About St. Mary of the Woods Chapel · Twin Lake, Michigan
St. Mary of the Woods Chapel is a small Catholic mission chapel located in the woods near Fox Lake in the village of Lakewood Club (Twin Lake address), Michigan. It is a worship site of Prince of Peace Parish in North Muskegon, sharing one pastor — Fr. Godfrey C. Onyekwere — and one combined parish office, staff, and ministry program. The chapel is best known for its stone interior and a prayer garden featuring the Stations of the Cross, and it hosts one Sunday Mass each weekend at 8:30 a.m. for the lakeside Catholic community.
- Patron
- St. Mary of the Woods (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title Our Lady of the Woods)
- Rector
- Rev. Godfrey C. Onyekwere
- Diocese
- Diocese of Grand Rapids
Why belong here
St. Mary of the Woods Chapel offers a uniquely peaceful setting for Sunday worship — a small stone chapel tucked in the woods near Fox Lake, with a beautiful Stations of the Cross garden for prayer. Because it is now part of Prince of Peace Parish, parishioners get the best of both worlds: an intimate lakeside Sunday Mass at 8:30 a.m., plus full access to daily Mass, faith formation for children and youth, music ministry, the St. Mary of the Woods Baby Pantry outreach, and a Haiti sister-parish relationship — all under one pastor and one welcoming Muskegon County Catholic community.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Woods Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (at Prince of Peace)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. (Adoration following the 8:00 a.m. Mass at Prince of Peace)
About St. Mary of the Woods Chapel
St. Mary of the Woods is a small Catholic chapel set in the woods near Fox Lake in the village of Lakewood Club (mailing address: Twin Lake), Michigan. Now a mission chapel of Prince of Peace Parish in North Muskegon, the community keeps the chapel's name alive for Sunday worship and the well-known Baby Pantry outreach ministry. Parishioners describe it as a peaceful, prayerful setting with a beautiful stone interior and a Stations of the Cross garden.
- Worship site of Prince of Peace Parish, Diocese of Grand Rapids
- Sunday Mass on-site only — 8:30 a.m.
- Address: 150 Church St., Twin Lake (Lakewood Club), MI 49457
- Stone interior chapel with outdoor Stations of the Cross prayer garden
History & Diocesan Background
St. Mary of the Woods served northern Muskegon County as a small parish before being merged into Prince of Peace Parish as part of the Diocese of Grand Rapids' 2012 'Our Faith, Our Future' pastoral plan. Prince of Peace itself, originally established in 1975, was reestablished the same year to receive the merger; the diocese formally recorded the merger of St. Mary of the Woods with Prince of Peace in November 2018, after which St. Mary of the Woods continued as a chapel with one weekend Mass.
- Prince of Peace Parish established 1975
- Reestablished 2012 under diocesan pastoral plan
- St. Mary of the Woods formally merged Nov. 6, 2018
- Diocese of Grand Rapids, West Deanery, Muskegon County
Mass & Service Schedule
Only one weekly Mass is celebrated on-site at St. Mary of the Woods (Sunday 8:30 a.m.); all other Masses, daily liturgies, confession, and adoration are celebrated at Prince of Peace in North Muskegon. The 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass and all weekday Masses are also broadcast live on Zoom, allowing homebound parishioners and the wider Twin Lake community to participate virtually.
- Saturday Vigil — 5:00 p.m. (Prince of Peace)
- Sunday — 8:30 a.m. (St. Mary of the Woods) and 10:30 a.m. (Prince of Peace, Zoom)
- Tue–Fri — 8:00 a.m. (Prince of Peace)
- Confession — Sat 4:00–4:45 p.m. (Prince of Peace)
- Adoration — Wed 8:30–9:30 a.m. (Prince of Peace)
Parish Staff & Clergy
Prince of Peace and St. Mary of the Woods share one pastor and one combined parish staff, based at 1110 Dykstra Rd., N. Muskegon.
- Rev. Godfrey C. Onyekwere — Pastor (ordained June 7, 2003; also Bishop's Delegate for the Office of Black Catholic Ministry)
- Rev. Mr. Greg Anderson — Deacon and Business Manager
- Rev. Mr. James J. Schiltz — Deacon
- Shane Arkels — Director of Music / Organist
- Theresa Andary — Coordinator of Youth Ministry
- Holly Champoux — Coordinator of Children's Ministry
- Lena Castañeda — Administrative Assistant
St. Mary of the Woods Baby Pantry
One of the chapel's signature ministries, the St. Mary of the Woods Baby Pantry serves mothers, fathers, and caregivers in need in the Twin Lake area. Located at 6543 Central Rd., Twin Lake, the pantry is open Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and offers infant and toddler clothing (newborn to 7 years) along with diapers, wipes, blankets, bottles, lotion, bibs, burp cloths, shoes, books, and other baby supplies. Donations are accepted during pantry hours.
- Open Thursdays 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- 6543 Central Rd., Twin Lake, MI 49457
- Clothing newborn to 7 years; diapers, wipes, blankets, bottles, books, more
- Clients may shop every 2 weeks with required ID and child birthdates
- Contacts: Nancy (231-740-4230), Mary Kay (231-740-1758)
Christian Outreach & Social Ministry
Outreach is central to the combined parish's identity, supporting both the local Muskegon County community and a sister parish in Haiti. The Christian Outreach committee meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. for about an hour and helps coordinate all outreach efforts.
- Haiti Outreach — twinning relationship with St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church, Jean Rabel, Haiti
- Senior Outreach — 55+ senior breakfasts (Oct–May) and parties at Northcrest/Robbinswood Living Centre
- Respect Life — promotes the culture of life Sept–May
- Bereavement Ministry — funeral presence and prayer support for grieving families
- Funeral Luncheons — meal provided after funeral Masses when requested
- Catholic Charities & Northside Churches food truck support
Worship, Music & Faith Formation
Liturgical life at Prince of Peace and St. Mary of the Woods is supported by an active Music Ministry (choirs, handbells, and instrumentalists) and a dedicated Usher Ministry (members 14 and older who welcome worshippers, hand out worship aids, take up the collection, and distribute bulletins). Worship ministries include liturgy planning and altar-server training.
- Music Ministry — choir, bell choir, instrumentalists (Director: Shane Arkels)
- Ushers (Coordinator: Mike Robillard, 231-744-9302)
- Children's Ministry (Coordinator: Holly Champoux)
- Youth Ministry (Coordinator: Theresa Andary)
- Liturgy Planning & Altar Server training
Visiting, Accessibility & Contact
Visitors and new parishioners are warmly welcomed. The chapel church and parish hall are both handicapped accessible. All administrative correspondence, registrations, and offers of service should be directed to the Prince of Peace parish office in North Muskegon — mail is not accepted at the chapel address. The combined parish offers a downloadable Parish Registration Form on its 'About Us' page for those wishing to officially join.
- Chapel address: 150 Church St., Twin Lake (Lakewood Club), MI 49457 (no mail accepted)
- Parish office / mailing: 1110 Dykstra Rd., Muskegon, MI 49445
- Phone: (231) 744-3321 | Fax: (231) 744-4859
- Email: [email protected]
- Handicapped accessible (church and hall)
- Parish Registration Form available for download on princeofpeacenm.org