MIDLAND — St. Brigid Catholic Church will host a dedication ceremony on Saturday, Aug. 15, honoring Jesuit missionary Fr. Henri Nouvel and commemorating the 350th anniversary of the first Christmas Catholic Mass celebrated in the interior of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
The newly installed plaque, located between the Tridge and the former Farmers Market Circle in Midland, recognizes the historic Mass celebrated by Fr. Nouvel on Dec. 25, 1675. The French Jesuit missionary traveled throughout the Great Lakes region bringing the Catholic faith to Indigenous communities and early settlers.
The dedication ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. at the Tridge. It will follow a 10 a.m. Mass at St. Brigid Catholic Church celebrating the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The community is invited to attend both the Mass and plaque dedication as Midland remembers this significant moment in the history of the Catholic Church in Michigan.