About St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish · Durand, Michigan
St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Lansing that serves two small communities in mid-Michigan — the city of Durand (Shiawassee County) and the village of Gaines (Genesee County). It is a single parish organized across two worship sites: St. Mary Church at 700 Columbia Drive in Durand and St. Joseph Church (now an oratory) at 9450 Duffield Road in Gaines. The parish was formed in 2017 by the merger of the long-established St. Mary Parish of Durand (founded 1901) and St. Joseph Parish of Gaines (founded 1871), and offers Saturday vigil and Sunday Masses in English, weekday Masses, First Friday devotions, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Its mission emphasizes worship, faith formation for all ages, compassionate outreach, and good stewardship within the wider Roman Catholic Church.
- Established
- 2017 (parish as currently constituted; St. Mary of Durand founded 1901; St. Joseph of Gaines founded 1871)
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of St. Mary) and St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Arockiyasamy Santhiyagu, MSFS
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish welcomes new members into a small, family-style Catholic community that worships across two accessible campuses just a few miles apart in rural mid-Michigan. The parish offers the full rhythm of Catholic life — Saturday vigil and Sunday Masses, weekday Masses, weekly Adoration and First Friday devotions, regular Reconciliation, RCIA, youth group, adult and children's Faith Formation, and a dedicated Music Director — all under the pastoral care of Father Arockiyasamy Santhiyagu, MSFS and Deacon Greg Middleton. New parishioners are encouraged to register through the parish office in Durand and to join a community that explicitly commits to gathering in worship, sharing faith, responding with compassion to those in need, and caring wisely for its gifts.
Mass times at St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM (Durand, 700 Columbia Dr.)
- Wednesday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM (Gaines, 9450 Duffield Rd.)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 7:20 AM – 8:20 AM (Gaines, 9450 Duffield Rd.)
- First Friday (October–May) Adoration 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM with Mass at 4:30 PM (Durand, 700 Columbia Dr.)
Who We Are
St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish describes itself as 'the Catholic Community of St. Mary and St. Joseph Parish, one parish with two worship sites.' Its mission statement opens by tying parish life to the mission of Jesus received in Baptism and lived out through gospel values, and notes a special dedication to the Holy Spirit. The parish commits its members to four concrete practices: gathering as a worshipping community that supports one another's spiritual growth, witnessing to the faith through Faith Formation for the whole community, responding with compassion to both spiritual and corporal needs around them, and caring wisely for the gifts they have been given — all within the Diocese of Lansing and the wider Roman Catholic Church.
- One parish, two worship sites: St. Mary in Durand and St. Joseph in Gaines
- Mission rooted in baptismal commitment to the gospel
- Dedication to the Holy Spirit
- Member of the Diocese of Lansing
History of the Parish
The current parish dates to a 2017 decree of Bishop Earl Boyela uniting St. Mary Parish, Durand (founded 1901) and St. Joseph Parish, Gaines (founded 1871) into a single new juridic person: Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Parish. The Bishop named the former St. Mary Church on Columbia Drive as the parish church and the former St. Joseph Church in Gaines as an oratory. The merger cited population decline in both Durand and Gaines, falling Mass attendance since 2005, the close proximity of the two sites, the desire to avoid duplicated services, and the need to steward priest personnel and aging buildings more effectively. All sacramental registers, historical records, assets, and ecclesiastical goods of both predecessor parishes were transferred to the new parish under canon law.
- St. Joseph Parish, Gaines — founded 1871
- St. Mary Parish, Durand — founded 1901
- Both joined the Diocese of Lansing upon its 1937 creation
- Merged in 2017 into Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Parish
- Former St. Joseph Church designated an oratory of the new parish
Worship Sites
The parish maintains two physical locations about five or six miles apart. The Durand campus, anchored by St. Mary Church at 700 Columbia Drive, serves as the parish church and the seat of the main administrative offices. The Gaines campus, at 9450 Duffield Road, is home to St. Joseph Church, which now functions as an oratory of the parish.
- St. Mary Church — 700 Columbia Drive, Durand, MI 48429 (parish church)
- St. Joseph Church (Oratory) — 9450 Duffield Road, Gaines, MI 48436
Clergy & Staff
The parish is served by a pastor and a deacon, supported by a team of lay staff who coordinate worship, formation, communications, and parish administration across both campuses.
- Fr. Arockiyasamy Santhiyagu, MSFS — Pastor
- Deacon Greg Middleton — Deacon
- Peggy Loomis — Office Manager (Durand)
- Jennifer Strong — St. Joseph Chapel Secretary (Gaines)
- Mollie Shay — Faith Formation Director, PreK–7th
- Linda Burns — Adult Faith Formation
- Patrick McGuire — RCIA Leader
- Pam Schaefer — Music Director
- Ben Strong — Youth Group Leader
- Luke Quaranta — Youth Group Leader
- Barbara Quaranta — Communications
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation at St. Mary and St. Joseph is organized across the lifespan. A dedicated Director leads programming for children from PreK through 7th grade, while a separate coordinator oversees Adult Faith Formation. The parish also runs RCIA for adults preparing to enter or complete initiation in the Catholic Church.
- Children's Faith Formation — PreK through 7th grade (Director: Mollie Shay)
- Adult Faith Formation (Linda Burns)
- RCIA — Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Patrick McGuire)
Youth & Music Ministry
Two Youth Group Leaders share responsibility for engaging the parish's young people, and a Music Director coordinates liturgical music across the parish's worship sites.
- Youth Group — co-led by Ben Strong and Luke Quaranta
- Music Ministry — directed by Pam Schaefer
Becoming a Parishioner
The parish actively invites new members and provides a downloadable registration form on its website. Prospective parishioners are welcomed to contact the pastor, the Durand office manager, or the St. Joseph (Gaines) secretary by phone or email; completed forms may be dropped off at the parish office, placed in the collection basket, or mailed to the Durand campus.
- Registration form available as PDF on stmarystjoseph.org
- Contact Father Arockiyasamy Santhiyagu for information on joining
- Forms accepted at the parish office, in the collection basket, or by mail to 700 Columbia Drive, Durand, MI 48429
Contact & Office Hours
Two parish offices serve the community: a main Durand office and a Gaines office at the oratory. Phone, email, and posted office hours are published on the parish website so visitors know when and how to reach staff.
- Durand Office (main): 1-855-288-6704 — Mon/Wed/Fri 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
- Gaines Office: 989-271-8434 — Tue 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM; Wed/Thu 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
- Durand email: [email protected]
- Gaines email: [email protected]
- Pastor email: [email protected]
Homilies & Online Media
The parish has shifted from livestreaming Masses to recording homilies as audio files, which it archives on its website for parishioners who cannot attend in person.
- Archived audio homilies posted on stmarystjoseph.org
- Parish bulletins available online
- Mobile app available (link from the homepage)