Anniversaries for 2026

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The origins of St. Anthony of Padua church in Auburn can be traced back to 50 Polish Catholic families, arriving in the area in 1895.
In 1901, the first church for St. Anthony was dedicated by Fr. Edward Kozlowski, the same priest who quelled tense relations between St. Stan’s clergy and parishioners in Bay City.
In 1907, after the completing the parish rectory, Fr. Joseph Kaminski became the first resident pastor for St. Anthony church.
Auburn Area Catholic School was formed in the early 1970s, where grades K-3 met at St. Anthony parish, while grades 4-8 met at St. Joseph parish.
In 2003, the parish was merged with St. Joseph (Auburn), and were “officially one” in 2013, during the diocesan-wide mergers, becoming St. Gabriel parish.

On October 15, 1951, Bishop Stephen Woznicki directed Fr. Camillus F. Klos to organize new parish in Midland, located on property already owned by the diocese at the corner of East Ashman Street and Swede Road.
The first Mass was celebrated at the Northeast Intermediate School on November 18, 1951, amid several hundred worshippers.
Fr. John Sarge’s family, while he was still a young boy, helped organize the parish, with his mother taking charge of the organ and the choir.
On March 7, 1952, a decree was issued by Bishop Stephen Woznicki to canonically establish Blessed Sacrament parish and its boundaries. On the same day, Fr. Klos was appointed the first resident pastor to the parish.
Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on Easter Sunday, April 18, 1954, with many attendees, including representatives of the Midland Board of Education, Dr. Ernest Britton, and the mayor of Midland, Nolan Poffenberger. The church and school construction ended, and the first Mass was celebrated on Sunday, April 24, 1955.
Shortly after Labor Day in the same year, the school opened with Sr. Mary Walter of the Bernardine Sisters as the first principal. Bishop Woznicki blessed the church and school buildings on October 16, 1955.