St. Mary Catholic Church: A New Face in the City

Father Gerald in 2017 during his ministry to Catholics and other Christians in northern Iraq

submitted by St Mary Parish

This spring, Bishop Boyea of ​​the Catholic Diocese of Lansing brought about a change in our village community, especially for the people of St. Mary Church, but also for the broader community as we all share each other’s blessings.

Father Bosco, whom many Manchester residents had come to know and love, would be leaving in July for another assignment in Jackson County. And our Catholic community in Manchester would welcome Fr. Gerald Gawronski.

The people of the parish wanted to introduce him to everyone and invite you to get to know him. Here is a brief introduction.

After his ordination, Father Gerald served the bishop at Saint Mary Cathedral in Lansing and assisted at Holy Redeemer and Immaculate Heart of Mary parishes. He was then appointed pastor of Old St. Patrick’s Parish in Ann Arbor, where he served for 11 years, until 2016.

Then the Lord placed in Father Gerald’s heart the desire to serve Catholic Christians in Iraq. And so, in the summer of 2016, he began three years of ministry to Catholics and other Christians in Northern Iraq.

Father Gerald returned to the United States in 2019 and served at St. Matthew Parish in Flint before taking a special assignment at St. Thomas in Ann Arbor, where he helped the parish start an option for celebrating the Traditional Mass in Latin (sometimes called the Extraordinary Form). He helped make that ministry and outreach possible, serving for four years, beginning in July 2020.

And then this year, early July 2024, he joined our small and beautiful parish here in Manchester and became our pastor.

Although each of Father Gerald’s assignments has been very different (in a cathedral, in a historic Ann Arbor church, in war-torn Iraq, as a traditional Latin priest), God has brought him to our village church to bless us. “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:4).

We are still a “village”, so in our friendly Manchester way, let us welcome Fr Gerald to our community. Come along to St Mary’s. Or if you see him in the town centre, say hello and introduce yourself! As the people of the parish discover, he is a warm and gentle man, with a deeply Christian heart.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.