About St. John Neumann · Spalding, Michigan
St. John Neumann Parish is a small rural Roman Catholic parish in Spalding, Michigan, in the Diocese of Marquette. Named for the 19th-century Czech-American bishop and saint who championed Catholic education in the United States, the parish serves the Menominee County area of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and operates a second worship site in nearby Hermansville. It is twinned administratively with St. Bruno Parish in Nadeau under one pastor, making it a vital sacramental hub for this sparsely populated corner of the U.P. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM in Spalding, with a Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM in Spalding and 5:30 PM at the Hermansville mission church.
- Patron
- St. John Neumann, C.Ss.R.
- Rector
- Rev. Benny Mathew
- Diocese
- Diocese of Marquette
Why belong here
St. John Neumann offers the full rhythm of Catholic sacramental life — a Saturday Vigil, a Sunday Mass, and weekday Masses on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday — in two locations that serve the same rural Menominee County community. Worshippers can also receive Confession every Saturday afternoon before the Vigil. Under the pastoral care of Fr. Benny Mathew (a Syro-Malabar priest serving in the Latin-rite diocese since 2020), the parish is the closest Catholic church for many households in Spalding, Hermansville and the surrounding woods and farmland of the central Upper Peninsula.
Mass times at St. John Neumann
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (Spalding)
Parish Identity & Patron
St. John Neumann Parish takes its name from the 19th-century Czech-born Redemptorist bishop St. John Neumann, who served as the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia and was the first American male to be canonized (canonized 1977; liturgical feast January 5). He is remembered especially for championing the Catholic parochial school system in the United States. The parish sits in the Diocese of Marquette, which covers the whole of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and is one of seven parishes in the St. John Neumann Vicariate, the grouping that encompasses Menominee County.
Two Worship Sites: Spalding and Hermansville
The parish serves a wide, sparsely populated slice of Menominee County from two locations. The main church stands on N16150 Maple Street in Spalding, and a second worship site is maintained at 100 Lorretto Heights in nearby Hermansville, in Meyer Township. The Saturday Vigil is offered at both sites (4:00 PM in Spalding, 5:30 PM in Hermansville), and the single Sunday Mass is celebrated at 8:00 AM in Spalding.
- Spalding — N16150 Maple St., Spalding, MI 49886 (Mailing: PO Box 135, Spalding, MI 49886)
- Hermansville — 100 Lorretto Heights, Hermansville, MI 49847
- Office: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and by appointment
Pastor: Fr. Benny Mathew
St. John Neumann is pastored by Rev. Benny Mathew, who also serves as pastor of nearby St. Bruno Parish in Nadeau. Fr. Benny was ordained on January 1, 1998, and is a member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with Rome whose roots trace back to the evangelization of India by St. Thomas the Apostle. He served ten years in a non-Christian mission area in the Diocese of Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), three years of studies in Mumbai, and eight years in the Diocese of Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh) before coming to the United States in February 2020 and joining the Diocese of Marquette in March 2020. In 2023 he marked his 25th anniversary of priesthood; in his spare time he enjoys fishing, cross-country skiing, canoeing and ice fishing.
- Born in Kerala, India; one of eight children; several siblings and cousins are priests or religious sisters.
- Spent ten years in mission work in the Diocese of Ujjain and eight years in the Diocese of Itanagar.
- Arrived in the United States in February 2020; began serving in the Diocese of Marquette in March 2020.
- Also serves as pastor of St. Bruno, Nadeau, and previously as associate pastor of St. Louis the King in Harvey.
Contact & Practical Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone, fax or email during published office hours, and the parish keeps its weekly bulletin online through Parishes Online under the combined 'St. John Neumann & St. Bruno Catholic Churches' listing.
- Parish phone: (906) 497-5800
- Fax: (906) 497-4278
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Monday–Thursday, 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., and by appointment (Spalding)
- Bulletins: parishesonline.com/find/st-john-neumann-st-bruno-catholic-churches
- Diocese of Marquette parish finder page: dioceseofmarquette.org/st-john-neumann
Related Parish: St. Bruno, Nadeau
St. John Neumann is twinned with St. Bruno Parish in Nadeau, Michigan, under the same pastor. St. Bruno sits at N13770 Old US Highway 41, Nadeau, MI 49863-5107 (phone 906-639-2388; email [email protected]), and the two parishes are listed together on Parishes Online and in the diocesan directory.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Benny MathewMarch 2020 – present
Ordained January 1, 1998; member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India; arrived in the United States in February 2020 and began serving the Diocese of Marquette in March 2020; also serves as pastor of St. Bruno in Nadeau; celebrated his 25th anniversary of priesthood in 2023.