About St. Ignatius · Luther, Michigan
St. Ignatius Catholic Chapel is a small mission chapel located at 701 State Street in the village of Luther, Michigan, in Lake County. It is part of the Saint Ann – Saint Ignatius Parish of the Diocese of Grand Rapids and is clustered with St. Bernard Parish in Irons and St. John Cantius Parish in Free Soil under a single pastor. The chapel serves Catholic worshippers in Luther with a Sunday morning Mass and a Thursday morning weekday Mass, and shares a parish office, sacramental records, and pastoral staff with St. Ann Church in nearby Baldwin. Both the chapel and the parish office are listed as handicapped accessible, and the cluster's pastor, Rev. Matthew J. Barnum, was officially installed in this role on July 1, 2021 by Bishop David Walkowiak.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- St. Ignatius of Loyola
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew J. Barnum
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids (Northwest Deanery, Lake County)
Why belong here
St. Ignatius Chapel is a welcoming small-town Catholic mission in the heart of Lake County, offering a Sunday morning Mass at 9:30 a.m. and a Thursday morning weekday Mass, with Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation available before each weekday Mass. As part of a four-church cluster that includes St. Ann in Baldwin, St. Bernard in Irons, and St. John Cantius in Free Soil, parishioners enjoy a rich schedule of devotions, benediction, and weekday Masses across the deanery, while remaining rooted in the intimate setting of Luther. It's an ideal parish for those seeking a quiet, traditional Catholic community in northwest Lower Michigan, supported by a 24-hour sacramental emergency line and a pastor who personally serves the whole cluster.
Mass times at St. Ignatius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. (30 minutes before 9 a.m. weekday Mass at St. Ignatius)
- Confession is also available 30 minutes before all other weekday Masses across the cluster, or by request
Adoration times
- Thursday: 8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. (one hour prior to weekday Mass at St. Ignatius)
St. Ignatius Chapel at a Glance
St. Ignatius is a mission chapel of the Saint Ann – Saint Ignatius Parish of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, located in the small village of Luther in Lake County, Michigan. The chapel was established in 1916 and today operates as part of a four-site Lake County Catholic cluster. The chapel is handicapped accessible and offers a single Sunday Mass and one Thursday morning weekday Mass each week.
- Established 1916; merged into St. Ann Parish in 2011
- Part of the Diocese of Grand Rapids, Northwest Deanery, Lake County
- Clustered with St. Bernard (Irons) and St. John Cantius (Free Soil)
- Single pastor serves all three parishes
History of St. Ignatius Chapel
St. Ignatius Chapel was established in 1916 to serve Catholics in Luther and the surrounding area of Lake County. After nearly a century of independent service, the chapel was merged with St. Ann Parish in nearby Baldwin in 2011 to form the Saint Ann – Saint Ignatius Parish as part of broader pastoral planning in the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Today, St. Ignatius operates under this merged parish identity while preserving its own chapel building and dedicated worship schedule in Luther.
- 1916 – St. Ignatius Chapel established
- 2011 – Merged with St. Ann Parish (Baldwin) to form Saint Ann – Saint Ignatius Parish
- Clustered with St. Bernard (Irons) and St. John Cantius (Free Soil)
Pastor & Cluster Leadership
The Saint Ann – Saint Ignatius Parish, along with St. Bernard Parish of Irons and St. John Cantius Parish of Free Soil, share a single pastor: Rev. Matthew J. Barnum. Father Barnum was ordained to the priesthood on June 2, 2007, and took pastoral responsibility for the Lake County cluster on July 1, 2021. He was officially installed in a ceremony at St. Bernard Church by Bishop David Walkowiak of the Diocese of Grand Rapids in the summer of 2021. The cluster is also supported by a 24-hour sacramental emergency line (231-280-5294) for anointing of the sick and other urgent pastoral needs.
- Rev. Matthew J. Barnum – current pastor (ordained June 2, 2007)
- Installed by Bishop David Walkowiak at St. Bernard in summer 2021
- Pastoral responsibility began July 1, 2021
- Sacramental emergency line: 231-280-5294
Cluster of Parishes (Lake County)
St. Ignatius Chapel does not stand alone — it is part of a four-site Catholic family across Lake County, sharing one pastor, one parish office, and one bulletin. The cluster was formed to sustain Catholic life in this rural region of northwestern Lower Michigan, where individual parishes are small and the distance between communities is considerable.
- St. Ann – Saint Ignatius Parish (Baldwin / Luther)
- St. Bernard Parish (Irons) — established 1948
- St. John Cantius Parish (Free Soil) — established 1906
- All three parishes share Rev. Matthew J. Barnum as pastor
Visiting St. Ignatius Chapel
St. Ignatius Chapel is located at 701 State Street in Luther, Michigan, just north of the M-37 and M-63 intersection and on State Road south of 5 Mile Road. The chapel is handicapped accessible. The parish office is staffed at St. Ann Church in Baldwin on Mondays from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and the sacramental emergency line is staffed 24 hours a day. Visitors and newcomers are warmly welcomed at any of the four cluster worship sites.
- Address: 701 State St., Luther, MI 49656
- Parish office: 1001 Michigan Ave., PO Box 729, Baldwin, MI 49304
- Office hours: Monday 9:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
- Phone: 231-745-7997
- Email: [email protected]
- Handicapped accessible
- Sacramental emergency line (24 hr): 231-280-5294
Contact & Online Presence
The parish maintains its official information through the Diocese of Grand Rapids website and shares a Facebook page covering all three Lake County parishes (St. Ann–St. Ignatius–St. Bernard Catholic Parishes of Lake County). The Facebook page regularly posts homilies, livestreamed Sunday Masses, and announcements from Father Barnum and the cluster parishes.
- Diocesan website: grdiocese.org/parishes-location/saint-ann-saint-ignatius-parish-baldwin/
- Facebook: facebook.com/p/St-Ann-St-Ignatius-St-Bernard-Catholic-Parishes-Lake-County-100064780414335/
- Parish email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Ronald F. Schneider
Listed as pastor of the cluster in older directory listings (prior to current pastorate).
- Rev. Matthew J. BarnumJuly 1, 2021 – present
Ordained June 2, 2007. Officially installed by Bishop David Walkowiak at St. Bernard Church in 2021; serves as pastor of the four-site Lake County cluster (St. Ann–St. Ignatius Baldwin, St. Bernard Irons, St. John Cantius Free Soil).