I pass by this old church near US-23 often and one day I decided to take the backroads instead of the expressway. I came upon this beautiful old church north of Ann Arbor and standing next to it was a historical marker that reads:
Catholicism in Northfield Township dates from the early nineteenth century. In 1829 Father Patrick O’Kelly, a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, was sent to the area to minister to the Irish Catholics who were settling in southwestern Michigan. The first parish church, a log structure, was completed on this site in 1831. Originally named St. Brigid, this is the oldest English-speaking Catholic parish in the state. The present Gothic Revival style church was completed and dedicated in 1878. The parish was renamed St. Patrick’s at that time. The rectory was completed in 1890. In 1917 the church and rectory were badly damaged by a cyclone; however, both were rebuilt in subsequent years. Serving the area for 150 years, the parish continues to reach out to the needs of the surrounding community.
Thank you to everyone who came out to see me yesterday in North Muskegon. It was a lot of fun and nice of the Walker Memorial Library to invite me.
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