On Dec. 3, 1675, a French missionary priest celebrated the first recorded Catholic Mass in the interior of Michigan’s lower peninsula on Ojibway Island in what is now Saginaw.

On Dec. 3, 2025, students and staff gathered for Mass, just a few miles away from the site of that first Mass, in the school named for him: Nouvel Catholic Central (NCC) High School and Junior High.

Before the Mass commemorating the 350th anniversary of the first Mass, NCC teacher Meredith Adelman read a brief history of their school’s namesake, Father Henri Nouvel, SJ.

“Centuries later, a Catholic school teacher would suggest Father Nouvel’s name for Saginaw’s unified high school. The first priest to serve our area was the inspiration for the school’s name,” Mrs. Adelman said. “It is a great sign of the everlasting nature of the Church that we stand here 350 years later offering the same sacrifice of the Mass.”

In his homily, Father Pete drew connections between Father Nouvel, St. Francis Xavier (whose feast day is also Dec. 3) and the mission of each Catholic, reminding the students that we are all sent out just like these missionaries.

“We are sent every day into our homes, into this school, into our neighborhood, into our communities. You will draw people to the Lord by living kindness, compassion, mercy and joy every day,” he said. “The word ‘Mass’ comes from the [Latin] word ‘misa,’ which means ‘to be sent.’ We gather to be sent every time we celebrate the Eucharist."

Following Mass, the 10th grade honors chemistry students had the opportunity to share a recent project related to Father Nouvel. This project began when teacher Dr. Jennifer Bieszke began working at Nouvel’s high school and junior high campus this fall and was inspired to learn more about Father Nouvel and his mission. Dr. Bieszke previously taught STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at Nouvel Catholic Central Elementary.

While studying physical properties of matter and density, Dr. Bieszke wanted to explore the topic experimentally.

“I just needed a purpose for their experiment, and so I took from the inspiration I gained from learning more about Father Nouvel,” she said.

The students conducted an experiment on four substrates, or materials, to determine which one could be used to sculpt an image of Father Nouvel using a laser.

In this hypothetical sculpture, the density needed to be within a certain range so that a laser would cut but not melt the substance. Using what they learned from their experiment and research of Father Nouvel, students were then asked to choose and explain which of four substances should represent him.

“It was my hope then that they, too, would learn what I learned about Father Nouvel and use this information for a purpose that is more than meeting a parameter but also had to represent the character of the man that their school was named for,” Dr. Bieszke said.

Additionally, some students wrote a dedication and created an image of Father Nouvel for the monument that stands in his honor on Ojibway Island.

“I think the most overwhelming conclusion from this experiment was how most students used the stone substrate to represent Father Nouvel for his strength, faith and establishing a foundation in our community,” she said. “It made me happy that my students found the same inspiration that I had.”

Bishop Gruss unveils new plaque on Ojibway Island

On Dec. 5, Bishop Robert Gruss gathered with chancery staff to unveil and bless a new plaque on Ojibway Island in Saginaw, commemorating the location of the Mass celebrated by Father Henri Nouvel on Dec. 3, 1675.

Bishop Gruss tied the missionary spirit of the 17th-century Jesuit to the Diocese of Saginaw’s current missional values.

“[Father Nouvel and his companions] were ambitious for God and his kingdom. They had unshakable confidence in the lordship of Jesus, and the cross of Jesus was their friend,” he said. “The pages of his journal reveal a man of great courage, with a serenity that nothing could disturb and with a remarkable, unworldly mind.”