The Irish Catholic Faith in Hubbardston

Faith as Foundation

To understand Hubbardston, Michigan, you must understand its Catholic faith. From the moment the first Irish settlers arrived in 1849, Catholicism was not merely the community's religion — it was its organizing principle, its social glue, and the institution around which every aspect of village life revolved. Other communities were built around a mill, a crossroads, or a railway stop. Hubbardston was built around a church.

This was not accidental. The Irish who settled Hubbardston came from a country where the Catholic faith had been persecuted for centuries. Under British penal laws, Catholic worship was restricted, Catholic education was forbidden, and Catholic land ownership was severely limited. The faith survived through stubbornness, secrecy, and deep devotion — qualities the immigrants carried to Michigan.

The Sheep-Shed Church

The earliest Catholic worship in Hubbardston took place in the most humble of settings. John Cowman, the first Irish settler, converted his sheep-shed into a makeshift church where the scattered Catholic families could gather for prayer and, when a priest was available, for Mass.

There was no resident priest in the early years. The nearest Catholic clergy were based in more established communities, and Hubbardston's location in the Michigan interior meant that priestly visits were infrequent and unpredictable. Father Goditz was among the priests who made the journey to serve the Hubbardston Catholics, traveling rough frontier roads to celebrate Mass, hear confessions, baptize children, and perform marriages.

These visits were major events. Families would travel miles on foot or by wagon to attend, and the priest's arrival often meant a full schedule of sacraments — baptisms, marriages, and anointing of the sick that had been waiting for weeks or months.

Building the Parish

The organization of a formal parish was the community's highest priority. A parish meant a church building, a resident priest, regular sacraments, and — critically — recognition by the Catholic diocese as an established community of faith.

The key milestones in the parish's early development:

• 1849 — John Cowman's sheep-shed serves as the first place of worship
• 1851 — By this point, seven Irish families have settled, creating a viable congregation
• 1857 — The first St. John the Baptist Church is built on Cowman's land on Section 11
• Cemetery established — Cowman's hilltop meadow is consecrated as the first Catholic burial ground
• Original trustees — men like Hogan, Cahalan, and Connell/O'Connell served as the parish's first lay leaders, managing finances and land

The church was named St. John the Baptist, a patron saint with deep resonance in Catholic tradition — the voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way. For a community carved from the Michigan forest, the name was fitting.

The Church as Social Center

In Hubbardston, the Catholic church was never just a place of Sunday worship. It was the social center of the entire community — the one institution that touched every family and every generation.

The parish organized and supported:

• Religious education — teaching catechism to children and preparing them for First Communion and Confirmation
• Social gatherings — parish suppers, fundraising events, and holiday celebrations brought the community together
• Mutual aid — the parish coordinated help for families in need, whether through illness, crop failure, or bereavement
• Marriage — virtually all marriages in early Hubbardston were Catholic ceremonies, reinforcing the community's religious cohesion
• Burial — the parish cemetery was the final gathering place, where generations of families rest side by side

The parish school, which operated from 1917 to 1965, extended the church's influence into daily education, ensuring that children grew up immersed in Catholic teaching alongside their academic studies.

The Sacramental Life

For Hubbardston's Irish Catholics, the sacraments were the framework of life:

Baptism — performed as soon as possible after birth, welcoming the child into the faith community. Godparents were chosen from within the parish, strengthening bonds between families.

First Communion and Confirmation — rites of passage that marked a child's growing participation in the faith.

Marriage — always celebrated in the church, and almost always between two Catholic families. The endogamous marriage pattern of early Hubbardston was as much about faith as it was about ethnicity.

Anointing of the Sick and Last Rites — the priest's visit to a dying parishioner was a solemn community event, and burial in consecrated ground was a non-negotiable expectation.

Regular Confession and Mass — the weekly rhythm of Catholic practice structured time itself in Hubbardston.

Faith Today

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church remains an active parish in the Diocese of Lansing, still holding regular Masses and serving as the spiritual home of the Hubbardston community. The current church building — listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 — stands as a physical monument to nearly two centuries of Catholic faith in this small Michigan village.

The congregation is smaller than it once was, reflecting the village's modest population. But the church continues to anchor community life, host events, and maintain the traditions that have defined Hubbardston since John Cowman opened his sheep-shed doors to his fellow Catholics in 1849.

In Hubbardston, faith was never separate from community. They were the same thing — and, in many ways, they still are.