St. Mary Magdalen is a territorial parish of the Diocese of Lansing serving Brighton Township, Michigan. We were founded on June 29, 1993 by Bishop Kenneth Povish. Fr. David F. Howell was named our founding pastor and served for 26 years until his retirement in 2019.
The parish first met in the garage of the current rectory and then at Farms Middle School. The 40 acre property of our current campus was purchased by the diocese and the first phase of our building opened in 1998. In 2009, our facility was completed in our second phase of building.
From the beginning, St. Mary Magdalen parishioners have had a strong vision of a warm, welcoming, and active community. That vision is still very much alive today. Whether you are just visiting or moving into the area, or if you've been here a while--come join us! We look forward to meeting you!
As children of God and disciples of Christ Jesus, we have been assembled by the bishop of the Diocese of Lansing to form a new Catholic community in Brighton.
Our vision is to build a community of simplicity, peace, joy, inspiration and renewal; a haven where we share our hopes and our hurts.
God nurtures this vision through individual and communal prayer. In prayer we abide in God, freely opening ourselves to listen and respond to our Lord's gracious will. The Eucharist is our fullest prayer in which Christ's faithful love makes us one. By the Eucharist, the power of Christ's sacrificial love transforms us into His real presence in the world. We celebrate this joyous belief with uplifting liturgies that transform our daily lives.
The conviction of Scripture and Church teaching is the foundation of our ongoing faith enrichment, all throughout the unfolding of our lives. We embrace our children as our younger brothers and sisters in Christ. We envision a strong religious education program that will excite our youth into learning and sharing with us fully.
Our community supports the importance and integrity of families. For those who have no one, we are family. We are truly woven together, supporting our pastor and each other. On our journey of faith we warmly embrace the seeker; we are supportive to those struggling in faith and compassionate towards those who have wandered.
Our faith is living and vigorous. As the Body of Christ we reach out to invite and welcome strangers and offer support and encouragement to those burdened by need, hurt and sin. Believing that the Kingdom of God is in our midst, we work for a more just society.
Because the union of all Christians is one of our great hopes, we focus on what unites us rather than on that which divides us. We extend ourselves to other faiths, cultures and traditions. Through shared friendship and service we hope to foster understanding and peace.
We commit ourselves to this vision, dedicating to it our energies, individual talents and expertise, time and our financial support. We pray that God who began this good work in us, will bring it to its fulfillment!