St. Wenceslaus Preservation Society of Gills Pier, Michigan (est'd 2026)
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Our Story
St. Wenceslaus church began as a mission church in 1890. The original wooden structure was built primarily by Bohemian settlers (for whom it was named) in the small predominantly agricultural village of Gills Pier, Michigan. The adjoining cemetery was established in 1900. It contains a rich heritage of gravesites strongly representative of the area's Bohemian heritage as well as the graves of an Austrian Archduke and his wife. Construction of the present brick church began in February, 1914 and was essentially completed by the end of that year. It was first blessed on August 1, 1915. The church has accommodated an active, vibrant, and culturally significant congregation since its founding up until June 1st,  2026, when Bishop Jeffrey Walsh unexpectedly issued decrees to merge the church with St. Mary Parish of Lake Leelanau, and also to change its status to a "limited use" church. This came as a shock to the congregation given that St. Wenceslaus Parish had never experienced any financial problems since its inception, was in excellent physical condition, and continued to serve a stable body of parishioner families as well as providing extensive outreach to our local and numerous other communities (see: https://www.stwenceslausgp.org for further details). Both decrees were formally appealed, which currently is our status (after 22 days within the 30-day response window of the Bishop).     Moreover, in January 2026, our Deacon was informed initially by the bishop that the church would be closed and then sold. A week later, he was notified that instead, it would be retained as a "limited use" church, which essentially is functionally closed unless parish weddings or funerals are approved to be hosted there. In addition, just two regular masses each year are "permitted". Meetings and extensive communications with the Bishop got nowhere, and disclosed no substantive reason for our church to be shuttered in this way. Even though several practical solutions were presented, the Bishop declined to give those any serious consideration. Given the unusual adversarial demeanor of the Bishop, the parishioners of St. Wenceslaus realized that steps must be taken to prevent this historical landmark (The church and cemetery are registered Michigan historical landmarks) from being sold by the Bishop, potentially to meet its demise. This society was founded as a means of generating support both financially and physically in order to care for the church in perpetuity if support from the Diocese ever is withdrawn.      Please visit our church website (address above) to see what a wonderful parish St. Wenceslaus had become over its 136 year history. This organization will strive do everything in its power to preserve that legacy for as long as is humanly possible. May God bless you if you help to support our mission.
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