Hemlock, MI

St. Mary Church

St. Mary church and the property in Hemlock is designated as the “main” location for parish worship and business. It is in Hemlock that one finds the parish offices and education and faith formation classrooms (located in the building behind the church).

The main parish church in Hemlock, named St. Mary’s church, is the location for all sacraments of initiation to take place. Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion all take place here. It is not a building that one joins at baptism, but the community of the faithful, therefore, the appropriate place for these sacraments is the main parish church.

A little about St. Mary’s church: The church name honors Mary, the Mother of God whose feast day is January 1. Prior to 1880, St. Andrew church in Saginaw and St. Brigid church in Midland were the closest places of Catholic worship for residents of western Saginaw County.  In 1880, several families living in Hemlock erected a small chapel on the corner of Pine Street and Gratiot Road. A new church was built in 1959, and the first Mass in the new church was celebrated on May 8, 1960. The original 900-pound bronze bell from 1900 is still located in the bell tower.