Catholicism in Northfield Township dates from the early nineteenth century. In 1829 Father Patrick O’Kelly, a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, was sent to the area to minister to the Irish Catholics who were settling in southwestern Michigan. The first parish church, a log structure, was completed on this site in 1831. Originally named St. Brigid, it is the oldest English-speaking Catholic parish in the state. The present Gothic Revival-style church was completed and dedicated in 1878, when the parish was renamed St. Patrick’s. The rectory was completed in 1890. In 1917 the church and rectory were badly damaged by a cyclone, but both were rebuilt in subsequent years. After serving the area for 150 years, the parish continues to reach out to the needs of the surrounding community.