About St. Isidore Parish - St. Patrick · Palms, Michigan
St. Isidore Parish is a small, rural Roman Catholic community in Michigan's Thumb region (Sanilac County), formed by two historic mission churches: St. Patrick Church in the unincorporated village of Palms and St. Mary Church in nearby Parisville (Ruth, MI). The parish is part of the Diocese of Saginaw and currently shares pastoral ministry with neighboring Holy Apostles Parish of Ruth through Ss. Peter & Paul Church. Its Mission Statement describes a community of faith gathered 'under the patronage of St. Isidore the Farmer,' whose members — descended from farming families — are sustained by Scripture and the sacraments and committed to forgiveness, hospitality, the Gospel in the marketplace, and gratitude. Worship is simple and sacramental, with Sunday Mass offered at St. Patrick's at 10:30 a.m. and additional Masses at the other partner churches throughout the week.
- Established
- 1850s (St. Patrick Church dedicated in the 1850s)
- Patron
- St. Isidore the Farmer (parish patron); St. Patrick (patron of the Palms worship site)
- Rector
- Rev. Anthony Pilli (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
Why belong here
St. Isidore Parish is a tight-knit, rural Catholic family that welcomes visitors with genuine rural-Michigan hospitality. Its members celebrate the Eucharist at two historic Thumb-area churches — St. Patrick's in Palms and St. Mary's in Parisville — and share weekday Mass, faith formation, and music ministry with neighboring Holy Apostles Parish. The parish offers online giving, weekly bulletins, faith formation for all ages, and a clear identity rooted in Scripture, the sacraments, forgiveness, welcoming the stranger, and bringing the Gospel into daily work — especially the farming life that has shaped the community for generations.
Mass times at St. Isidore Parish - St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment (please contact the parish office)
Welcome and Mission
St. Isidore Parish greets visitors on its website with a full Mission Statement that captures the community's identity. The parish 'comes together from two distinct churches to form a community of faith under the patronage of St. Isidore the Farmer,' guided by the work ethic inherited from ancestors with 'a deep connection with the land.' Members describe themselves as 'a sacramental people in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan,' sustained by Sacred Scripture and the sacraments, called to forgive, welcome the stranger, bring the Gospel into the marketplace, and cultivate grateful hearts. As 'instruments of the Holy Spirit,' they commit to building the Kingdom of God.
- Parish website: http://www.stisidoreparish-mi-thumb.com/
- Online giving available via the parish site
- Weekly bulletins posted on the parish website
St. Patrick Church — Palms
St. Patrick's is the worship site of St. Isidore Parish located in the unincorporated village of Palms, in Minden Township, Sanilac County. According to the Diocese of Saginaw, the church was dedicated in the 1850s, making it one of the historic Catholic foundations of the Thumb. It remains an enduring landmark in a community that lost most of its 19th-century buildings to a 1916 fire sparked by a passing train. Sunday Mass is celebrated here at 10:30 a.m.
- Address: 1807 Palms Rd, Palms, MI 48465
- Sunday Mass: 10:30 a.m.
- Weekday Mass: Tuesday, 9:00 a.m.
- Holy Day Mass: 10:30 a.m.
St. Mary Church — Parisville (Ruth)
St. Mary Church in Parisville is the second worship site of St. Isidore Parish, located on Parisville Road in Ruth, MI. Together with St. Patrick's, it forms the canonical parish family. The parish's mailing address (PO Box 5, Ruth, MI 48470) and the diocese's primary parish address (4190 S. Parisville Rd.) are anchored at this site. Weekend Mass schedule varies seasonally: in the summer (May–October) Sunday Mass is celebrated here at 8:30 a.m.; in the winter (November–April) the parish moves the weekend Mass to Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at this site.
- Address: 4190 S. Parisville Rd, Ruth, MI 48470
- Weekend Mass (May–Oct): Sunday 8:30 a.m.
- Weekend Mass (Nov–Apr): Saturday 4:00 p.m.
- Weekday Mass: Friday, 9:00 a.m.
- Holy Day Mass: 8:30 a.m.
Pastoral Partnership with Holy Apostles Parish
St. Isidore Parish shares pastoral ministry with neighboring Holy Apostles Parish of Ruth, whose principal worship site is Ss. Peter & Paul Church. According to the Diocese of Saginaw, weekday Masses rotate across the three churches — Tuesdays at St. Patrick's, Wednesdays and Thursdays at Holy Apostles (Ss. Peter & Paul), and Fridays at St. Mary's. Holy Apostles Parish also celebrates Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m. The bookkeeper's email address ([email protected]) reflects this joint administrative partnership.
- St. Patrick's: Tuesday 9 a.m. Mass
- Ss. Peter & Paul (Holy Apostles): Wed & Thu 9 a.m. Mass; Sunday 8:30 a.m. Mass
- St. Mary's: Friday 9 a.m. Mass
- Confessions available by appointment
Parish Staff and Leadership
The parish is led by a Parochial Administrator and a small, dedicated lay staff. Pastoral and finance councils provide parish governance. Faith formation and music ministry round out the team.
- 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
Vicariate and Diocese
St. Isidore Parish belongs to Vicariate 1 of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saginaw. The diocese covers much of central and eastern Michigan, including the Thumb region. The parish is listed on the official Diocese of Saginaw website with its own parish page (saginaw.org).
- Diocese: Diocese of Saginaw
- Vicariate: 1
- Diocese parish page: https://saginaw.org/parish/st-isidore-parish-parisville-palms
A Historic Thumb-Area Catholic Community
The parish's identity is rooted in 19th-century Catholic settlement of Michigan's Thumb. St. Patrick's was dedicated in the 1850s to serve Irish and other Catholic pioneers in what was then a frontier lumber-and-railroad village. Palms, the village where the church stands, was settled beginning in 1850 and named for Francis Palm, who brought the railroad through in 1881. A devastating 1916 fire — started by sparks from a passing train — destroyed most of Palms' downtown, but the historic St. Patrick Catholic Church survived and remains a visual landmark of the community's Irish Catholic origins.
- St. Patrick's dedicated in the 1850s
- Palms settled starting in 1850 by John Smith and Michael Dyer
- Francis Palm brought the railroad through in 1881, giving the village its name
- 1916 train-sparks fire destroyed much of Railroad Street; the church survived