St. Anthony's Catholic Church

The origins of Catholicism in Hillsdale County date to the 1840s when Irishmen who worked for the Southern Railroad settled here. In 1853 the Reverend Joseph Kindekens of Adrian and eighty-five people organized St. Anthony’s parish. The former Presbyterian church, which was located on this site, became the first house of worship. In 1858 the Reverend Charles Ryckaert became the first pastor and built a rectory. After the Reverend Peter Slane arrived in 1878, the old church was razed to make way for the present one. On June 15, 1884, Bishop Casper Borgess dedicated this spired Gothic Revival church. St. Anthony’s Church remains the only Catholic parish in Hillsdale County.