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| Original St. Francis Xavier Church Building, constructed in 1892 |
No Catholic church existed
in Chester Township until 1892. Catholic residents of the township had to travel by foot, horse or buggy to St. Joseph’s Church, located in
the village
of Wright
in Wright
Township. Early in 1892, nineteen Dutch and German families worked together to establish their
own Catholic parish in the township.
John VanDyke donated four
acres of land on the south side of Gooding Street between 16th and 24th Avenues. By
late spring, Oscar and Will DeVall, along with other men from the group, began building the church. Paul VanDyke willingly donated wood, which he had cut for the construction of his own home. The construction of the church was completed on November 1, 1892. The church
had a seating capacity of 150. Bishop Henry Richter traveled from Grand Rapids to dedicate the church, grounds,
and cemetery on Sunday, November 9, 1892.
In 1892, St. Francis Xavier had a total of 36 families, of whom 23 were of Dutch descent. During this first year, the church had four baptisms, 15 confirmations and first communions, one marriage,
and one death. Services were held every other Sunday, on holydays, and once a
week on weekdays. Catechism classes were taught once a week, with an average
attendance of 30.
The church building was enlarged
in 1916. During the 1930’s a basement was dug, making space for social
activities. In 1959, an enlarged entrance was added, the interior of the church
was redecorated, and classrooms were added in the basement. Tom VanDyke donated
additional land to enlarge the cemetery in 1967.
Until 1913, the new parish
was served by priests from St. Joseph’s parish in Wright. Then, from 1913 to 1934, the parish was served by priests who traveled from Grand Rapids. Between 1934 and 1945, the priest from St. Catherine’s parish in Ravenna served the parish.
In his
annual report, dated February 14, 1893, Rev. John B. Ege, the priest at St. Joseph’s parish in Wright wrote: “In the month
of June, the Rev. G. Graf resigned and left the parish without a resident pastor. In
September Your Lordship appointed me to take charge. During the year 1892, the
new church
of St. Francis Xavier, located at Chester, was built and dedicated.”
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| Rev. Stanislaus Betka, 1st resident priest. |
Father Stanislaus Betka,
St. Catherine’s parish priest, became the first resident pastor in September, 1945.
Because the parish had no rectory, Father Betka lived in a farm house one mile west of the church. Work began on the building of a rectory and it was completed in 1946.
The following priests served
St. Francis Xavier parish:
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Date |
Priest |
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Sep. 1945 |
Rev. Stanislaus L. Betka |
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Apr. 1951 |
Rev. Louis B. LaPres |
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Apr. 1953 |
Rev. Joseph S. Godzisz |
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Jul. 1958 |
Rev. Thaddeus R. Sniegowski |
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Jun. 1965 |
Rev. Joseph C. McKinney (became
Auxiliary Bishop, September 2, 1968) |
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Oct. 1968 |
Rev. James L. Fellows |
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Feb. 1972 |
Rev. Joseph J. Zaskowski |
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Oct. 1977 |
Rev. Michael G. McKenna |
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Jun. 1978 |
Rev. Charles R. Dautremont |
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Oct. 1980 |
Rev. Max J. Ostrowski |
Because of the shortage of
priests, St. Francis Xavier parish no longer had a resident priest after February, 1993, and was again served by the priest
from St. Catherine’s in Ravenna.
Back to Churches
Rev. Dennis W. Morrow, Archivist, Grand Rapids Diocese, 2005
Top Of The County,
compiled by the Bicentennial Heritage Committee, A & A Affiliates, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1976
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