About St. John the Baptist · Hubbardston, Michigan
St. John the Baptist Catholic Parish in Hubbardston, Michigan is one of the oldest Irish Catholic congregations in Michigan, registered in 1855 in what was then the Diocese of Detroit (and now part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids). Its 1869 church, built by Irish ship-builders and immigrant farming families for $8,000, is the longest continuously operating Catholic church in the Grand Rapids Diocese. Today the parish is clustered with St. Mary Parish in Carson City under a lay Pastoral Director, and is recognized both as a Michigan State Historic Site and a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Established
- 1855
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Nancy Woodcock, Pastoral Director (canonical supervision of Msgr. William H. Duncan, Vicar General, Diocese of Grand Rapids)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids (Ionia County, East Deanery)
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers a rare chance to belong to a living piece of Michigan Catholic history: the longest continuously operating Catholic church in the Diocese of Grand Rapids, an 1869 building hand-raised by Irish immigrant families and now on the National Register of Historic Places. Worship is small and personal — Sunday morning Mass with Confession beforehand — and the parish shares its Catholic school legacy, its Dominican Sisters tradition, and its active faith community with cluster partner St. Mary, Carson City under a dedicated lay Pastoral Director.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 PM at St. Mary, Carson City (per stmarystjohn.net)
- Sunday 8:00 – 8:45 AM at St. John the Baptist, Hubbardston (per Diocese of Grand Rapids)
History of St. John the Baptist Parish
St. John the Baptist Parish traces its origins to 1849, when John Cowman — likely the first Irish Catholic immigrant in North Plains Township — settled a mile west of present-day Hubbardston. His converted sheep-shed served as the area's first chapel, and his hilltop meadow as the first cemetery. By 1851 six other families had joined him, and in 1853 Bishop Lefevre of Detroit sent Fr. George Godez from St. Mary's, Westphalia (then the only Catholic parish within 100 miles) to begin regular pastoral visits. The parish was formally registered with the Diocese of Detroit in 1855, making it one of the earliest Catholic congregations in Michigan.
Building the 1869 Church
By 1868 the 70-family congregation had outgrown its original chapel — which had been enlarged several times — and the location outside the village was inconvenient. The parishioners purchased a downtown lot in Hubbardston and, hiring ship-builders to handle the trusses, erected a new church for $8,000. Completed in 1869 and seating 400–600 people, it was the largest building in Ionia County at the time and remains the longest continuously operating Catholic church in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
- Built 1868–69 by Irish immigrant farming families at a cost of $8,000
- Ship-builders brought in to construct the trusses
- Largest building in Ionia County in 1868; seating capacity 400–600
- Eighteen stained-glass windows (≈3 × 12 ft) installed in 1905, funded by logging-camp wages of parishioner farmers
Parish School and Dominican Sisters
A parish school was begun in 1883 using a former public school building across the street from the church. In 1888 the Dominican Sisters of Racine, Wisconsin arrived to take over teaching, and the Catholic school system flourished for the next three-quarters of a century. A 1917–18 twelve-grade school — designed by the Detroit firm Donaldson and Meier — replaced the earlier building, and an English Gothic convent was added in 1927 to house the teaching Sisters. The school remained in continuous operation until September 1965, when dwindling religious vocations left too few teaching Sisters to staff it. During its years of operation the parish produced fifteen priests and twenty-three religious Sisters from its own families.
- 1883: Parish school opened in former public schoolhouse across the street
- 1888: Dominican Sisters of Racine, Wisconsin arrive to teach
- 1907–08: Rectory built (designed by Donaldson & Meier, Detroit)
- 1917–18: New 12-grade Catholic school built (Donaldson & Meier)
- 1927: English Gothic convent added for the Sisters
- September 1965: School ceases operation due to lack of teaching Sisters
Daughter Parishes
St. John the Baptist grew so successfully that it seeded three daughter congregations. In the late 1880s Bishop Henry Richter ordered parishioners north of the Montcalm County line to form a new parish in Carson City, charging local man Dennis O'Connell with persuading members that a new St. Mary's Parish could thrive. Shortly after the turn of the century the portion of the parish south of the Brick Schoolhouse Road was ordered to form St. Joseph's Parish in Pewamo.
- St. Mary's, Carson City — established late 1880s
- St. Joseph's, Pewamo — established shortly after the turn of the 20th century
Historic Recognition (2001)
On January 18, 2001, St. John the Baptist Parish was designated a Michigan Historical Site, and on September 24, 2001, the parish complex was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register listing recognized the complex as a significant Irish Catholic Parish Complex of national, state, and community importance.
- Michigan State Historic Site — designated January 18, 2001
- National Register of Historic Places — listed September 24, 2001
- NRHP reference No. 01001019
- Architectural style: Gothic Revival / Renaissance Revival; site area 14.8 acres
Worship Schedule and Sacraments
St. John the Baptist shares sacramental life with its cluster partner St. Mary Parish in Carson City. The Hubbardston site offers Sunday morning Mass and Confession, with a Tuesday prayer service with Communion. The parish website and the Diocese of Grand Rapids listing give slightly varying times; parishioners are encouraged to confirm via the parish office at 989-584-6044.
- Sunday 8:00 AM — Mass at St. John the Baptist (stmarystjohn.net)
- Sunday 9:00 AM — Mass at St. John the Baptist
- Saturday Vigil 4:00 PM — Mass at St. Mary, Carson City
- Sunday 11:00 AM — Mass at St. Mary, Carson City
- Tuesday 12:30 PM (parish site) / Noon (Diocese) — Prayer service with Communion at St. John the Baptist
- Confession: Sunday 8:00–8:45 AM at St. John the Baptist; Saturday 3:00 PM at St. Mary
Parish Staff and Offices
St. John's shares its operational staff with St. Mary, Carson City, and is administered from the Carson City business office at 404 N. Division St.
- Nancy Woodcock — Pastoral Director & DRE
- Lynn Schneider — Parish Secretary
- Connie Ladiski — Bookkeeper
- Nan Miller — Administrative Assistant
- Larry DeVito — Maintenance
- Tom McCrackin — Parish Grounds and Cemetery Sexton for both parishes
Cluster Partner: St. Mary Parish, Carson City
St. John the Baptist is formally clustered with St. Mary Parish in Carson City (established 1896, Montcalm County). The two parishes share staff, mailing address, and Sacramental schedule, and are both served by Pastoral Director Nancy Woodcock under the canonical supervision of Msgr. William H. Duncan.
- St. Mary Parish — 406 N. Division St., Carson City, MI 48811
- Established 1896; clustered with St. John the Baptist
- Saturday Vigil Mass 4:00 PM; Sunday Mass 11:00 AM
- Saturday Confession 3:00–3:30 PM
Visiting and Contact
The Hubbardston worship site at 342 S. Washington St. is handicapped accessible (per the Diocese of Grand Rapids). The parish office can be reached by phone at 989-584-6044, with a weekend-only rectory line at 989-584-3553. Business mail and in-person visits are handled at the Carson City office, 404 N. Division St., Carson City, MI 48811-0237.
- Worship Site: 342 S. Washington St., Hubbardston, MI 48845
- Business Address: 404 N. Division St., Carson City, MI 48811-0237
- Parish Office Phone: 989-584-6044
- Weekend Rectory: 989-584-3553
- Website: http://www.stmarystjohn.net/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. George Godez1855
Pastor of St. Mary's, Westphalia — only Catholic parish within 100 miles — began regular pastoral visits from 1853 that led to the parish's registration in 1855.
- Fr. Charles Bolte1855–1869
First resident parish priest; oversaw the early enlargements of the original chapel and laid the groundwork for the 1868–69 church.
- Fr. William Reitz1986–2004/2005
Last resident parish priest. Retired September 24, 2005 at age 82 after hip surgery limited his activity.
- Nancy Woodcock2005–present
Pastoral Director / parish administrator; serves under the canonical supervision of Msgr. William H. Duncan. The parish was clustered with St. Mary's, Carson City due to a lack of priests.