From 1837 to 1873, Saint Ignace was part of a combined pastorate with Mackinac Island. A priest alternated in residence between the two, or at times Saint Ignace was served from various other missions. In November 1873, Father Edward Jacker became the first full-time pastor at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish. Bishop Baraga (1797-1868) visited and ministered at Saint Ignace on frequent visits.

In the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year 2000, Bishop James H. Garland, Diocese of Marquette, established the "Baraga Pilgrimage" during The Holy Year to the shrines of the saintly Bishop Baraga and to "some other churches of significance to our diocese." We are pleased that St. Ignatius Loyola Church was included in that tour as a pilgrimage destination. May it continue to be a special place on your spiritual journey, a place that will enrich your life each time you are here. To all who come to pray with our St. Ignatius parish family, we say "Welcome!"

"The roots of Catholicism in Upper Michigan started on the eastern tip of the peninsula and spread westward.  St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in St. Ignace is the second oldest of the diocese’s parishes.  The Old Mission Church, built in 1837, is the oldest church structure in the state.  The structure was moved to State Street adjacent to the burial site of Father Jacques Marquette and is now the Museum of Ojibwa Culture.  In the Jubilee Year 2000, Bishop James Garland included St. Ignatius Church among the Baraga Pilgrimage sites.

Founding.  Jesuits started the first permanent mission at St. Ignace in 1671 and named Father Jacques Marquette its first pastor.  Father Marquette remained there until 1673, serving the traders and explorers in the “commercial and military heart of the Northwest,” as the region was considered at the time.  Two years later, on May 18, 1675, Father Marquette died while returning on Lake Michigan near what is now Ludington after having nearly completed a 4,000-mile canoe voyage to the Mississippi River settlements.  His remains are buried in St. Ignace.

The first St. Ignace parish dedicated to St. Ignatius Loyola was built in 1837.  Called the Old Mission Church, the structure was replaced by the present house of worship in 1905.  The original church was moved and serves today as the Museum of Ojibwa Culture.

From 1837 to 1873 St. Ignatius did not have a resident priest, but was served through a partnership with Mackinac Island, by priests from Lower Michigan or missionaries in the Upper Peninsula.  Father Edward Jacker, the church’s first pastor, arrived in November 1873.

Parish Life.  The present St. Ignatius Loyola parish was constructed in 1905.  A fire in 1942 forced the people to return temporarily to the Old Mission Church for services.

St. Ignatius was enlarged, reconstructed and a basement hall added in 1948 and 1949.  Through the devoted sacrifice of parishioners, the $65,000 debt incurred during reconstruction was paid off the following year.

In 1965, the chapel was remodeled to coincide with new regulations set forth by the Second Vatican Council.

In 1985, St. Ignatius began sharing a pastor with Immaculate Conception Parish in Moran and its mission at Trout Lake.  The St. Ignace rectory was renovated in 1991 and the pastor continued to reside there.

During the Jubilee Year 2000, Bishop James Garland included St. Ignatius Church among the diocese’s Baraga Pilgrimage sites.  The tour highlighted shrines to Bishop Frederic Baraga and other churches of historical significance in the diocese.

Parish School.  Women religious from the Ursuline Order in Chatham, Ontario, served the religious education needs of young people in St. Ignace for a remarkable 87 years.  The Ursuline Academy—a high school for girls—operated from 1897 to 1951 when its status changed to a parochial elementary school.

The parish began paying rent to the sisters for St. Ignatius Elementary, along with covering their stipends and other costs, such as bussing.  In 1972, the elementary school and the convent closed, but a few sisters remained to oversee the religious education program at the parish.  The last Ursuline Sisters left St. Ignace in 1984"