About St. Isidore Parish - St. Mary · Ruth, Michigan
St. Isidore Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Saginaw that unites two historic Thumb-area churches: St. Mary Church in Parisville (Ruth, MI) and St. Patrick Church in nearby Palms. The community worships under the patronage of St. Isidore the Farmer, and its own mission statement ties that patron to the agricultural roots of the founding Polish settlers. Fr. Anthony Pilli serves as Parochial Administrator, and the parish is currently partnered in ministry with neighboring Holy Apostles Parish of Ruth (Ss. Peter & Paul Church), with whom it shares weekday Masses and weekend schedules. The parish website, the diocesan listing, and GCatholic all list the parish office at 1825 Palms Rd., Palms, with a mailing address of PO Box 5, Ruth, MI 48470.
- Established
- 1858
- Patron
- St. Isidore the Farmer
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Pilli (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
Why belong here
St. Isidore Parish welcomes worshippers into a faith community rooted in more than 165 years of Polish Catholic heritage in Michigan's Thumb — the parish that grew up alongside one of the oldest Polish settlements in the United States. The parish actively serves families today through Faith Formation (Sharon Stein), Music Ministry (Terry Dekoski), a Pastoral Council chaired by Jamie Stolicker and a Finance Council chaired by Angela Guza, and it offers online giving and weekly bulletins online. Weekend and weekday Masses are scheduled across its two churches (St. Mary's in Parisville and St. Patrick's in Palms), and the parish shares weekday Masses with neighboring Holy Apostles Parish of Ruth so that the small rural community still has daily access to the Eucharist.
Mass times at St. Isidore Parish - St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (per diocesan listing)
About St. Isidore Parish
St. Isidore Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Saginaw that unites two historic Thumb-area churches: St. Mary Church in Parisville (Ruth, Michigan) and St. Patrick Church in nearby Palms. The community worships under the patronage of St. Isidore the Farmer, the patron of farmers, whose feast day is May 15. According to the parish's own mission statement, members come together 'from two distinct churches to form a community of faith,' sustained by Sacred Scripture and the sacraments, and guided by 'the work ethic passed down from our ancestors, many of us find a deep connection with the land.'
- Parish patron: St. Isidore the Farmer
- Diocese: Saginaw
- Pastor: Rev. Anthony Pilli, Parochial Administrator
- Partner parish: Holy Apostles Parish of Ruth (Ss. Peter & Paul Church)
History: The Parisville Polish Settlement and St. Mary's Church
The parish's roots reach back to 1857-1858 and the Polish pioneers of Paris Township in Huron County — what many historians call the oldest Polish settlement in the United States. Francis Susalla (Sasala), Francis Polk, Anthony Slawik, Thomas Smielewski and Ambrose Ciechanowski led the move from Canada; Susalla's first Parisville land purchase is dated 11 September 1854. Missionaries such as Fr. Lawrence Kilroy and Fr. Julian Maciejewski visited the settlement before the diocese assigned Fr. Francis Krutil, C.Ss.R., to survey Huron County's Catholics in January 1856. The first Mass in the settlement was offered in the spring of 1858 in Anthony Slawik's log house, with the kitchen table serving as the altar.
The 1882 Church and the Parish School
By late 1882 the parishioners had rebuilt a far grander St. Mary's on the same spot: roughly 60 × 160 feet, with a capacity of about 800, three altars, an impressive tower housing three large bells, and a pipe organ of about 1,600 tubes. A new rectory was completed the same year. In the late 1880s a two-story parish school was also built; its second floor held two classrooms (grades 1-4 and 5-8), while the first floor housed a chapel — site of daily Mass — and quarters for the Felician Sisters (Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice, CSSF), who staffed the school for decades. Instruction was given in both Polish and English, with geography, arithmetic, history, reading, catechism, Bible history and Polish history and reading.
- 1882 – Third (current-era) St. Mary's completed
- Late 1880s – Two-story school built, staffed by the Felician Sisters
- Daily Mass held in the school chapel
Clergy, Staff and Parish Leadership
The parish is currently led by Rev. Anthony Pilli as Parochial Administrator, with email [email protected]. He is supported by Kassondra Kramer (Secretary), Kate Winkel (Bookkeeper), Sharon Stein (Faith Formation), Terry Dekoski (Music Ministry), Jamie Stolicker (Pastoral Council Chair) and Angela Guza (Finance Council Chair). The Bookkeeper's email is [email protected], reflecting the parish's partnership with neighboring Holy Apostles Parish.
- Rev. Anthony Pilli — Parochial Administrator ([email protected])
- Kassondra Kramer — Secretary
- Kate Winkel — Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Sharon Stein — Faith Formation
- Terry Dekoski — Music Ministry
- Jamie Stolicker — Pastoral Council Chair
- Angela Guza — Finance Council Chair
Faith Formation and Religious Education
Faith Formation (Religious Education) is coordinated by Sharon Stein for the parish. The 2008 parish booklet also lists a Religious Education Coordinator role (Brenda Plester at that time) and a Rosary Sodality led by Dorothy Kolar — a reminder of the parish's deep Marian devotion inherited from its Polish founders.
- Faith Formation — Sharon Stein
- Rosary Sodality — Dorothy Kolar (historical)
Music and Liturgy
Music Ministry is coordinated by Terry Dekoski. The parish's 2008 anniversary booklet also lists a Music Coordinator and a Sacristan/Liturgy Committee role (Donna Klama), reflecting a longstanding tradition of lay-led liturgical preparation. The original 1882 church's huge pipe organ with about 1,600 tubes remains part of the parish's musical heritage.
- Music Ministry — Terry Dekoski
- Sacristan / Liturgy Committee — Donna Klama (historical)
Parish Organizations and Community Life
In addition to the Pastoral Council (Jamie Stolicker) and Finance Council (Angela Guza), the parish supports a wide range of lay organizations that reflect its rural Polish Catholic heritage. Historical sources list a Knights of Columbus council, a Men's Club, Daughters of Isabella / Senior Citizens, a Rosary Sodality, a Church Decorations committee, a Ministry Schedule Coordinator, and a Cemetery Committee. An annual Church Festival has long been a staple of parish life, and a Historical Society (chaired in 2008 by Clem Ulfig) preserves the memory of the Parisville settlement.
- Knights of Columbus — Gerald Booms, Grand Knight (historical)
- Men's Club — Marc Tenbusch (historical)
- Rosary Sodality — Dorothy Kolar (historical)
- Daughters of Isabella / Senior Citizens — Gloria Smalley (historical)
- Cemetery Committee — Bernard Puvalowski (historical)
- Historical Society — Clem Ulfig (historical)
- Annual Church Festival
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the sacraments through its regular Mass schedule and by appointment. Confessions are heard by appointment, and arrangements for Baptisms, Marriages and Anointing of the Sick are made through the parish office.
- Eucharist — see Mass Times
- Confession — by appointment
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — by arrangement with the parish office
Visiting, Contact and Online Giving
Parish office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the parish office on 1825 Palms Rd., Palms, MI 48465. The mailing address is St. Isidore Parish, PO Box 5, Ruth, MI 48470-0005. The parish phone is (989) 864-3523 and the parish email is [email protected]. The parish website (stisidoreparish-mi-thumb.com) hosts weekly bulletins (PDF) and now offers online giving.
- Office: 1825 Palms Rd., Palms, MI 48465
- Mailing: PO Box 5, Ruth, MI 48470-0005
- Phone: (989) 864-3523
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tue–Fri, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- Online giving available via parish website
- Weekly bulletins posted as PDFs on the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Lawrence Kilroy
First priest ordained in the Diocese of Detroit; early missionary who visited the Parisville Polish settlement but struggled with the language barrier.
- Rev. Julian Maciejewski
Polish priest from the Archdiocese of Posen, sent as missionary to the Thumb; hampered by bad roads and other missions, he eventually had to withdraw.
- Rev. Francis Krutil, C.Ss.R.1856
Redemptorist from St. Mary's in Detroit; appointed January 1856 by Bishop Lefevere to report on spiritual needs of Huron County Catholics.
- Rev. Peter Klug1858–1863
Czech-born priest from Poland; laid the foundations of St. Mary's in 1858 and organized the four Parisville-area settlements; health broke down by 1863 and he left for Mexico (d. 1878).
- Rev. Francis Brietkopf
Of Berlin (Ontario), Canada; assisted the colonists periodically until they could build a larger St. Mary's and a new rectory.
- Rev. Joseph Musielewicz1874–
Arrived 1874 with a mandate to rebuild after the 1871 fire; began a second St. Mary's in June 1875, completed October 1875 (also destroyed 1881).
- Fr. Gratza
Oversaw construction of the much larger 1882 St. Mary's (60 x 160 ft, three altars, 1,600-pipe organ); returned to his original diocese of Alton, Illinois that same year.
- Rev. Constantine Domagets1882–
Succeeded Fr. Gratza after the 1882 church was completed.
- Rev. Anthony Pilli
Current Parochial Administrator; serves St. Isidore Parish in partnership with Holy Apostles Parish of Ruth.