About St. Mary · Carson City, Michigan
St. Mary Parish (formally St. Mary-Our Lady of Help) is a small Catholic community in Carson City, Michigan, founded in 1896 by Irish Catholic families who had moved north from Hubbardston. The parish is clustered with its sister church, St. John the Baptist in Hubbardston, and the two share one parish office, one pastoral team, and one worship schedule. With roughly 225 registered households today, St. Mary's is served by Pastoral Director Nancy Woodcock under the canonical supervision of Msgr. William H. Duncan, Vicar General of the Diocese of Grand Rapids; weekend Masses are celebrated by retired visiting priests, as the parishes have not had a permanent resident priest in nearly a decade. The parish offers the full sacramental life, K-12 religious education, RCIA, and an annual craft show, and remains a faithful presence in Montcalm County more than 130 years after its first Mass in the Old Rink on Main Street.
- Established
- 1896
- Patron
- St. Mary (Our Lady of Help)
- Rector
- Nancy Woodcock, Pastoral Director (under the canonical supervision of Msgr. William H. Duncan, Vicar General for the Diocese of Grand Rapids). The parishes do not have a permanent resident priest in residence; weekend Masses are celebrated by visiting Sacramental Ministers (retired priests).
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, Michigan (Montcalm County, East Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Mary's is the kind of small parish where the Pastoral Director knows your name and visitors are welcomed into 'our churches and our hearts.' With about 225 registered households, it offers the full sacramental life — weekend Mass, reconciliation on Saturdays, baptism, marriage, and anointing of the sick — together with K-12 religious education on Sundays, an active RCIA process for adults, and community traditions like the Annual Craft Show and Ecumenical Euchre on Tuesdays. As a clustered parish with St. John the Baptist in Hubbardston, St. Mary's brings a tight-knit, multigenerational Catholic community together in the Montcalm County countryside.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM at St. Mary (Carson City)
Parish History
St. Mary-Our Lady of Help Parish was founded in 1896 by Irish Catholic families who had migrated from Hubbardston. The first Mass was offered on February 8, 1896 in the Old Rink on Main Street; the cornerstone of the present church was laid on July 11, 1896 by founding pastor Fr. Kyran J. Whalen, and Christmas Day 1896 saw the first Mass in the new building. Over the next century the parish added a rectory (1898), St. Mary's Academy (1906-1907, under the Sisters of St. Dominic of Grand Rapids), an automatic-Angelus clock tower (1906), a high school (which graduated its first class in 1911 and closed in 1964), a new organ (1948), a convent donated by John Mooney (1950), a Parish Hall (1951), and — after the grade school closed in 1967 — a new classroom and office wing added to the Hall in 2001-2002. Today the parish numbers about 225 registered households.
- First Mass: February 8, 1896 (Old Rink, Main & Second St., Carson City)
- Cornerstone laid: July 11, 1896 by Fr. Kyran J. Whalen
- First Mass in current church: Christmas Day 1896
- St. Mary's Academy founded 1906-1907 (Sisters of St. Dominic, Grand Rapids)
- High school closed 1964; grade school closed June 1967
- Convent sold 2001-2002; classroom/office addition built to Parish Hall
Pastoral Leadership
Today St. Mary's is led by Pastoral Director and Director of Religious Education Nancy Woodcock, who also serves the clustered St. John the Baptist Parish in Hubbardston. She works under the canonical supervision of Msgr. William H. Duncan, Vicar General of the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Because the parishes have not had a permanent priest in residence for nearly a decade, weekend Masses are celebrated by visiting Sacramental Ministers — most of them retired priests.
- Pastoral Director & DRE: Nancy Woodcock
- Canonical Supervisor: Msgr. William H. Duncan, Vicar General, Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Weekend Masses: celebrated by visiting retired priests
Parish Staff
The clustered parishes are supported by a small staff at 404 N. Division Street.
- Lynn Schneider — Parish Secretary
- Connie Ladiski — Bookkeeper
- Nan Miller — Administrative Assistant
- Larry DeVito — Maintenance
- Tom McCrackin — Parish Grounds and Cemetery Sexton (for both parishes)
Mass & Worship Schedule
Weekend Mass alternates between the two clustered parishes: Saturday evening at St. Mary and a Sunday morning Mass at St. John the Baptist in Hubbardston, with a second Sunday Mass back at St. Mary. Weekday Communion Prayer Services are offered at noon on Tuesdays in Hubbardston and Fridays in Carson City. The Saturday 4:00 PM Mass is scheduled to remain at that time until further notice.
- Saturday Mass: 4:00 PM at St. Mary, Carson City
- Sunday Mass: 9:00 AM at St. John the Baptist, Hubbardston
- Sunday Mass: 11:00 AM at St. Mary, Carson City
- Tuesday Prayer Service with Communion: 12:00 PM at St. John the Baptist, Hubbardston
- Friday Prayer Service with Communion: 12:00 PM at St. Mary, Carson City
Religious Education (K-12)
Teaching the children of the parishes about the Catholic faith is a core ministry. Religious Education classes are offered free of charge for Kindergarten through 12th grade students during the school year, with all supplies and food provided. Beginning in September 2023, students meet on Sundays from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, with lunch from 12:00-12:45 PM followed by classroom time. Throughout the year students enjoy outings like ice cream and bowling and serve older members of the parishes.
- Grades: K-12
- Day/Time: Sundays, 12:00 PM-3:00 PM
- Free of charge; supplies and food provided
- Includes service to older parishioners and social outings
RCIA — Becoming Catholic
St. Mary's hosts the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), the ancient, communal process by which non-baptized adults and baptized Christians from other traditions are fully initiated into the Roman Catholic Church through the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation). The parish's RCIA team of sponsors guides, supports, and instructs inquirers through the steps of the process — Pre-Catechumenate, Rite of Initiation, Catechumenate, Rite of Election, the Easter Vigil Sacraments, and Mystagogy — restoring the formation practice of the early Church as restored by the Second Vatican Council.
- Pre-Catechumenate (Period of Inquiry)
- Rite of Initiation / Acceptance
- Catechumenate (formation in doctrine and tradition)
- Rite of Election (call by the bishop)
- Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil
- Mystagogy (post-Easter reflection)
Sacraments
The parish website explains all seven Catholic Sacraments in three groups — Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation), Sacraments of Healing (Penance/Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick), and Sacraments of Vocation (Marriage, Holy Orders) — with links to diocesan-endorsed videos. Practical notes: those needing Anointing of the Sick should contact Nancy at the parish office (989-584-6044); emergencies are handled immediately and otherwise the visiting priest anoints after weekend Mass. Couples getting married may request a specific priest, but assignment depends on each priest's requirements and schedule.
- Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation (Initiation)
- Penance (Reconciliation), Anointing of the Sick (Healing)
- Marriage, Holy Orders (Vocation)
- Anointing of the Sick: call parish office, 989-584-6044
Community Life & Events
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, the parishes sponsor parish-wide social and fundraising events. The Annual Craft Show is a parish tradition, and Ecumenical Euchre is played at the parish on Tuesdays at 12:30 PM. The parish hall is also available to rent for community events.
- Annual Craft Show
- Ecumenical Euchre — Tuesdays 12:30 PM
- Parish Hall rental (contact parish office)
- Online calendar of upcoming events
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Kyran J. Whalen1896-1914
First pastor; laid the cornerstone of the present church on July 11, 1896 and celebrated the first Mass in it on Christmas Day 1896.
- Fr. John J. Sheehan1914-1920
- Fr. P.A. O'Toole1920-1924
- Fr. Leo A. Whalen1942-1953
- Fr. Eugene Fox1953-1954
Administrator (a gap is recorded in the parish history between 1924 and 1942).
- Fr. Ralph Kelly1954-1966
- Fr. C.J. Zawacki1966-1968
- Msgr. Russell W. PassenoJanuary 1969-February 1976
- Fr. Pat CawleyFebruary 1976-July 1976
- Fr. Anthony C. Bourdow1976-1977
- Fr. Paul Johnson1977-1985
- Fr. William J. Reitz1985-2004
The longest-tenured pastor in the modern era; the parish history page ends its formal list with him.