First Mass

December 3, 1675

Photos

Documentation

• Great Lakes Bay Catholic

Notes

On Dec. 1, the party was finally able to retreat from Lake Huron by entering what is now the Saginaw Bay and advancing on what is now known as the Saginaw River (it was referred to as a “fine river”). With winter fast approaching, Father Nouvel and company pushed themselves further up the river, initially missing their intended route at a branch, likely the Tittabawassee River, forcing them to retrace their steps. The party found a campsite and celebrated Mass on the feast of St. Francis Xavier on Dec. 3, 1675, after weeks of weathering storms, battling currents and facing the unknown. A sizable group of Christian Hurons joined them and assisted in the celebration of this first Mass in the interior of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, on the banks of what is now known as Saginaw.