History: Growing Ministry
Father Arneth had remarked that All Saints was one of the largest parishes in the Upper Peninsula that had never had an assistant pastor. An interesting addition to our parish history is that the parish has only had one associate pastor, Father Greg Heikkala. In addition Father Jamie Ziminski served at All Saints as Deacon. In 1983, Sr. Lucy Ann Wasinger, CSA, came as Pastoral Associate in Adult Education and Ministry. Upon his retirement in 1984, at the age of 65, Father Arneth purchased a home at 1116 Sheridan Road in Escanaba. He was active in assisting at St. Anthony's at Wells and at other parishes as needed. Father Arneth died on September 6, 1987; funeral services were held at All Saints. Burial was at Negaunee in the family plot with his parents.
A statue of our Blessed Lady was placed in the entrance of the C.C.D. Center in May, 1988, as a memorial in honor of Father Arneth from parishioners and friends. Father John E. Patrick, an Ironwood, Michigan, native, was appointed to All Saints Parish in January, 1984, as the twentieth pastor. Fr. Jed, as his parishioners fondly refer to him, had previously served in parishes in Marquette, Escanaba, Menominee, Trenary, and Palmer while also serving for nine years as Director of Vocations for the Marquette Diocese.
Each pastor that serves a parish has his own individual focus or goal. It was soon evident that Fr. Jed was a strong advocate for developing a deep sense of community and service within the parish, as well as with other Christian churches both on the local and global scene.
Sister Lucy Ann Wasnger, CSA, continued to serve as pastoral associate with responsibilities in adult education and pastoral ministry. The parish council with commissions for worship and spiritual life, education, parish services, community services and administration became the vehicle to renew and involve the total parish and utilize the talents, gifts, and co-operation of God's people at All Saints. Our Executive Board is the governing body of the parish. It consists of the chairperson of each commission: Finance, Liturgy/Spiritual Life, Faith Formation, Parish Services, Parish Social Life, Community Services, and Members at Large.
Parish tithing of 5% of the monthly adult contributions was adopted with Sacred Heart Church of DeTour, Michigan to receive $300 per month as a "sister parish" for twinning. A scholarship fund was instituted to receive 1% for Catholic Education and the balance to be designated at the monthly Council meetings for charitable organizations and causes.
The parish registration records were designed and a "blitz census" involving two hundred volunteers, brought the recorded parish membership to over 900 families. The Parent Baptism program was initiated to support young parents in their responsibilities in their faith life and parenting.
The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) was introduced in 1984. The first adults completed their Emmaus Journey and were received into the Catholic Church and All Saints parish at the Easter Vigil. To date forty persons have journeyed into the Catholic Church through the RCIA process at the Easter Vigils.
Today the parish has a core team made up of volunteers from the parish along with Father Arnie Grambow and Sister JoAnn Jauquet who guide candidates into the faith using the RCIA model. They are Fran Goetz and Camille Rabitoy. Members who served this ministry in the past are Paul and Michele Geyer, Mark Hager, Patricia Demeuse, Kathy Lauscher, Dave and Linda Cypcar, Bernie Harris, Nancy Tackman, and Vi Leonardi.
As a sign of the parish commitment to enrich the quality of worship, Sister Therese Reynolds, OP, joined the parish staff in August, 1984, as coordinator of liturgy and music. Through her encouragement many adults, youth, and children share their talents musically as instrumentalists, cantors, or as adult, ensemble, or children's choir members. In early 2002 Sr. Therese Reynolds, after eighteen years of faithful service, informed the parish that she would take a sabbatical year and after that seek out a new ministry. Donna Schomin was hired as Director of Music and Liturgy in August of 2002 and continues on in that ministry to the present.
More Eucharistic Ministers were prepared and installed enabling many homebound and sick parishioners to receive communion weekly. Lectors, ushers, and servers were trained and led to deeper awareness of their roles as liturgical ministers. All Saints Continues to be an involved and growing parish. Our parishioners also serve as ushers, lectors, altar servers, Communion Ministers, and Lay Ministers who conduct Communion Services, and bring Communion to the homebound. An art committee has helped to beautify the environment for the parish services even to this day.
Our Baptismal Program is lead by two volunteers along with Father Arnie. They are Darci Griebel and Rhonda Bernson. The Baptismal Program is offered four times a year, with some exceptions. Tami LaFleur, Christine Warner and Terry Humpula also helped out in this ministry in the past.
Susan Bosk heads the Funeral Committee, which consists of twenty-one groups, each group made up of active members of the parish. The parish provides coffee, juice, bars and sandwiches for hospitality after a funeral. Joyce Closs, Mary Young, Roseann Madden, Debbie Wilson and Kathy Gautcher chaired this committee previously.
In July we gather as a parish family for a picnic held in Van Cleve Park.
The parish gathers in appreciation of each other with a catered meal in the parish hall each year.
Every summer the parish conducts a summer vacation bible camp for one full week. Cindy Johnson began this program with the help of many others and Michele Geyer now coordinates it. Children ages three years to fourth grade are invited to join.
In outreach beyond the parish life, the community services commission began Ecumenical community services with the other Christian Churches of Gladstone and Delta County, facilitated by bi-monthly meetings with representatives of their analogus committees. The annual Walk/Run for Hunger with the proceeds going to local and world organizations for the poor is one unifying, bonding witness of this effort. All Saints also began to participate in the Delta County jail ministry, taking turns with the other Christian Churches to offer Sunday services to those in the county jail.
A meal for Bay College students is also part of our ecumenical outreach. Begun in 2008, an ecumenical Soup and Sandwich meal was begun, with proceeds going to our local St. Vincent de Paul for helping the poor and needy.
For six seasons beginning in 1984, All Saints parish participated in the Diocesan Renew Program which enriched the spiritual and community growth of the parish and called forth new leadership through the committees, and renewal through the small group scripture sharing in homes.
The All Saints St. Vincent de Paul Conference was organized in July, 1984 with about twenty members dedicating themselves to this ministry to the needy. When local needs grew beyond the resources of the parish church basement food pantry, the former Penney store on Delta Avenue was purchased with the help of four Upper Peninsula Vincentian Conferences. The store was renovated and dedicated by Bishop Mark Schmitt in March, 1985.
In November 2001, the St. Vincent de Paul Conference suffered a loss in the total destruction, by fire, of its store. The fire was ruled arson. The American Legion Post 71 of Gladstone opened it's doors to temporarily house the Society. They operated from this site for over a year while their new building was being constructed. Bishop James Garland blessed the new building on May 25th 2003.
All Saints 6th, 7th and 8th grade children along with the entire community of Gladstone conducted food drives to ensure that the Thanksgiving baskets could still be given out due to everything lost in the fire.
All Saints Parish has continued support of this ministry by a monthly second collection, private donations, and hundreds of hours of service for the poor. Because of the many blessings and in thanksgiving, All Saints Conference began to twin financially with a poor Conference in Barillas, Guatemala in Central America where the very poor from the mountains to the borders of Mexico can come to receive medical help and loving care. Another Twin conference is being adopted for financial help and prayerful mutual support in Appalachia to assist single mothers and destitute families. To this day All Saints Parish tithes monthly and continues to twin financially with needy parishes.
A special ministry of outreach into the Gladstone area has been the Christmas Basket Project, sponsored by the All Saints Women's Club since 1976. In recent years over 90 families have been served annually through this service which is funded mainly through the proceeds of the annual Parish Fall Festival Dinner and Bazaar. After the sponsorship of All Saints Women's Club ended, and the end of the Parish Bazaar as well, the Christmas Basket Project continued. Each October we hold a "Fall Festival Harvest Dinner." In conjunction with the delicious meal of chicken and meatballs, we have children's games, and face painting. Both young and old enjoy the silver dollar game. We also have a raffle with many prizes of great value. The profits from this go to provide Christmas Baskets for the needy of our area. We purchase food, clothing, and gifts for more than one hundred families.
To encourage the laity to take a fuller role in the mission of the Church, Bishop Mark Schmitt instituted a Lay Ministry Training Program in the Diocese of Marquette in 1982. After participating in this intense two-year program, three parishioners, David Golzynski, and Ernest and Vira Leonardi, graduated in 1986 and serve our parish family in a variety of ways. Since 1986, many more of our parish have graduated from Ministry School and continue to serve our parish.
In the spring of 1987, a Centennial Committee was formed to plan and direct the All Saints Centennial Year of 1989. A major effort of that committee is this parish history and directory. A special note of gratitude is due to the memory of Mickey Snowaert who had gathered material and pictures for a book she had hoped to publish for the church.
