About St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying · Grass Lake, Michigan
The Shrine of St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying — known as the Pious Union of St. Joseph — is a Roman Catholic shrine in Grass Lake, Michigan, run by the Servants of Charity (SdC), the religious congregation founded by Saint Luigi Guanella in 1908. Located at 953 E. Michigan Avenue just off I-94, the shrine is the United States center of the worldwide Pious Union of St. Joseph, a confraternity of prayer for the suffering and the dying that was canonically erected by Pope St. Pius X in 1914. Pilgrims visit daily for Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, the Way of the Cross, the outdoor Lourdes Grotto, and the Calvary Shrine, and to enroll in the association that asks St. Joseph's intercession for a happy death.
- Established
- 1987
- Patron
- St. Joseph (patron of the dying and of a happy death)
- Rector
- Fr. Satheesh Alphonse Caniton, SdC (Director of the Pious Union)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
The Pious Union of St. Joseph is one of the world's largest Catholic confraternities, with more than a million members worldwide and a daily Mass offered on the 16th of each month at the Grass Lake shrine for enrolled souls. Membership is free and the only commitment is to pray each day for those who are suffering or dying that they may share in St. Joseph's 'happy death.' In return, members are united with thousands of priest-members across the globe who celebrate Masses each year for the intentions of the Pious Union, and may request Gregorian Masses — 30 consecutive Masses for a departed loved one — and enroll the names of deceased relatives (including miscarried or deceased infants in the special 'Book of the Innocents'). For Catholics in southern Michigan it is a quiet pilgrimage site off I-94 with daily Mass, weekday adoration, a Lourdes Grotto and a hilltop Calvary.
Mass times at St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before and after all weekday Masses
- Upon request
Adoration times
- Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM (Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament following the 8:30 AM Mass)
- Wednesday: 3:30 PM – Divine Mercy Chaplet and Benediction
About the Shrine of St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying
The Shrine of St. Joseph for the Suffering and Dying is the U.S. home of the Pious Union of St. Joseph, a worldwide Catholic confraternity of prayer for those who are suffering and for the dying. It is run by the Servants of Charity (SdC), the religious congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1908 in Italy by Saint Luigi Guanella. Located at 953 E. Michigan Avenue in Grass Lake, Michigan — just off I-94 — the shrine offers daily Mass, weekday Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Anointing of the Sick on First Saturdays, and a beautiful campus with a Lourdes Grotto, a Way of the Cross, and a hilltop Calvary Shrine.
- Type: Catholic Shrine / Confraternity center
- Operated by the Servants of Charity (SdC) of the Divine Providence Province, in cooperation with the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence (DSMP)
- Diocese of Lansing (Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Michigan)
History and Founding
The Pious Union of St. Joseph was established by Saint Louis Guanella in the early 20th century and approved by Pope St. Pius X on February 13, 1913; it received canonical recognition on February 12, 1914 as a 'Primary Confraternity.' Pope St. Pius X was enrolled as its first member. The American branch began in 1987 under Father Germano Pegoraro, SdC, who launched the magazine 'Now and at the Hour' in Springfield, Pennsylvania. In 1986 the Servants of Charity had purchased about 30 acres in Grass Lake, and in 1994 Bishop Kenneth Povish of the Diocese of Lansing formally invited the Pious Union onto his land. An old barn on the property was converted into the present chapel (echoing St. Guanella's own act of turning a barn into a basilica in Rome), the shrine was dedicated in 2000, and its 25th anniversary was celebrated on December 1, 2012 with Bishop Earl Boyea. The grounds were further developed with the Lourdes Grotto, the Way of the Cross, and the Calvary Shrine.
- 1986: Servants of Charity purchase 30 acres in Grass Lake, MI
- 1987: Fr. Germano Pegoraro, SdC, launches the U.S. Pious Union from Springfield, PA
- 1994: Bishop Kenneth Povish invites the Pious Union into the Diocese of Lansing
- 2000: Shrine Chapel dedicated; replica of the 'Death of St. Joseph' by Fr. Germano is enshrined
- 2012: 25th anniversary concelebrated with Bishop Earl Boyea
Membership in the Pious Union of St. Joseph
Membership in the Pious Union is free and open to priests, religious, and lay people. The sole commitment is to pray daily for the suffering and dying, that they may share in St. Joseph's 'happy death.' Members are spiritually united with thousands of priest-members worldwide who pledge to celebrate one Mass each year for the intentions of the Pious Union, so that 'every second' a Mass is being offered somewhere for the dying. A monthly Mass is offered at the Grass Lake shrine on the 16th of each month for all souls enrolled through the Eternal Remembrance and the Book of the Innocents. Gregorian Masses (30 consecutive Masses for a single departed soul) may also be requested.
- Enrollment for priests, religious, and laypeople
- Eternal Remembrance enrollment for deceased loved ones
- Book of the Innocents (miscarried infants and deceased children)
- Gregorian Masses (30 consecutive Masses) on request
- Free membership; daily prayer commitment only
The Servants of Charity (Guanellians) and Daughters of St. Mary of Providence
The shrine is staffed by members of the Servants of Charity (SdC), the religious congregation of priests and brothers founded by Saint Louis Guanella in Como, Italy, in 1908 to serve the poor, the abandoned, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In the United States the Guanellians also staff the St. Louis Center and Guanella Village in nearby Chelsea, Michigan (founded 1960 by the Archdiocese of Detroit), the Don Guanella School and C.K. Center in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Sacred Heart Parish in East Providence, Rhode Island. The Daughters of St. Mary of Providence (DSMP), Guanella's women's congregation, work alongside the Servants at the shrine and in missions to the elderly and disabled.
- Servants of Charity founded 1908 in Como, Italy, by St. Louis Guanella
- Daughters of St. Mary of Providence founded 1881
- U.S. Guanellian homes: St. Louis Center (Chelsea, MI), Don Guanella School (Springfield, PA), C.K. Center (Springfield, PA), Sacred Heart Parish (East Providence, RI)
- Mission: care for the poor, abandoned, and those with intellectual/developmental disabilities, plus prayer for the suffering and dying
The Shrine Grounds: Chapel, Lourdes Grotto, Way of the Cross, Calvary
The shrine sits on approximately 30 acres just east of the village of Grass Lake along Michigan Avenue. The chapel, built from a converted barn and seating about 130, is flanked by statues of Mary and St. Joseph and lit by stained-glass angel windows. From the outdoor Lourdes Grotto a winding Way of the Cross leads up the hillside to the Calvary Shrine, where brick stairs rise to a life-sized corpus of Christ on the cross, overlooking the countryside. The grounds are open every day, and the church itself is open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
- Chapel seating ~130, with raised altar and statues of Mary and St. Joseph
- Stained-glass windows of angels
- Painting of the Death of St. Joseph (by Fr. Germano Pegoraro) in the chapel
- Lourdes Grotto on the grounds
- Way of the Cross winding up to the Calvary Shrine
- Life-sized corpus of Christ at the top of the Calvary
Pilgrimages and Visiting
The Pious Union welcomes individual pilgrims and organized groups year-round. The website invites visitors 'for a consecration or for a prayerful afternoon,' noting the chapel, expansive grounds, and space for children to stretch their legs as ideal for family pilgrimage in an age when the family is under attack. More than 40 busloads of pilgrims arrive each year for the March 19 feast of St. Joseph. Group pilgrimages can be arranged through the shrine office; the small gift shop offers religious items.
- Group pilgrimages: call the office at 517-522-8017 or email [email protected]
- Annual March 19 Feast of St. Joseph draws 40+ busloads of pilgrims
- Small gift shop on site
- Open daily 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM (church); office weekdays 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Staff and Clergy
The shrine is currently directed by Fr. Satheesh Alphonse Caniton, SdC, a member of the Servants of Charity who also serves in ministry at the St. Louis Center in Chelsea. The Voice of Providence bulletin is edited by Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, SdC, with assistance from Fr. Satheesh Alphonse, SdC, Sr. Ann Huber, DSMP, Joe Yekulis, Kelly Flaherty, and Tom Herron. Other Guanellian priests serving at the shrine and at the nearby St. Louis Center include Fr. Enzo Addari (administrator), Fr. David Stawasz, Fr. Fortunato Turati, Fr. Leo Joseph Xavier, Fr. Franklin Michael, Fr. Amal Rayapillai, and Fr. Silvio De Nard. Sr. Brenda McHugh, DSMP, and Sr. Margaret Mary Schissler, DSMP, serve among the Daughters of St. Mary of Providence.
- Director: Fr. Satheesh Alphonse Caniton, SdC
- Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, SdC (editor, Voice of Providence)
- Fr. Enzo Addari, SdC (administrator, St. Louis Center)
- Sr. Brenda McHugh, DSMP
- Sr. Margaret Mary Schissler, DSMP
- Contact: [email protected] / 517-522-8017
Voice of Providence — Bi-monthly Publication
Voice of Providence is the non-profit bi-monthly magazine of the Divine Providence Province of the Servants of Charity, published from the Grass Lake shrine (Volume 28, No. 2, Feb–Mar 2015). It carries news, catechesis, and reflections from the Guanellian family, including regular features on the Pious Union and its spirituality of the 'happy death' (e.g., Fr. Satheesh Alphonse's article 'The Pious Union of St. Joseph and Happy Death'). Editor-in-Chief: Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, SdC.
- Published by the Servants of Charity, Divine Providence Province
- Editorial office at 953 E. Michigan Avenue, Grass Lake, MI 49240-9210
- Editor-in-Chief: Fr. Joseph Rinaldo, SdC
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Germano Pegoraro, SdC1987–c.2000s
First director of the U.S. Pious Union; founded the magazine 'Now and at the Hour' in 1987; established the shrine in Grass Lake after Bishop Povish invited the Pious Union into the Diocese of Lansing in 1994; oversaw the conversion of the barn into the chapel, dedicated in 2000; painted the replica of the Death of St. Joseph that is venerated in the chapel.
- Fr. Satheesh Alphonse Caniton, SdCDirector (current)
Current Director of the Pious Union of St. Joseph and a member of the Servants of Charity at St. Louis Center; author of 'The Pious Union of St. Joseph and Happy Death' in the Voice of Providence.