St. Mary Church

Father Andrew D. Piret, a priest serving the Mackinac Island mission, celebrated the first mass of the St. Mary’s congregation in the home of Charles Bellant in 1852. Four years later, the parish built a temporary chapel on Peter McDonald’s farm on the Cheboygan River. In 1862 the parish’s first confirmation was conducted by Bishop Frederic Baraga. Visiting priests and bishops served the parish until 1868, when father Charles DeCeuninck became its first resident priest. In 1870 the parish completed its present church building. In 1895 the French-speaking members of the parish established St. Charles Parish, and the Polish-speaking members founded St. Lawrence Parish.