St. Mark the Evangelist Parish at 7296 Gale, P.O. Box 131, Goodrich, MI 48438-0131 US - History of Parish
History of Parish
Our Church History The year was 1978. Jimmy Carter was president of the United States, gasoline cost sixty-three cents a gallon, and Mickey Mouse turned fifty. Catholics in Goodrich attended parishes in surrounding communities, having no church of their own...until a group of families approached Bishop Kenneth Povish with the dream of establishing the first Catholic church in their own community. Bishop Povish appointed Fathers Joseph Aubin and Alan Wakefield of St. John in Davison to establish a mission church which began with the first liturgy, celebrated on Sunday August 20, 1978 in the Goodrich Town Hall. The need for a larger worship space was soon evident, therefore the celebration of the liturgy was moved to the Goodrich High School cafetorium. Over the next few months many exciting firsts occurred: On September 24th the parish council was formed. On October 22nd parishioners voted on possible names for their new church and submitted the results to Bishop Povish, who chose "St. Mark the Evangelist". St. Mark the Evangelist became the official name of the new church on November 26th...the first parish to be so named in the history of the Lansing Diocese! St. Mark made Genesee County the first to have the patronage of all four evangelists, with churches already named after Matthew, Luke, and John. Other highlights in St. Mark's early days were: In March 1979 twenty-one students received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in May 1979 fifteen students received First Eucharist and twenty-four received the Sacrament of Confirmation. In 1981 land was purchased on the corner of Gale and Burpee Roads. Ground breaking ceremonies were held on Pentecost Sunday - June 7,1981. The first Mass was celebrated in the newly constructed church on January 31, 1982. There were over 100 families registered at St. Mark at this time.
Sister Joan M. May, CSJ, a Sister of St. Joseph of Nazareth, Michigan, came to St. Mark's as Pastoral Coordinator on June 28, 1989, having been appointed by bishop Povish. With Sister Joan's arrival, St. Mark officially received the staus of "parish"! On December 1, 1989 the home located behind the church was purchased as the parish house, where Sister Joan would reside. On March 1, 1990 the church mortgage was paid off...a cause for celebration! On March 20, 1994 the beautiful, newly constructed parish center was dedicated. As we approach the twenty-fifth anniversary of our founding, our Sacramental life continues to be the center of life at St. Mark. Our "little country church" has seen two of our own young women enter religious life, and many people enter the church through RCIA; we celebrate Baptisms, First Eucharists, Confirmations, Marriages, and our loved ones' entry to eternal life...together as a community. The people of St. Mark's continue to live our mission statement with joy and enthusiasm: "St. Mark the Evangelist Parish is a growing community of faith, which strives to help its members follow Christ's commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you." Truly the SPIRIT IS AMONG US!