About St. John Vianney · Flint, Michigan
St. John Vianney is a Roman Catholic territorial parish on the northwest side of Flint, Michigan, founded in 1941 and entrusted to the Diocese of Lansing. Since 2015 it has served as the principal worship site of the Catholic Community of Flint (CCF), a collaborative grouping that today also includes St. Mary Oratory and St. Michael Oratory. The parish runs a PreK-8 Catholic school, livestreams its Masses online, and is home to Angels Outreach Ministries, a long-running children's outreach serving Flint youth.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- St. John Vianney (Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, the Curé of Ars)
- Rector
- Rev. Matthew Bonk, C.Ss.R.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
St. John Vianney offers the full rhythm of Catholic parish life on Flint's northwest side: Saturday Vigil Mass (4 pm), two Sunday Masses (11 am and 7 pm), daily weekday Mass at 10:30 am, Saturday confessions, livestreamed Masses on YouTube, and a PreK-8 parish school. The parish community is also the home base for Angels Outreach Ministries, a faith-based children's program led by Deacon Tony and Susan Verdun that has served impoverished and at-risk youth in Flint since 1987. As the principal church of the Catholic Community of Flint, it welcomes worshippers who grew up at St. Mary, St. Michael and All Saints — a real 'one Catholic Church in Flint' experience.
Mass times at St. John Vianney
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (at St. John Vianney)
- Saturday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (at St. Matthew, community-wide)
- Monday 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM (at St. Matthew, community-wide)
- Sunday 1:30 PM until last penitent (at St. Matthew, community-wide)
Adoration times
- Monday 12:45 PM – 7:00 PM (at St. Matthew, community-wide)
Parish Identity & Catholic Community of Flint
St. John Vianney Catholic Church is part of the Catholic Community of Flint (CCF), a collaborative grouping of Flint's historic parishes that worship together and share clergy. St. John Vianney is the principal worship site, with St. Mary Church and St. Michael Church retained as oratories for the consolidated community. The CCF also includes St. Matthew Church on Flint's east side. Together they offer one Sunday schedule of Masses across the city, with St. John Vianney hosting the Saturday Vigil, the late-morning Sunday Mass, and the Sunday evening Mass.
- Principal worship site of the Catholic Community of Flint
- St. Mary Oratory and St. Michael Oratory now part of the parish
- Co-laborer with St. Matthew Parish in shared Mass/confession/adoration scheduling
History
Founded in 1941 on the northwest side of Flint, St. John Vianney has grown into the anchor Catholic parish of north Flint by absorbing four neighboring communities whose members now worship here or at the oratories.
- 1941 – Parish established as a territorial parish of the (then) Diocese of Detroit / Lansing.
- 2008 (Aug 27) – Sacred Heart Parish (est. 1928 as a Slovak national parish) suppressed and merged into St. John Vianney under pastor Fr. Thomas Firestone.
- 2015 (May) – Bishop Earl Boyea appoints Fr. Tom Firestone pastor of four Flint churches; launches Faith in Flint.
- 2017 – All Saints, St. Mary, and St. Michael parishes extinctively merged into St. John Vianney; their churches retained as oratories.
- 2024 (July) – Fr. Matthew Bonk, C.Ss.R. named pastor.
Faith in Flint
Faith in Flint is the diocese-affiliated Catholic outreach to the city of Flint, begun in May 2015 and entrusted to Fr. Tom Firestone from his base at St. John Vianney. It coordinates Catholic entities in Flint — parishes, the school, Powers Catholic High School, and outreach ministries — under a shared missionary banner, responding to the economic and social challenges of a city that has lost jobs and population over recent decades.
- Coordinated Catholic presence across Flint parishes and Catholic schools
- Door-to-door ministry on Flint's east side
- Winter food-and-prayer outreach events drawing 200+ neighbors
Livestream & Online Formation
St. John Vianney livestreams its Masses through its own YouTube channel, linked from the parish's Live Stream page on the CCF website. The parish also subscribes to Formed.org (parish access code 7FDZKG), giving parishioners free access to Catholic movies, books, and study programs.
- Live-streamed Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses on YouTube
- Formed.org parish account (movies, audio, studies) — access code 7FDZKG
St. John Vianney Catholic School
St. John Vianney Catholic School is a PreK–8 parish school of about 175 students, on the same campus as the parish. The school's stated mission is to assist families in raising Christian students who, 'guided by the Holy Spirit, make a difference in our world as caring and educated people.' Students benefit from a partnership with nearby Powers Catholic High School, where 7th and 8th graders attend advanced classes and take band and choir. Scholarships are available preschool through 8th grade.
- Enrollment: ~175 students, Preschool through Grade 8
- Mission: faith-filled community assisting families in Christian formation
- Powers Catholic High School partnership for 7th–8th grade advanced classes, band and choir
- Parent- and community-taught electives (foreign languages, web design, etc.)
- Scholarships available PK–8
- Website: https://www.sjvkids.org/
Angels Outreach Ministries
Founded in 1987 and led by Deacon Anthony (Tony) Verduna, Sr., and his wife Susan, Angels Outreach Ministries is housed at St. John Vianney and works to keep at-risk children and teens off Flint's streets. It offers a safe place to play, positive role models, peer groups, arts and crafts, and a 'Camping Out With Jesus' (C.O.W.J.) program. Easter and Christmas parties serve 200–300 families. Deacon Tony has received the Sybyl Atwood Award, the Servus Dei Award, and the Key to the City of Flint for this work.
- Operating since 1987; led by Deacon Tony & Susan Verduna
- Two Saturdays per month: 1st Saturday games/arts; 3rd Saturday 'Camping Out With Jesus'
- Three or four field trips per year; Easter & Christmas parties
- Supported through parish, individual donations, grants, and corporate sponsors
- Contact: (810) 965-9383 or write Deacon Tony Verdun at St. John Vianney, 2415 Bagley St., Flint, MI 48504
Pastoral Leadership & Clergy
St. John Vianney has been led by two pastors in recent decades. Fr. Thomas Firestone served as pastor from at least 2008 through summer 2024, guiding the parish through the Sacred Heart merger, the four-parish Faith in Flint configuration, and the 2017 extinctive mergers of All Saints, St. Mary, and St. Michael into St. John Vianney. In July 2024, Bishop Boyea named Redemptorist Fr. Matthew Bonk — who had served in the Catholic Community of Flint as parochial vicar since July 2022 — pastor of St. John Vianney Parish and St. Mary's Mission.
- Rev. Matthew Bonk, C.Ss.R. — Pastor since July 2024; Redemptorist; previously CCF parochial vicar from 2022; resides at St. John Vianney
- Rev. Thomas Firestone — Pastor c. 2008 – July 2024; now pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Flint, with continued assistance to CCF
- Deacon Anthony (Tony) Verduna, Sr. — founder of Angels Outreach Ministries; assists at SJV
Visit, Contact & Practical Info
The parish office at 2415 Bagley Street is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For questions about Baptism, Marriage, or other sacraments, parishioners are asked to call the parish office during those hours. The parish bulletin and online calendar carry any seasonal changes (Easter, Christmas, Holy Days of Obligation).
- Address: 2415 Bagley St., Flint, MI 48504
- Phone: (810) 235-1812
- Fax: (810) 235-4911
- Office hours: M–F, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
- Website: https://www.flintcatholic.org/stjohnvianney
- Livestream: https://www.flintcatholic.org/livestream
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas Firestonec. 2008 – July 2024
Guided St. John Vianney through the 2008 Sacred Heart merger, led the four-parish Faith in Flint configuration from 2015, and oversaw the 2017 merger of St. Michael, St. Mary and All Saints into St. John Vianney. Now pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Flint, while continuing weekend ministry to CCF.
- Rev. Matthew Bonk, C.Ss.R.July 2024 – present
Redemptorist priest born 1968 in Milan, MI; previously parochial vicar of CCF beginning July 1, 2022.