About St. Gabriel · Berrien Springs, Michigan
St. Gabriel is a Catholic mission church in Berrien Springs, Michigan, part of the Diocese of Kalamazoo. Located at 429 Rose Hill Road, it serves the small Berrien Springs community and is closely linked to St. Anthony Parish in nearby Buchanan, sharing clergy, phone listings, and a joint website presence at stanthonybuchanan.org. Mass is celebrated in both English and Spanish, with a Sunday afternoon Mass in Spanish serving the local Hispanic faithful. The mission was described in diocesan announcements as 'St. Gabriel Parish, Berrien Springs' and was grouped into a Parish Collaborative with St. Anthony (Buchanan) and Our Lady Queen of Peace (Bridgman) in the Diocese of Kalamazoo's 2016 reassignments.
- Patron
- St. Gabriel (the Archangel)
- Rector
- Rev. Alphonse Savarimuthu, MSFS (listed by directory sites as pastor of St. Gabriel Mission; pastoral collaborative structure with St. Anthony, Buchanan noted in 2016 diocesan reassignments)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Kalamazoo
Why belong here
St. Gabriel Mission offers the small Berrien Springs Catholic community a bilingual worship life, with Sunday Mass in English and a Spanish Mass that serves local Latino families. As part of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, it shares pastoral resources with St. Anthony Parish in Buchanan, meaning visiting Catholics can rely on a stable, connected parish family with regular Mass, Spanish-language reconciliation on Sundays, and a priest of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS). For anyone in the Berrien Springs area seeking a welcoming, intimate Catholic mission church, St. Gabriel provides the essential sacraments and a tight-knit faith community.
Mass times at St. Gabriel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (Spanish)
About St. Gabriel Mission
St. Gabriel is a small Catholic mission church serving Berrien Springs, Michigan, located at 429 Rose Hill Road in the Diocese of Kalamazoo. The mission is closely affiliated with St. Anthony Parish in Buchanan — the two share a website (stanthonybuchanan.org) and clergy assignments — and is part of the diocese's Western Deanery. Mass is offered in English and Spanish, with the Sunday afternoon Mass and confessions specifically serving the local Hispanic community.
History of St. Gabriel
St. Gabriel was established with the active participation of local Catholic families in the Berrien Springs area; longtime resident Marjorie 'Marge' Kesterke (1920–2020) is documented in her obituary as a 'founding member of St. Gabriel's Catholic Church in Berrien Springs.' Over the years the mission developed a strong bilingual identity, and in 2016 the Diocese of Kalamazoo formally grouped St. Gabriel into a Parish Collaborative with St. Anthony Parish (Buchanan) and Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish (Bridgman). That collaborative structure, announced in May 2016, placed Rev. Arthur Howard as pastor and Rev. Leonel Cartagena as parochial vicar with special care for the Hispanic/Latino community.
- Founding member Marjorie 'Marge' Kesterke documented in 2020 obituary
- Placed into Parish Collaborative with St. Anthony (Buchanan) and Our Lady Queen of Peace (Bridgman) in 2016
- Served by Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales (MSFS) priests
- Pastoral Collaborative assigned Rev. Arthur Howard (Pastor) and Rev. Leonel Cartagena (Parochial Vicar) in 2016
Clergy & Staff
The mission's primary priest of record in public directories is Rev. Alphonse Savarimuthu, MSFS, a member of the Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales. Diocesan records show that St. Gabriel was paired with neighboring parishes under a collaborative model beginning in 2016, with pastors and parochial vicars appointed to serve the cluster.
- Rev. Alphonse Savarimuthu, MSFS — Pastor (per directory listings and Fransalians website)
- Rev. Arthur Howard — Pastor of St. Anthony / Our Lady Queen of Peace / St. Gabriel Collaborative (2016 appointment)
- Rev. Leonel Cartagena — Parochial Vicar with special care for the Hispanic/Latino community (2016 appointment)
Connection to St. Anthony Parish, Buchanan
St. Gabriel Mission shares its pastoral life and online presence with St. Anthony Parish in Buchanan, which is the canonical parish in their Diocesan collaborative. The two churches are listed together on stanthonybuchanan.org ('St. Anthony & St. Gabriel Catholic Church – Buchanan, MI'). St. Anthony's pastor, Very Rev. Richard Altine, V.F., is listed in parish directories, and the parish office for the collaborative is reachable at (269) 695-3863 in some listings, while the mission's own listing uses (269) 471-2424.
- Shared website: stanthonybuchanan.org ('St. Anthony & St. Gabriel Catholic Church')
- Listed as a Parish Collaborative in 2016 diocesan reassignments
- Closest canonical parish: St. Anthony, 509 W Fourth St., Buchanan, MI 49107
Local Catholic Cemetery
Rosehill Cemetery in Berrien Springs serves as the local Catholic burial ground for the parish community. The cemetery's address, 10160 Rosehill Road, Berrien Springs, MI 49103, is the same street as the mission church (429 Rose Hill Road).
- Rosehill Cemetery — 10160 Rosehill Road, Berrien Springs, MI 49103
Diocese & Deanery
St. Gabriel Mission belongs to the Diocese of Kalamazoo and is part of its Western Deanery, which includes parishes across Berrien, Van Buren, and Allegan Counties in southwestern Michigan. The diocese maintains a Parish Finder at diokzoo.org/parishfinder, which lists St. Gabriel alongside its sister churches.
- Diocese of Kalamazoo (Roman Catholic, Latin Rite)
- Western Deanery
- Listed in GCatholic.org as 'Parish, Church' (GCatholic Church ID 26503)
Visiting St. Gabriel
Visitors are welcomed to celebrate Mass at St. Gabriel Mission. The mission's bilingual Mass schedule — with a Sunday Spanish Mass and Spanish-language confessions — makes it a gathering point for both English-speaking and Hispanic Catholic families in the Berrien Springs area. For the most current schedule and pastoral information, the parish office can be reached at (269) 471-2424.
- Address: 429 Rose Hill Rd., Berrien Springs, MI 49103
- Phone: (269) 471-2424
- Diocesan Parish Finder: diokzoo.org/parishfinder