- Rev. Daniel Wheeler
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
St. Dominic Oratory offers Catholics in the Clinton, Michigan area a small, historic worship site within the larger St. Elizabeth Parish family. The oratory retains a 9:00 AM Sunday Mass and Sunday-morning confession, giving Clinton-area Catholics a convenient local option, while the parish's ministries — Helping Hands mercy outreach, RCIA, youth and family faith formation, the Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM), Migrant Ministry, marriage preparation, and the parish council — provide ways to grow in faith and serve neighbors.
Mass times at St. Dominic Oratory
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM – 8:50 AM at St. Dominic Oratory (before the 9:00 AM Mass)
About St. Dominic Oratory
St. Dominic Oratory is the historic 1867 Catholic church building at 220 Brown Street in Clinton, Michigan. Although the territorial parish of St. Dominic was suppressed in 2009, the building was canonically erected as an oratory and is administered as part of St. Elizabeth Parish in nearby Tecumseh. The oratory continues to serve the Catholic faithful of Clinton and the surrounding northeast Lenawee County area with Sunday Mass and Sunday-morning confession.
- Type: Oratory (canons 1223–1225)
- Attached to: St. Elizabeth Parish, Tecumseh, MI
- Diocese of Lansing
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM (English)
- Confession: Sundays 8:30–8:50 AM
History
Catholic life in Clinton began in 1853, when the local mission purchased and refitted the older Baptist meeting house on Brown Street as a Catholic chapel. The present church was built on the site in 1867 under Father Ferdinand Allgayer. The first burial in the parish cemetery dates to 1837, the first baptism to 1855, and the first marriage ceremony to 1858.
- 1853: St. Dominic Parish founded as a mission/territorial parish
- 1855: First baptism recorded
- 1858: First marriage recorded
- 1867: Present church building constructed under Father Ferdinand Allgayer
- June 27, 2001: Administration transferred to St. Elizabeth Parish, Tecumseh
- April 19, 2009: St. Dominic suppressed as a parish and the building erected as an oratory under the Bishop of Lansing's decree
The 2009 Decree of Suppression
After several years of shared administration with St. Elizabeth Parish and a diocesan 'Planning Tomorrow's Churches' review, the Bishop of Lansing formally suppressed the territorial parish of St. Dominic at the close of Sunday, April 19, 2009. The decree terminated the parish's juridic personality, erected the church edifice as an oratory under canons 1223–1225, and permanently attached it to St. Elizabeth Parish. Sacramental registers were preserved at St. Elizabeth, with surplus records sent to the Diocesan Archives.
- Issued by the Bishop of Lansing under canons 120 §1, 121, and 515 §§2–3
- Father Daniel Wheeler named pastor of the unified parish
- St. Elizabeth Church designated as the principal place of worship; St. Dominic Oratory retained for liturgical rites as needed
Clergy and Staff
St. Dominic Oratory is pastored together with St. Elizabeth Parish by Father Daniel Wheeler, who is also pastor of the unified parish. Father Peter Clark serves as Priest in Residence at St. Dominic Oratory. The wider parish team includes Stacey Knepper (parish secretary), Heather Marsh (CYM/DRE), deacons, and lay leaders in faith formation, family life, RCIA, worship, and stewardship.
- Rev. Daniel Wheeler — Pastor
- Rev. Peter Clark — Priest in Residence, St. Dominic Oratory
- Stacey Knepper — Parish Secretary
- Heather Marsh — Catholic Youth Ministry / Director of Religious Education
- Deacons active in Youth Ministry and Adult Faith Groups
- Stan Ames — Parish Council
- David Hammer — Parish Council Chair
- Bob Januszek — RCIA Instructor
Sacraments
Sacramental preparation and celebration are coordinated through the St. Elizabeth / St. Dominic parish office in Tecumseh. Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites can be arranged by contacting Father Wheeler through the parish secretary; in an emergency, Father Wheeler can be reached directly.
- Anointing of the Sick / Last Rites — call Fr. Daniel Wheeler, (517) 423-2447 Ext. 4
- Emergency Anointing — contact Fr. Wheeler directly
- Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage — parish office, Stacey Knepper
- Marriage preparation offered through the parish
Parish Ministries
The unified St. Elizabeth / St. Dominic parish runs an extensive network of ministries and lay apostolates. Helping Hands, the parish mercy group formed in 2007, is one of the most visible outreach efforts, coordinating elderly visitation, transportation, senior luncheons, a fall muffin bake, a senior Christmas party, the November Memorial Mass & Reception, and direct financial assistance for utility bills, back-to-school needs, Christmas help, and religious-education fees.
- Helping Hands — mercy/charity outreach (Hotline: 517-423-2447 Ext. 9)
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Catholic Youth Ministry (CYM)
- Religious Education / Faith Formation for children and youth
- Family Life Ministry
- Migrant Ministry
- Adult Faith Groups
- Worship / Liturgy
- Stewardship and Development / Fundraising
- Parish Council
- Building / Facilities / Maintenance
- Christian Initiation (Youth)
- Child and Youth Protection
Helping Hands Outreach
Helping Hands was established in 2007 as the mercy group of St. Elizabeth Parish (which now also serves the former St. Dominic territory). The group visits and transports elderly parishioners who have trouble getting around, hosts senior luncheons and a senior Christmas party, runs a fall muffin bake, and provides direct financial help for utility bills, school supplies, Christmas needs, and religious-education fees. It operates entirely on donations of time, talent, and treasure.
- Hotline: (517) 423-2447 Ext. 9
- Senior luncheons and senior Christmas party
- November Memorial Mass & Reception
- Direct-assistance payments for utilities, back-to-school, and Christmas
Visiting Clinton and the Oratory
Clinton is a small historic village in northeast Lenawee County, settled in the 1820s–1830s by New Englanders and New Yorkers and named for Governor DeWitt Clinton. The oratory sits on Brown Street near the village's cluster of 19th-century churches, including St. John's Episcopal (c. 1835), the United Methodist Church (c. 1841–43), and the United Church of Christ (c. 1843). Handicap parking is available at the parish.
- 220 Brown St., Clinton, MI 49236
- Handicap parking available
- Parish office / main parish: 506 N. Union St., Tecumseh, MI 49286
- Parish phone: (517) 423-2447
Contact and Practical Information
Because the oratory is administered as part of St. Elizabeth Parish, most correspondence and sacramental scheduling go through the Tecumseh parish office. Online giving and event sign-ups are handled through the unified parish website.
- Parish mailing address: 506 N. Union St., Tecumseh, MI 49286
- Oratory address: 220 Brown St., Clinton, MI 49236
- Phone: (517) 423-2447
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://stelizabethstdominic.org/
- Online giving available through the parish website