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In 1992, St. Mary's Parish celebrated its 125th anniversary of offering
spiritual guidance to the residents of Pinckney. From its nucleus of early Irish settlers in the "Horse and Buggy" era to the present, the church has survived the challenges of Mother Nature's wrath and major cultural
changes, to prosper as the strong, devoted spiritual community that it is today. The historical roots of St. Mary's existence continue to give us a sure footing on the past and the courage to fact the challenges of the future.
St. Mary's Parish began in 1867. The first place of worship in Pinckney was constructed under the guidance of the Rev. John Van Gennip of Dexter. The brick church had a seating capacity of 400 and was erected on the
property on which the present church exists today.
The land was officially deeded to the parish on December 13, 1869, A rectory was not included in the initial building program and thus the church remained a mission
until 1875 when the Rev. James Herbert was appointed the first pastor. The first rectory was in a home located at 409 Unadilla St. and served only as the congregational office. It was not until 1895 when, under the guidance of
St. Mary's first residential pastor, Rev. Michael J. Comerford, that a rectory was built on the church property.
Furthermore, the original plans for the parish made no provisions for local parish burial grounds. Prior
to January 24, 1881 when the current cemetery site was purchased, parishioners were interned in the old Dexter cemetery located at Dexter Townhall and Quiqley roads.
In 1896, the first Confirmation ceremony of St. Mary's
parish was performed by Bishop John S. Foley. In the years that followed, under the direction of nine different pastors, active parishioners and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, St. Mary's parish expanded in membership and
missions. In 1948, Rev. Albert J. Schmidt arrived to assume the pastoral duties. With a fervent desire to provide a Catholic education system for the parish and an apparent inexhaustible supply of energy, he proceeded to
motivate and involve all parishioners in accomplishing this goal. As a result, the present school site was purchased. On September 14, 1955, the official ground breaking ceremony took place. One year later, on September 6,
1956, the school with an enrollment of 102 children in grades 1 through 6, opened its doors with the Sisters of St. Dominic providing the entire teaching staff. Fr. Schmidt served the parish for nearly 10 years. He was
succeeded by Rev. George P. Horkan in 1958.
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In 1962, disaster descended upon the parish in the form of the wrath of Mother Nature. A
tornado severely damaged the church and the rectory while almost miraculously sparing the school facility. The crisis was immediately addressed by Fr. Horkan, who scheduled temporary
repairs to the rectory and proceeded with plans to replace the ruined church.
Through his tireless efforts, which included personally visiting parish homes to solicit donations
and pledges, on Sunday, January 24, 1965, the new church was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of "THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION". Bishop Alex M. Zaleski
officiated and then offered a Pontifical Mass. Later in the year, on May 25, the founding St. Mary's church building was leveled, thereby erasing an historical landmark that had existed in
the community for almost a century. The repaired rectory remained standing and was utilized as such until the current rectory was added to the church in the latter 1960's. At that time, the
old rectory was converted into a convent and "House of Prayer" which was operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph. Their activities included teaching catechism, sacramental preparation, and Bible study.
Having completed the new church and reconstructed the rectory, Fr. Horkan directed his energies toward erecting a Lady of Lourdes shrine over the site of the sanctuary of the original
1867 church. This project was completed in 1967 and remained intact until 1977 when Fr. Hugh Conklin, who succeeded Fr. Horkan, dismantled the grotto and moved the old rectory to
the northeast corner of the church grounds where it remains today. This action was taken to provide an area to build apartments to house senior citizens. In 1978, Fr. Conklin realized one
of his lifetime dreams when the 14 units in the "L" shaped complex were completed.
In the following years, St. Mary's parish continued to grow and dedicate its activities to fulfilling
the principles proclaimed within the parish mission statement. In 1972, as a result of the dedication and fund raising efforts of St. Mary's Men's Club, a steeple and chimes were added
to the church. The only regression came in 1970 when, due to reduced enrollment and financial complications, St. Mary's school facility was closed.
In 1983, under the pastoral guidance of Fr. John Fackler, St. Mary's school reopened with approximately 90 students registering in grades K through 3. The future plans provided for the
addition of one grade per year up to and including the 8th grade, which was accomplished in 1988.
In September, 1984, Fr. Fackler launched a project to construct a facility to enhance and
increase education and social activities in the parish. This "Activity Center" was to provide space for gym classes for the school, a cafeteria, bingo hall, physical education for adults, and
numerous other social and educational activities. Two years later, in September, 1986, Bishop Kenneth Povish dedicated and blessed the new "Activity Center" of St. Mary's parish. The
"Center", located on the south end of the school building, is today an invaluable asset to the parish in fulfilling the evangelization mission of bringing the parish community members closer together. |
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