First Mass

October 15, 1660

Documentation

• Gilbert J. Garraghan, S.J., "Catholic First Things in the United States," Mid-America: An Historical Review, vol. 21 (1939)
• Diocese of Superior Origins Page

Notes

Per Gilbert J. Garraghan, S.J., Fr. René Ménard arrived at Keweenaw Bay on Lake Superior on October 15, 1660 (the feast of St. Thérèse) and, per his own letter quoted in the Jesuit Relations, had "the consolation of saying Mass there." He founded the mission of St. Thérèse at the site — the date and the mission's name match, which is itself a form of corroboration. The Diocese of Superior's own history page independently confirms Ménard's 1660 arrival at Keweenaw Bay and the founding of the first Catholic mission in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, describing him as part of the first official trade mission from Quebec to the region. Wikipedia's article on René Ménard covers his career and disappearance the following year but wasn't used as a source here.