Trending
HILLMAN -- St. Augustine Catholic Church in Hillman is preparing for its fifth annual St. Augustine Community Festival that will be held on Sunday, Aug. 30, according to a press release on Tuesday.
St. Augustine Catholic Church in Hillman announced the winner of the Early Bird Raffle Drawing, which was held on Sunday, was Margaret LaCross of Alpena. Her name was drawn at Sunday's monthly parish breakfast. The ticket was sold by parishioner Julie Grabiel. Both ladies will pocket $500 cash. LaCross' ticket will be entered back into the Big Cash Raffle Grand Prize Drawing to be held at the St. Augustine Community Festival.
The Festival Committee continues to gear up for the Big Event which will feature the Big Cash Raffle, live auction, children's games and bounce house, other raffles, special drawings, live music by the Roughnecks of Turkey Road, and dancing.
This is the parish's 129th anniversary celebration but the whole community is encouraged to attend. This will be the fifth annual event.
The festival will begin after the 9 a.m. mass and eucharistic procession (approximately 10:15 a.m.). A BBQ meal with homemade side dishes will be served. Cost for the meal is $10 per person, children 10 years old and under eat free. The live auction featuring over 50 items will kick off at noon.
"There will be something for everyone to bid on!" Committee Chair Judy Elkie stated in the release. "We are excited to bring a new 'raffle game' this year! We will hold a playing card raffle and will feature three fun items - a cross bow, a generator, and a big Yeti cooler. Come join the fun!"
The Big Cash Raffle winner will be drawn at 2:30 p.m. and will pocket a $5,000 cash grand prize; second prize winner will receive $2,500; third prize winner will receive $1,000; fourth prize winner will receive $500; and 10 fifth prize winners will receive $100 each. Tickets are $10 each or six for $50 and are available after weekend masses or from parish members.
For more information contact the St. Augustine Parish Office at 989-742-4542 or via RestfulHearts.org. The proceeds from this event will go towards capital improvements of the church and grounds.
HISTORY OF ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH
The first church building was built by volunteers in the 1890s.
"There was little money among the early settlers but there was a great willingness to work and a strong desire to have a church building of their own," the release stated.
According to the release, prior to a building being built, Catholics in the Hillman area received visits from priests from Alpena, including Father Winter from St. Anne's Church, and the Rev. Father T.P. Flannery, from St. Bernard's Church. Early on, Hillman Catholics met at various homes, including that of Mr. and Mrs. John Butler in Long Rapids, and Mr. E.O. Avery's farm home located three miles northeast of the present village of Hillman, where the Rev. Father Charles DeQuoy from St. Anne's led services. In the 1890s, mass began being offered at the farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Napoleon LaFave, located a mile and a half north of the village on a much better road, providing a smoother ride by horse and buggy. The first lay catechist was Mrs. William Cartier.
"The white cross on the top of the little church could be seen for miles in all directions," the release stated. "The cross was noticeable to travelers coming from Alpena to Hillman as it gleamed for over 60 years against the western sky."
Even cows were drawn to the building, as some women of the church (Mrs. John Gohl Sr., Mrs. John Forrest, and Mrs. Joseph Kurtz) noticed while kneeling by one of the temporary benches. Through the cracks in between the floorboards, they could see the cows "contentedly chewing their cuds" under the church.
On Oct. 1, 1897, Father Godfrey Lenzen was appointed the pastor of St. Rose Church in Herron, as well as the Mission of St. Augustine in Hillman.
The first recorded baptism was Mary Olive LePine, daughter of Alfred LePine and Alvina Arneald on Dec. 12, 1897, conferred by Father Lenzen and sponsored by Joseph LaFraniere and Mary Villeneuve.
The first recorded marriage was that of William Villeneuve, son of Napoleon Villeneuve and Delina Amelotte, marrying Amelia Sheff, daughter of Andrew Sheff and Martina Ranger, witnessed by Father O'Connell on May 25, 1898.
Decades later, the church received full parochial status and a resident pastor, Father Harry Hart, on Oct. 5, 1951.
A new church was built in its current location in 1958. The former church building burned down in late 1977, which had been used as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall.
Father Ben Martin is the current pastor of St. Augustine Parish.