St. John Neumann - Spalding, MI - Roman Catholic Churches on Waymarking.com

The founding of St. John Neumann Parish of Spalding and Hermansville is the result of a 1995 merger between two separate parishes, St. Francis Xavier of Spalding and St. Mary’s of Hermansville. The merger has provided a means of uniting the hearts and spirits of two communities.

Founding. Bishop James Garland formally inaugurated the new parish of St. John Neumann July 1, 1995. As part of the diocese’s Fully Alive in ’95 pastoral planning initiative, parishioners from Spalding, Powers, Wilson and Hermansville were presented with four options. The decision to merge all parishioners into one new parish allowed both church complexes to remain in use full time. The parish has one pastor, one parish council, one finance council and a shared religious education program.

Parish Life. Parishioners joined together in a major way in September 1997 when ground was broken for an expansion of the Spalding church. One of the main goals of the $750,000 project was to enlarge the church, making enough room so that the entire parish could gather for special liturgies. The church had not seen major renovations in many years. During construction Mass was held in the parish hall. The project included the addition of a narthex, which increased the worship area by 1,150 square feet. Mass was celebrated for the first time in the newly renovated church on Palm Sunday, April 5, 1998. Bishop James Garland rededicated the structure Aug. 1, 1998.

In 1990, a long-time treasure of the Hermansville church—a solid brass bell weighing 1,500 pounds—was removed from the tower and put on permanent display on the lawn. The bell had been installed at St. Mary’s Church in 1910.

Updates to the Hermansville rectory and the modernization of parish offices at both church buildings were among the renovations made in the 1990s.

Students from the parish’s two sites attend religious education classes together under the direction of a single religious education coordinator. Lay catechists come from both sites to staff the program.

All information above is from the Catholic Diocese of Marquette website.

Type of Church: Church Status of Building: Actively in use for worship Date of organization: 07/01/1995 Date of building construction: 01/01/1903 Diocese: Marquette Address/Location: N16150 Maple St Spalding, MI United States 49896 Relvant Web Site: [Web Link] Dominant Architectural Style: Not listed Associated Shrines, Art, etc.: Not listed Archdiocese: Not listed

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