About St. Rita · Clarklake, Michigan
St. Rita Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Lansing located in Clarklake, Michigan, a small lakeside community near Jackson. The parish began as a summer mission in 1916 and served the surrounding Catholic families for 66 years before being canonically established as a parish on May 16, 1982. Today St. Rita is an active Catholic community that welcomes all God's children for worship and service, offering daily and weekend Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a wide array of liturgical, service, and faith-formation ministries.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- St. Rita of Cascia
- Rector
- Fr. Bosco Padamattummal (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lansing
Why belong here
St. Rita is a small but active Catholic community in the Clarklake area with a deep sense of place and a real range of ways to get involved. The parish offers daily Mass Tuesday through Friday, a Saturday Vigil and two Sunday Masses, regular Eucharested Adoration, a robust Reconciliation schedule, a faith-formation program for children and adults, and dozens of ministries from Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Walking with Purpose, Theology on Tap, and a Rosary group. With over a century of history as a mission-turned-parish and a welcoming parish mission statement, it is a place where families can put down roots, serve, and grow in faith together.
Mass times at St. Rita
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
- Sunday: 8:15 AM – 8:45 AM
- Sunday: 10:15 AM – 10:45 AM
- Other times by appointment — call Fr. Bosco at 517-592-5470
Adoration times
- Friday: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Parish Overview
St. Rita Catholic Church is a parish of the Diocese of Lansing in the small lakeside community of Clarklake, Michigan, near Jackson. The parish identifies itself as an 'active Catholic community that welcomes all God's children for worship and service,' dedicated to living and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Its mission and vision statements emphasize confidence in faith, comfort in sharing it, dynamic celebration, and generosity born of it.
- Parish Mission: 'St Rita is an Active Catholic community that welcomes all God's children for worship and service. We are dedicated to living and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ now and in ways not yet imagined.'
- Parish Vision: 'We strive to be confident in our faith, comfortable in sharing that faith, dynamic in celebrating it and generous because of it.'
- Diocese: Lansing
- Rite: Roman (Latin)
History
St. Rita's history is told in detail on the parish's About page and stretches from a 1916 summer mission on Clark Lake to a thriving parish more than a century later. The story involves donated land, a chapel hauled in sections from Manchester, a 1937 reassignment to the newly created Diocese of Lansing, a 1967 new church, additions creating a 'seashell-shaped' worship space in 1986, and a 1982 canonical establishment as a parish after 66 years as a mission.
- 1916 — St. Rita Mission founded by Fr. Edwin Fisher of St. Mary's, Manchester; land donated by Mr. and Mrs. Graziani.
- 1937 — Pastoral care transferred to the new Diocese of Lansing under Msgr. Eugene Cullimane at St. Mary, Star of Sea, Jackson.
- 1955 — Mission assigned to the newly established Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Michigan Center.
- 1967 — New church built on 15 acres at Hayes and Jefferson, first Mass Aug. 20, 1967 (capacity 400).
- 1970 — Care entrusted to the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales.
- 1974 — Fr. Andrew Dunne adds the 'Great Pumpkin Room' (40'x80' fellowship hall).
- July 1, 1978 — Fr. James Prentice becomes first full-time resident priest.
- May 16, 1982 — Canonically established as a parish by Bishop Kenneth Povish; Fr. Prentice first pastor.
- July 1986 — Additions create seashell-shaped sanctuary, seating expanded to 820; Cornfield Hall added.
- September 1991 — Fr. Prentice dies; Fr. Lehr Barkenquest becomes second pastor.
- October 3, 1992 — Deacon Louis Weitzel ordained at St. Mary's Cathedral, Lansing.
- July 2013 — Fr. Tom Helfrich, OSFS, installed as third pastor.
- Summer 2024 — Fr. Bosco Padamattummal named acting Parochial Administrator.
Clergy and Staff
The parish is currently led by Fr. Bosco Padamattummal as Parochial Administrator. A dedicated lay staff supports faith formation, evangelization, music, communications, youth ministry, and parish operations. The parish's About page also highlights Deacon Louis Weitzel as a long-standing figure in the community's life.
- Fr. Bosco Padamattummal — Parochial Administrator
- Monica Messerly — (staff role on site)
- BJ Hohnke — (staff role on site)
- Michelle Bolle-Estey — (staff role on site)
- Nancy Carter — (faith formation staff)
- Louanne Alber — Director of Evangelization and Adult Discipleship
- Abby Walraven — Director of Youth Discipleship
- Jeannie Hitchcock — Office Manager
- Aaron Huff — Director of Music
- Deacon Louis Weitzel — ordained 1992; integral part of the parish community
Faith Formation
St. Rita offers a complete faith-formation program for children, youth, and adults, anchored in Religious Education and the OCIA process. Specialized programs such as the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Children's Liturgy of the Word, Growing in Faith Together (GIFT), Theology on Tap, and Walking with Purpose round out the offerings.
- Adult Faith Formation
- Youth Faith Formation
- Religious Education (PSR)
- Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS)
- Children's Liturgy of the Word (CLOW)
- Growing in Faith Together (GIFT)
- Theology on Tap (ToT)
- Walking with Purpose
- Youth Ministry
Sacraments
Information about the Sacraments is published on the parish's Faith Formation pages. Confession times are listed, and the OCIA process is offered for adults seeking Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Other sacramental preparation (Baptism, Marriage, Confirmation) is handled through the parish office.
- Reconciliation / Confession — Saturday 3:00–4:00 PM, Sunday 8:15–8:45 AM and 10:15–10:45 AM, or by appointment (517-592-5470)
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Religious Education for children and youth
- Children's Liturgy of the Word (during Sunday Masses)
- Contact parish office for Baptism, Marriage, and other sacramental preparation
Parish Ministries
The parish organizes its ministries into five categories: Prayer Groups and Faith Formation Opportunities; Service Ministries; Classes and Programs; Liturgical Ministries; and Councils and Committees. This long list reflects a community that expects every parishioner to find a way to serve.
- Prayer Groups: Cursillo, Eucharistic Adoration, Light of Life Intercessory Prayer Group, Rosary Group, Walking with Purpose
- Service: Baby Love, Center for Women and Jackson Right to Life, Garden Angel and Grounds Helpers, Knights of Columbus, Martha Mary and Lazarus, Prayer Shawl Ministry, St. Vincent de Paul, Stephen Ministry
- Classes & Programs: Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Children's Liturgy of the Word, GIFT, OCIA, Quilts from the Heart, Religious Education, Theology on Tap, Yoga, Youth Ministry
- Liturgical: Altar Servers, Altar Society, Choir, EMEs, Lectors, Greeters, Sacristans, Ushers
- Councils & Committees: Building Committee, Finance Committee, Pastoral Council, Welcome Committee
Stewardship and Diocesan Campaign
St. Rita is participating in the Diocese of Lansing's 'Stewardship for Saints and Scholars' campaign. The parish has publicly reported raising $369,425 toward its target, with volunteers reaching out to families and a pledge-card process to invite gifts. The campaign supports diocesan-wide initiatives, and the parish frames each invitation as just that — an invitation, not an expectation.
- Campaign: Stewardship for Saints and Scholars (Diocese of Lansing)
- Parish progress reported: $369,425 raised toward target
- Volunteers contacting families individually
- Pledge cards distributed to parishioners; online giving available through the parish
Contact and Visiting
The parish invites new and returning Catholics to register online and to reach the office by phone, mail, or its website's contact form. Visitors are welcomed to find the parish campus at 10516 Hayes Road, Clarklake, Michigan.
- Address: 10516 Hayes Road, Clarklake, MI 49234
- Phone: 517-592-5470
- Website: stritacatholicparish.com
- Online 'Join the Parish' registration form available
- Diocese of Lansing parish page: dioceseoflansing.org/parish/st-rita-clarklake
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. James Prentice1978–1991
First full-time resident priest at the mission (appointed July 1, 1978); first pastor of the newly canonically established parish from May 16, 1982; died September 1991.
- Fr. Lehr Barkenquest1991–July 2013
Second pastor; came to St. Rita in 1991 to assist Fr. Prentice due to his declining health and was appointed pastor by request of the congregation upon Fr. Prentice's death. Native of Ottawa Lake, MI; raised at St. Anthony's, Temperance; ordained April 1964 at St. Anthony of Padua, Wilmington, DE; spent most of his career teaching before coming to St. Rita.
- Fr. Tom Helfrich, OSFSJuly 7, 2013 – July 2024
Third pastor; ordained 1978; member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales; previously served at St. Mary of Good Counsel, Adrian, and at Siena Heights University. Retired July 2024 and returned to Adrian to assist at Holy Family Parish.
- Fr. Bosco PadamattummalSummer 2024–present
Acting Parochial Administrator, from St. Mary's Manchester; ordained April 29, 1992 in Kerala, India; served 12 years in his home diocese before coming to the U.S. in 2004; became a U.S. citizen in December 2015; previously assisted at St. Thomas Aquinas (East Lansing), St. John (Fenton), St. Francis of Assisi (Ann Arbor), and St. Mary (Manchester).