About St. Raphael of Copemish Catholic Church · Copemish, Michigan
St. Raphael of Copemish Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish located at 18440 Cadillac Highway in Copemish, Michigan, in the Diocese of Gaylord. According to GCatholic, the parish traces its history to 1883, making it one of the older Catholic communities in northern Lower Michigan. The parish has long shared ministry with neighboring St. Joseph of Onekama, alternating its Saturday Vigil Mass and confessions weekly between the two churches, and has recently been yoked pastorally with Holy Rosary in Cedar under Pastor Rev. Bradley Nursey. Under the Diocese of Gaylord's Pastoral Plan 2026, effective July 1, 2026, St. Raphael ceased regular weekly Sunday and daily Masses and was designated a limited-use church united under the care of St. Ann in Frankfort; the building remains available for baptisms, weddings, and funerals.
- Established
- 1883
- Patron
- St. Raphael the Archangel
- Rector
- Rev. Bradley Nursey
- Diocese
- Diocese of Gaylord
Why belong here
St. Raphael of Copemish is a welcoming small parish where Catholic families in Manistee County have worshipped for well over a century. The parish shares a close ministry partnership with St. Joseph of Onekama — Saturday Vigil Mass and confessions alternate weekly between the two — and offers weekday Mass on Thursday evening and Friday morning, Eucharistic Adoration after Friday Mass and on Thursday afternoons, and a full confession schedule before each liturgy. Faith Formation for children is led by Tracy Daberkoe, and the parish actively recruits lectors, altar servers, and extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, showing real opportunity for parishioners to step into liturgical service. Through the Stewardship of Time & Talent program, members are invited to share their gifts and grow together as a faith community.
Mass times at St. Raphael of Copemish Catholic Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:00 AM
- Thursday 4:20 PM
- Friday 8:00 AM
- Saturday 3:15 PM (alternates weekly with St. Joseph of Onekama — check parish calendar)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Thursday 4:15 PM
- Friday approximately 9:20 AM (following 8:30 AM Mass)
Welcome & Parish Identity
St. Raphael of Copemish Catholic Church sits at 18440 Cadillac Highway in Copemish, Michigan, in the northwestern Lower Peninsula. The parish has served Manistee County Catholics since 1883 (per GCatholic) and shares its sacramental life with neighboring St. Joseph of Onekama and Holy Rosary in Cedar under Pastor Rev. Bradley Nursey. The parish office mailing address is 8380 Fifth St, #150, Onekama, MI 49675; the office is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM.
- Location: 18440 Cadillac Hwy, Copemish, MI 49625
- Mailing: 8380 Fifth St, #150, Onekama, MI 49675
- Phone: 231.889.4254
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Tuesday–Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Pastoral Plan 2026 & Limited-Use Status
Effective July 1, 2026, the Diocese of Gaylord's Pastoral Plan 2026 designates St. Raphael of Copemish as a limited-use church. The parish no longer celebrates weekly Sunday or daily Masses; the building remains available for baptisms, weddings, and funerals. The parish has been united by decree of Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh to St. Ann Parish in Frankfort, with all administrative inquiries directed to St. Ann.
- Diocesan Pastoral Plan 2026 — church becomes limited-use effective July 1, 2026
- Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh issued the decree of extinctive union June 1, 2026
- Just cause cited: insufficient clergy availability, leadership instability, geographic proximity, overlap of pastoral activity
- St. Ann, Frankfort, is the receiving parish; temporal goods and obligations pass to St. Ann
- Spiritual Resources page links to daily prayer, livestream adoration and Mass, and reflections
Pastoral Staff
The parish staff is small and reflects its rural-community character, with a pastor, secretary, faith-formation director, and maintenance coordinator. The parish is also actively recruiting liturgical ministers and an organist to serve both St. Raphael and St. Joseph of Onekama.
- Pastor: Rev. Bradley Nursey
- Secretary: Nan Kamaloski
- Faith Formation: Tracy Daberkoe
- Maintenance: David Louwers
- Organist position open (Diocese of Gaylord posting, serving St. Raphael and St. Joseph of Onekama)
Liturgical Ministries & Stewardship
The parish website carries a public appeal for lectors, altar servers, and commissioned Ministers of Holy Communion, inviting parishioners to share the dates and times they are willing to serve. Its Stewardship of Ministry: Time & Talent page frames this as a response to a personal call from Jesus, listing the many parish opportunities for sharing time and gifts.
- Lectors needed
- Altar Servers needed
- Commissioned Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion needed
- Stewardship of Ministry: Time & Talent program
Faith Formation
Faith Formation for parish children and families is coordinated by Tracy Daberkoe. The parish website lists Faith Formation under the pastoral staff and references online spiritual resources for daily prayer, live-streamed adoration and Mass, reflections, and other formation materials.
- Director: Tracy Daberkoe
- Spiritual Resources page: daily prayer, livestream adoration and Mass, reflections
Shared Ministry with St. Joseph of Onekama
St. Raphael of Copemish shares pastoral resources with St. Joseph of Onekama in alternating-weekend scheduling and combined staffing. The Saturday Vigil Mass and Saturday confessions alternate weekly between the two parishes, and the parishes jointly posted for an organist to lead weekend Masses at both locations.
- Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM — alternates weekly between the two parishes
- Saturday Confessions at 3:15 PM — alternates weekly between the two parishes
- Combined staffing for organist and liturgical ministers
Diocese of Gaylord
St. Raphael is a parish of the Diocese of Gaylord, whose current ordinary is Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh. The Diocese maintains a parish directory entry for St. Raphael-Copemish and oversaw the 2026 Pastoral Plan under which the parish has been united to St. Ann in Frankfort. Earlier diocesan appointment records note that Pastor Rev. Bradley Nursey was previously Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary, Cedar before religious-life discernment at the Charterhouse of the Transfiguration in Arlington, Vermont, and that he is a 2015 alumnus of The Rome Experience priestly formation program.
- Diocese of Gaylord
- Bishop Jeffrey J. Walsh
- Parish directory: dioceseofgaylord.org/parish/st-raphael-copemish
- 2026 Pastoral Plan and extinctive-union decree (PDF on diocesan site)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Bradley Nursey
Current pastor; also listed as Pastor of Holy Rosary, Cedar and serving St. Raphael of Copemish and St. Joseph of Onekama. Diocese of Gaylord, Rome Experience Class of 2015; previously Parochial Vicar of Holy Rosary, Cedar; in summer 2020 released for religious-life discernment at the Charterhouse of the Transfiguration Carthusian Monastery, Arlington, Vermont.