Father Christian Johnson to leave St. Therese Parish

Father Christian Johnson, who has served the St. Therese of Lisieux Church for the past 10 years, is leaving after being reassigned by the Diocese of Kalamazoo.

“Most of the priests of the diocese were reassigned because of some restructuring of parishes that the diocese is doing.,” Fr. Johnson said. “I will be going to St. Mary’s in Niles and will be replaced by Fr. Alphonse Savarimuthu who is being transferred from Niles to here.

“I am very sad to be leaving Wayland and Gun Lake and will miss the people terribly. Wayland is a great town and has much to be proud of!”

St. Therese, a fixture in Wayland for the past 74 years, has had only eight ministers, beginning with Msgr. Adelbert Radowski, who arrived in July 1942 to begin a ministry that would last until his retirement in 1970. He was followed by Dell F. Stewart, Charles Fisher, Daniel Snyder, Gary Pamment, Lawrence K. Kroll, Jeff Kassian and Johnson.

The church was named in honor of the Carmelite nun St. Therese of Lisieux who was born in 1873 and died at age 24 of tuberculosis. She entered the convent at the age of 15 and was famous for her advice to “do simple things, but do them with love” in her autobiography “Story of a Soul.” She was canonized in 1925 by Pope Pius XI as “Jesus’ Little Flower.”

Before St. Therese was established, most Catholics in the area attended St. Stanislaus between Dorr and Hilliards or Sts. Cyril & Methodius at Gun Lake.

St. Therese started its parochial school in the fall of 1952. First-, second- and third-graders all took instruction in one classroom and fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders were in another. Another classroom for seventh- and eighth-graders was added in 1954.

A total of 84 students enrolled in the school that first year, during the beginning of the Baby Boom era.

More than 200 members of the church joined a ground-breaking ceremony in 1987 for a new church building on Cedar Street behind the old church and the school on South Main. The new building was dedicated in July 1987.

PHOTO: Father Christian Johnston