About St. Joseph the Worker · Mt Pleasant, Michigan
St. Joseph the Worker Parish of Beal City is a Catholic parish located at 2163 N. Winn Road in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, serving the rural Beal City community in Isabella County. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Saginaw and is a parish church within Vicariate 5. The parish is closely connected with St. Joseph the Worker School, an accredited Catholic elementary school serving preschool through sixth grade, and operates as a family-oriented faith community with weekly Mass, faith formation programs, and youth ministry.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- St. Joseph the Worker
- Rector
- Rev. Andrew S. LaFramboise
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
Why belong here
St. Joseph the Worker of Beal City is a tight-knit, family-style Catholic parish where faith, school, and farm community have grown together for well over a century. Parishioners can attend Mass several days a week, send their children to the on-site accredited Catholic elementary school (preschool through sixth grade), enroll in faith formation and youth ministry, and serve on the Parish or Finance Council — all under the spiritual care of a pastor and deacon who are part of a cooperating three-parish partnership in the Diocese of Saginaw.
Mass times at St. Joseph the Worker
Weekly Mass schedule
About St. Joseph the Worker Parish
St. Joseph the Worker Parish of Beal City is a Catholic parish located at 2163 N. Winn Road in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It is part of the Diocese of Saginaw (Vicariate 5) and serves the Beal City area of Nottawa Township in Isabella County. The parish is led by Rev. Andrew S. LaFramboise as pastor, with Deacon Wayne Corion assisting, and supported by an Administrative Assistant (Chris Buchalski), Bookkeeper (Anne Riemsma), and Faith Formation/Youth Ministry coordinator (Cory Noeker). Parish governance is provided by a Pastoral Council chaired by Mike Monahan and a Finance Council chaired by Jim Streng.
- Address: 2163 N. Winn Road, Mount Pleasant, MI 48858
- Phone: (989) 644-2041
- Diocese: Saginaw (Vicariate 5)
- Pastor: Rev. Andrew S. LaFramboise
- Deacon: Wayne Corion
- Parish Office Hours: Tuesday–Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Parish History
The parish traces its origins to the early 1880s, when German-Catholic pioneers Johann (John) and Katherina Freund Pohl donated five acres of land for the first Catholic church in what became St. Philomena Parish. The settlement of Beal City itself dates to 1892. For decades the parish was known as St. Philomena's Catholic Church and was served by priests including Rev. Alexander Francis Zugelder, assigned there in 1905 by Bishop Henry Richter. In 1961 the parish's name was changed to St. Joseph the Worker, and the adjacent cemetery (previously St. Philomena / Nottawa Catholic / Beal City Catholic Cemetery) was renamed as well. In the 2010s the parish entered into a diocesan-wide restructuring and was linked with Sacred Heart of Mt. Pleasant and St. Mary University Parish (CMU) effective July 1, 2014.
- 1880 – Pohl family donates land for first Catholic church
- 1892 – Beal City community formally established
- 1901 – Dominican Sisters begin staffing the parish school
- 1905 – Fr. Alexander F. Zugelder assigned as pastor
- 1961 – Parish renamed from St. Philomena to St. Joseph the Worker
- 2013 – Three-parish cooperation begins under Bishop Cistone's restructuring
- 2014 (July 1) – Formal linkage with Sacred Heart and St. Mary University Parish
- 2019/2020 – Publication of 'Our Heritage of Faith' parish history (Maxine Klumpp Kent et al.)
St. Joseph the Worker School
St. Joseph the Worker School is an accredited Catholic elementary school serving preschool through sixth grade on the parish campus in Beal City. The school is accredited by the Michigan Association of Non-Public Schools (MANS), is part of the Beal City Public Schools bussing system, and is known for small class sizes, a collaborative faculty, and affordable tuition with flexible payment schedules. Tuition assistance is available to practicing parishioners of the parish. Students attend weekly Mass on Thursdays at 8:00 a.m. (bell rings at 7:40 a.m.), and a long-standing tradition has the sixth graders formally introduce kindergarteners and new students at a September school Mass. The school launched its first preschool program in 2023, supported by Michigan Department of Education / Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) startup funding.
- Preschool through 6th grade
- Accredited by MANS
- Weekly school Mass on Thursdays at 8:00 a.m.
- Part of Beal City Public Schools bussing system
- Sixth graders introduce kindergarteners and new students at September school Mass
- First preschool class launched 2023
Preschool Program and Playground (2023)
In December 2023, the parish's new preschool program received a new playground installed through a community build organized to save roughly $12,000 on installation costs. The playground project used a $25,000 grant in combination with a $10,000 Michigan Department of Education (MDE) GSRP startup grant that had allowed the preschool to fully equip its classroom. Local businesses, families, and parishioners donated labor, equipment, food, gravel, and mulch for the build, with installation taking place on December 9, 2023 and mulch placement on December 16, 2023.
- $25,000 grant funded the playground
- $10,000 MDE GSRP startup grant funded classroom supplies
- Community build saved roughly $12,000 in installation
- Schafour, Gross Farms, Ellen's Equipment, and Home Depot of Mt. Pleasant among contributors
- Ace Hardware of Lake Isabella donated cooking and food for the build
Mass and Worship Schedule
St. Joseph the Worker offers Mass six days a week in English, including a Saturday vigil and two Sunday Masses, plus three weekday Masses spread across Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
- Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM
- Tuesday: 5:00 PM
- Wednesday: 8:00 AM
- Thursday: 8:00 PM
Parish Staff and Leadership
The parish is staffed by a pastor and deacon with support from lay administrative and ministry staff, and is governed by elected Pastoral and Finance Councils.
- Rev. Andrew S. LaFramboise — Pastor ([email protected])
- Deacon Wayne Corion — Deacon ([email protected])
- Chris Buchalski — Administrative Assistant ([email protected])
- Anne Riemsma — Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Cory Noeker — Faith Formation/Youth Ministry ([email protected])
- Mike Monahan — Pastoral Council Chair
- Jim Streng — Finance Council Chair
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry at the parish is led by Cory Noeker, reachable at [email protected]. Programs support religious education for parish children and youth alongside the parish school.
- Faith Formation (Cory Noeker, Coordinator)
- Youth Ministry
- School-based religious education for preschool–6th grade
Three-Parish Linkage (Diocesan Restructuring)
Under Bishop Joseph R. Cistone's 2011 pastoral letter 'A Future Full of Hope,' the Diocese of Saginaw restructured its parishes. St. Joseph the Worker of Beal City began collaborating in July 2013 with Sacred Heart of Mt. Pleasant and St. Mary University Parish (Central Michigan University) and was formally linked with them effective July 1, 2014. The three parishes share a pastor and work cooperatively; no churches were closed in the process.
- Partner parishes: Sacred Heart (Mt. Pleasant) and St. Mary University Parish (CMU)
- Pastoral letter: 'A Future Full of Hope' (Bishop Cistone, 2011)
- Cooperation began July 2013; formal link effective July 1, 2014
- No churches closed in the linkage
St. Joseph the Worker Cemetery
The parish cemetery is located on Winn Road in Beal City. Up until the mid- to late 1960s it was known as St. Philomena Cemetery, and on older death certificates it also appears as the Nottawa Catholic Cemetery or the Beal City Catholic Cemetery. The name changed to St. Joseph the Worker alongside the parish's 1961 renaming.
- Located on Winn Road, Beal City
- Formerly St. Philomena Cemetery
- Also historically called Nottawa Catholic Cemetery and Beal City Catholic Cemetery
- Renamed St. Joseph the Worker in the 1960s
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Alexander Francis Zugelder1905–mid-20th century
Assigned in 1905 by Bishop Henry Richter as pastor of St. Philomena parish in Beal City; previously ordained from St. Mary's, Grand Rapids, 1894.
- Rev. Andrew S. LaFramboise
Current pastor; shares pastoral leadership in a 2014-era diocesan linkage with Sacred Heart of Mt. Pleasant and St. Mary University Parish, CMU.