About St. Malachy Church · Sterling Heights, Michigan
St. Malachy Catholic Church is a Roman Latin-rite parish in Sterling Heights, Michigan, in the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit. Founded in 1964 by Fr. Nicholas Ghelfi under Cardinal John F. Dearden, the parish has grown to roughly 1,900–2,000 registered families and serves the north-central Macomb County suburbs with daily and Sunday Masses, a robust faith formation program, youth ministry, and a wide range of parish organizations. It is currently pastored by Fr. Joseph Gembala and is part of the Central Macomb Vicariate Family 5, the Archdiocese's In Solidum grouping of parishes.
- Established
- 1964
- Patron
- St. Malachy of Armagh (Malachy O'Morgair, 1094–1148), the 12th-century Irish reforming Archbishop of Armagh, canonized by Pope Clement III on July 6, 1199
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph (Fr. Joe) Gembala
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit (Central Macomb Vicariate; Family of Parishes: Northeast Central Macomb 5 — an In Solidum team including St. Malachy, St. Paul of Tarsus, St. Ronald, and St. Thecla)
Why belong here
St. Malachy is a large, multi-generational parish where the three Sunday Masses (including the popular livestreamed 9:30 a.m.) often fill the church, and where the pastor, Fr. Joe Gembala, openly prioritizes New Evangelization — handing out Catholic reading after major feasts and running formation series like 'You Belong' and a year-round youth program. The parish runs a full Faith Formation program from kindergarten through Confirmation, two youth groups (FROG for grades 6–8 and ROCK for grades 9–12), choirs for all ages, a prayer ministry, a Men's Club and Women's Club, RCIA, and active outreach including support of local food pantries and an outdoor Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary open 24 hours a day for prayer. For families and newcomers, it offers an unusually broad menu of ways to get involved, with no fewer than three Sunday Masses, three Communion stations, and free evangelization programs — all designed, in Fr. Gembala's words, to let 'people know all the ways that Jesus loves them.'
Mass times at St. Malachy Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday at 3:00 pm (listed on parish homepage schedule block)
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month: Eucharistic Adoration immediately following the 9:30 a.m. morning Mass
Parish History
St. Malachy was founded in 1964 by Fr. Nicholas Ghelfi, assigned by Cardinal John F. Dearden, and grew from an outdoor parking-lot Mass at Robert Frost School in Warren to nearly 2,000 registered families served by a dedicated church in 1978. The parish was the first in its area to establish a Parish Council, broadening lay authority and responsibility. Full narrative with milestone dates is available on the parish's 'Our History' page (saintmalachychurch.org/our-history).
- Founded 1964 under Cardinal Dearden
- First Mass: parking lot of Robert Frost School, Warren
- Temporary church dedicated March 10, 1964
- Building Fund Drive raised up to $365,000 in pledges
- Ground broken March 20, 1977
- Present church dedicated June 18, 1978 by Cardinal Dearden and Fr. Ghelfi
- First Parish Council in the area established early in parish history
- 50th anniversary celebrated in June 2014 with a year of evangelization
Faith Formation (Religious Education)
Faith Formation at St. Malachy serves children from kindergarten through 8th grade and is built around a Family Faith Sharing (FFS) model in which parents and children grow together. K–5 families meet once a month in person at the Currier Center, with the same Gospel studied at home through the 'Promise' (K–1), 'Good News' (2–3), and 'Venture' (4–5) Pflaum Gospel Weeklies programs. The parish also prepares children for the Sacraments of Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and Confirmation.
- Kindergarten & 1st Grade: 'Promise' (Gospel Weeklies)
- 2nd & 3rd Grade: 'Good News' (Gospel Weeklies)
- 4th & 5th Grade: 'Venture' (Gospel Weeklies)
- 6th Grade: 'Back to Basics' — re-grounding in Catholic identity, Mass, and the Eucharist
- 7th Grade: 'Encounter the Bible' and 'Making Decisions' by St. Mary's Press
- 8th Grade: 'Purpose' by LifeTeen, 'Chosen' Bible Study, and Confirmation prep
- Monthly Wednesday OR Thursday evening meetings, 6:30–7:30 p.m.
- Office contact: [email protected]
Sacraments
St. Malachy prepares children and families for Baptism, First Eucharist, Confirmation, and Reconciliation through its Faith Formation Office, with infant baptisms scheduled once a month after the 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass (not during Lent) and older-child baptisms coordinated through Faith Formation.
- Baptism — infants & children under 6: monthly after 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass (not during Lent); parents and godparents must complete instruction video; godparents must be 16+, with at least one Catholic godparent baptized and confirmed
- Baptism — children grades 1–8: coordinated through Faith Formation Office
- First Eucharist — spring of 2nd grade, after two years of preparation; includes prior reception of Reconciliation
- Confirmation — prep begins in 6th grade; weekly grades 6–8; Confirmation Mass in spring following a fall retreat
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:00 p.m. (per homepage); also part of First Eucharist preparation
- All Baptisms scheduled through Parish Office: (586) 264-1220 ext. 0
Youth Ministry
St. Malachy runs two year-round youth groups named around a 'rely on God' theme, plus a High School Youth and Young Adult Director on staff. The parish also sends teens to the annual Steubenville youth conference, which Detroit Catholic reported 'came back all high on the Spirit' in 2014 and led to a special youth Mass celebrated by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron that October.
- FROG — middle school youth group (grades 6–8) — 'Fully Rely On God'
- ROCK — high school youth group (grades 9–12) — 'Rely on Christ the King'
- High School Youth & Young Adult Director (staff position)
- Office Secretary & Middle School Youth Director (staff position)
- Annual Steubenville youth conference delegation
Parish Organizations & Outreach
Adult parishioners at St. Malachy participate in long-standing clubs, service commissions, and prayer groups identified by Detroit Catholic and the parish's own programs, including ministries founded in the parish's early decades.
- Men's Club
- Women's Club
- Christian Service Commission
- RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Prayer Ministry (founded by parishioners including Trudy Nowicki)
- Choirs for all ages
- Funeral luncheons team
- Vacation Bible Camp
- Local food pantry support
- Shrine to the Blessed Virgin Mary — outdoor 24-hour prayer/reflection space
Parish Staff
St. Malachy lists a robust lay staff supporting the pastor's ministry, alongside deacons and the priests of the In Solidum team serving Central Macomb Vicariate Family 5. Fr. Joe Gembala's bio notes he was ordained in 1987 and has been at St. Malachy for 29 years; he enjoys reading, fishing, classic movies, and speaks Spanish.
- Rev. Joseph Gembala — Pastor (ordained 1987)
- Deacon Phillip Dinsmore
- Zachary Murphy — Worship & Media Director
- Gordon Peck — Parish Coordinator for Evangelization
- Ursula Krause — Director of Religious Education
- Christina Wouters — Office Secretary & Middle School Youth Director
- Michael Logie — IT Director & Office Manager
- Rachel Nicholson — High School Youth & Young Adult Director
- Julie Doral — Sacristan, Festival Raffle Chairperson
- Marlene DelVillano, Eric Taylor, Kevin DeClaire, Dave Corbat, Jessica Zelinski, Lauren Corbat, Karen Chimenti, Brandon Silerio, Tom Torrento, Linda Corbat, Ken Czarny, Austin Silerio, Darrell Anderson, Collin Schy — additional parish staff and ministry leads
Evangelization & Parish Mission
In and around its 50th anniversary year (2014), St. Malachy deliberately structured its programming around Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron's call to New Evangelization. The parish distributed Matthew Kelly's 'Rediscover Catholicism' after Christmas Masses and Gus Lloyd's 'A Minute in the Church' after Easter, and ran the 10-week 'You Belong' Catholic history series for parishioners and visitors, finishing with a retreat led by Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes. The parish has continued to emphasize free, accessible evangelization — Fr. Gembala is widely quoted saying 'Evangelization is hard work, but it works.'
- Year-long 50th-anniversary evangelization theme (2014)
- Book giveaways: 'Rediscover Catholicism' (Kelly) and 'A Minute in the Church' (Lloyd)
- 'You Belong' 10-week Catholic history/evangelization series
- Closing retreat with Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes
- Special youth Mass with Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, October 2014
- Three Sunday Masses to accommodate growing attendance, with three Communion stations
Worship, Media & Livestream
St. Malachy invests in liturgical and media ministry through a Worship & Media Director, livestreamed Sunday Masses, and an online video archive. The parish's media page (saintmalachychurch.org/all-media) hosts homily and event videos, and the live page streams Sunday 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Masses.
- Worship & Media Director on staff
- Livestream of 9:30 a.m. Sunday Mass
- Livestream of 11:30 a.m. Sunday Mass
- Archive of homilies and parish videos at saintmalachychurch.org/all-media
- Contact / prayer-request form at saintmalachychurch.org/live
Visit, Register & Get Involved
Newcomers and returning Catholics are welcomed at the Hospitality Table in the gathering space after any weekend Mass, where the Parish Registration Form is available. Forms can also be downloaded from the parish website and either mailed in or returned to the office in person.
- Parish Registration Form — downloadable from saintmalachychurch.org/forms-resources
- Hospitality Table in gathering space after weekend Masses
- Registration forms may also be returned to the Parish Office
- Faith Formation contact: [email protected]
- Office line for Baptisms and general inquiries: (586) 264-1220, ext. 0
Diocesan & Family of Parishes Context
St. Malachy is one of four parishes that form the Central Macomb Vicariate Family 5 of the Archdiocese of Detroit, created under Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron's 'Families of Parishes' reorganization. Effective July 1, 2021, Fr. Gembala was appointed Family-Pastor of the In Solidum team — a model in which several priests jointly shepherd the parishes as one pastoral unit — alongside St. Paul of Tarsus (Clinton Township), St. Ronald (Clinton Township), and St. Thecla (Clinton Township).
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Detroit
- Central Macomb Vicariate
- Family of Parishes: Northeast Central Macomb 5
- In Solidum priests include Fr. Joseph Gembala (Family-Pastor/Moderator), Fr. Kevin Roelant, Fr. William Herman, Fr. James Lopez (per AOD directory)
- Sister parishes: St. Paul of Tarsus, St. Ronald, St. Thecla (all Clinton Township)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Nicholas Ghelfi1964 – (served through 1978 dedication)
Founding pastor, assigned by Cardinal Dearden; celebrated the first Mass in the parking lot of Robert Frost School in Warren and led the parish through its Building Fund Drive; officiated at the June 18, 1978 dedication of the present church.
- Rev. Joseph GembalaActive pastor (parish staff page states he has been at St. Malachy for 29 years)
Noted for energetic homilies, personal evangelization, the parish's 'You Belong' series, and the 50th-anniversary year of evangelization (2014); appointed Family-Pastor (In Solidum) of Central Macomb Vicariate Family 5 effective July 1, 2021.