About St. Paul Parish - St. Martin de Porres · Perrinton, Michigan
St. Martin de Porres Church is a mission church of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, located at 4010 W. Cleveland Road in the small Gratiot County village of Perrinton, Michigan. Together with the mother church of St. Paul the Apostle in nearby Ithaca, the two sites form one Roman Catholic parish serving Mid-Michigan under the Diocese of Saginaw. Sunday and Friday Masses are celebrated at the Perrinton mission, and the parish also supports faith formation (Sunday School), a full slate of liturgical ministries, and outreach to local families. The mission is named for St. Martin de Porres, the Dominican lay brother canonized in Rome in 1962.
- Established
- 1962
- Patron
- St. Martin de Porres
- Rector
- Rev. Edwin C. Dwyer
- Diocese
- Diocese of Saginaw
Why belong here
St. Martin de Porres offers a small, intimate Catholic community in rural Perrinton, with Sunday and weekly Friday Mass, a full sacraments program, faith formation (Sunday School) for young parishioners, and a welcoming roster of lay ministries — lectors, altar servers, sacristans, greeters, and ushers — that invite every member to participate. As part of St. Paul the Apostle Parish in neighboring Ithaca, mission members also benefit from weekday Masses, Thursday adoration, regular confession, and pastoral care from Fr. Edwin C. Dwyer and the parish staff.
Mass times at St. Paul Parish - St. Martin de Porres
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Confessions are heard one hour before every Mass (parish-wide schedule applies to St. Martin de Porres)
Adoration times
- Thursday Adoration is held at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Ithaca, 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. (following the 10:00 a.m. Mass)
St. Paul the Apostle Parish — Two Churches, One Family
St. Paul the Apostle Parish is a single Roman Catholic parish in Gratiot County, Mid-Michigan, made up of two worship sites: St. Paul the Apostle Church in Ithaca (121 N. Union St.) and St. Martin de Porres Church in Perrinton (4010 W. Cleveland Rd.). Together, the parish serves Catholic families across the rural southwest corner of the Diocese of Saginaw, with shared clergy, staff, faith formation, and ministries.
- St. Paul the Apostle Church — 121 N. Union St., Ithaca, MI 48847
- St. Martin de Porres Church — 4010 W. Cleveland Rd., Perrinton, MI 48871
- Diocese of Saginaw, Vicariate 5
- Pastoral care provided by Rev. Edwin C. Dwyer
History of St. Martin de Porres Mission
Founded in 1962 by Fr. Charles Ganley at the request of Bishop Stephen Woznicki, the mission began life as a 'Store Front Church' in a rented building on Main Street in Middleton. After a successful parish letter-writing campaign raised nearly all the construction funds, a three-acre site at the corner of M-57 and Luce Road was purchased in 1963 and a $67,000 church was raised by the community in January 1964. The first Mass in the new church was celebrated on March 15, 1964, and the mission celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012.
- March 1962 — Bishop Woznicki commissions Fr. Charles Ganley to start a mission in the southwest of the diocese
- June 10, 1962 — First Mass (Pentecost Sunday) in the Middleton storefront; ~200 in attendance; blessing from Pope John XXIII
- 1963 — Three-acre parcel purchased at M-57 and Luce Road
- July 14, 1963 — Formal groundbreaking
- Week of January 12, 1964 — Church building 'raised' by the community
- March 15, 1964 — First Mass in the new church
- 2012 — 50th anniversary celebrated
Clergy and Parish Staff
St. Martin de Porres is shepherded by the pastor and staff of St. Paul the Apostle Parish. Fr. Edwin C. Dwyer has served as pastor since July 2020, supported by an Office Administrator, Bookkeeper, and Music Director.
- Rev. Edwin C. Dwyer — Pastor ([email protected])
- Kristin Benitez — Office Administrator ([email protected])
- Ellen Mills — Bookkeeper ([email protected])
- Renu Maslovich — Music Director ([email protected])
Liturgical Ministries
The parish invites parishioners to serve in lay liturgical ministries that sustain Sunday and weekday Masses at both churches. Each ministry offers initial training and a one-year renewable commitment, typically serving one to two times per month.
- Altar Servers — carry cross and candles, handle vessels, hold ceremonial books (ages 8+ who have received First Communion)
- Lectors — proclaim the Word of God (fully initiated parishioners, age 13+)
- Sacristans — prepare vessels, altar linens, and ministers for Mass (age 16+)
- Ushers — greet, seat, assist the disabled, and gather the collection
- Greeters — welcome all who come to Mass with a handshake and smile
- Service & Outreach — broader parish charitable work
Faith Formation (Sunday School)
Religious education at St. Paul the Apostle Parish is more than classroom instruction — its goal is to facilitate growth in faith that encourages Catholics of every age to live out the Gospel and become better disciples of Jesus Christ. The program serves both St. Paul the Apostle and St. Martin de Porres parishioners.
- Religious Education for children and youth
- Faith formation for adult parishioners
- Discipleship rooted in the Gospels
The Seven Sacraments
The parish website provides catechetical reflections on each of the seven sacraments and invites parishioners to contact the parish office to begin preparation. The Anointing of the Sick is available in emergencies by calling the parish office.
- Baptism — entry into the People of God and the Church
- Reconciliation (Confession) — regular confession encouraged (St. Padre Pio urged more than twice a year)
- Confirmation — completion of baptismal grace
- Eucharist (Holy Communion) — intimate union with Christ
- Anointing of the Sick — for the ill or elderly; available in emergencies
- Matrimony — covenant union celebrated within the Eucharistic Liturgy
- Holy Orders — discernment for priesthood or permanent diaconate
Getting Involved at St. Martin de Porres
Parishioners are encouraged to 'find where they belong' through liturgical service, faith formation, and ongoing outreach. Those interested in helping with the cleaning of linens and liturgical setup at St. Martin de Porres are asked to contact Sue Bates or Fr. Dwyer.
- Sign up for a liturgical ministry (altar server, lector, sacristan, usher, greeter)
- Volunteer for cleaning and setup of St. Martin de Porres
- Enroll children in Sunday School / Faith Formation
- Contact the parish office to begin a sacrament
Contact and Visit
St. Martin de Porres Church is located at 4010 W. Cleveland Rd., Perrinton, MI 48871. The parish office (in Ithaca) is open Tuesday through Friday afternoon hours, and messages may also be sent through the website's contact form. Pastor Fr. Edwin C. Dwyer can be reached directly at [email protected].
- St. Martin de Porres Church — 4010 W. Cleveland Rd., Perrinton, MI 48871
- Phone — (989) 875-2852
- Pastor email — [email protected]
- Office hours — Tue 2–7 p.m.; Wed 1–6 p.m.; Thu & Fri 10 a.m.–3 p.m. (closed Monday)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Paul FosterJune 1952 – September 1952
Early pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, under whose care the Perrinton mission was later begun.
- Fr. Charles GanleyMay 1957 – June 1966
Founded the St. Martin de Porres mission in 1962, raised funds by letter campaign, broke ground in 1963, and celebrated the first Mass in the new church on March 15, 1964.
- Fr. Donald EppenbrockJune 1966 – July 1970
- Fr. Joseph FriskeOctober 1970 – January 1976
- Fr. John HoogterpMarch 1965 – July 1983
- Fr. Max FregoJuly 1983 – July 1992
- Fr. Harry SikorskiJune 1992 – June 1994
- Fr. John EdererAugust 1994 – October 1998
- Fr. Julius SpleetOctober 1998 – January 2014
- Fr. Andrzej BorochJanuary 2014 – July 2020
- Rev. Edwin C. DwyerJuly 2020 – Current
Current pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Parish, which includes St. Martin de Porres.