ST. PAUL THE APOSTLE    
                      
     St. Paul the Apostle, formerly St. Joseph, was established in 1889 by Slovenian immigrants who came to this country to work in the then-productive mines of the Copper Country.
     The present structure, with its impressive twin spires towering over the community, is an outstanding example of turn-of-the-century architecture. Built of sandstone from the local quarries at Jacobsville, the church was five years in construction from 1903-1908. The cost of the construction was, at that time, a staggering $100,000. The new church building replaced a wooden structure which was destroyed by fire in 1902.
     The interior of the church, with the exception of more modern lighting and various minor artifacts, remains substantially unchaged architecturally.
     The beautiful paintings and altar work in the sanctuary took three years to complete and remain an inspiration to parishioners and visitors alike.
     The present parish is composed of people from various ethnic backgrounds.
     During it's more prosperous days, Calumet had six Catholic Churches. St. Anthony's, a Polish Parish was closed in 1928 and absorbed into St. Joseph's. In 1966, with a drastic decline in population, the remaining churches, St. Mary's (the Italian Parish), St. Anne's (the French Parish), St. John's (the Croatian Parish), and St. Joseph's were all closed. St. Joseph's building was renamed St. Paul the Apostle and re-opened as an amalgamated Parish. Today two parishes serve the Catholic population of Calumet: St. Paul the Apostle and Sacred Heart Church.
     Graceful cathedral style windows of stained glass portray the lives of Biblical and more modern saints of the church. Installed in 1907 by Ford Bros. Glass Studio, Minneapolis, Minnesota, they cost $600 and $900 respectively for the small and larger windows. Today they are virtually irreplaceable.
     The choir loft of the church houses a tracker organ still in excellent working condition. Encased in oak, it is 18 feet wide and 19 feet deep. It was built by Kilgen & Sons of St. Louis, Missouri at a cost of $4,000. Today it is valued at far more than the original cost of the entire church.

SACRED HEART CHURCH
                                             
     The history of Sacred Heart Church began in October 1865 when the Calumet mine was discovered. Fr. Edward Jacker visited Calumet at various times between 1865-1868, celebrating mass in the home of Capt. John Ryan since no church was available. Fr. Jacker took up permanent residence in Calumet in 1868. The first Sacred Heart church was built shortly afterwards. Sacred Heart Parish was the first Catholic Church in Calumet. During the 1890's various ethnic based congregations were formed from the influx of immigrants who came to Calumet.
     Sacred Heart Parish was served by a diocesan priest until 1890, when it's care was accepted by the Franciscan Fathers of St. John the Baptist Province of Cincinnati. Rev. Peter Welling, O.F.M. was the first Franciscan pastor.
     The parish grew and soon outgrew its original home resulting in a new church being built in 1897. The parish continued to grow. In 1907 it contained 340 families. Most of the families were of Irish and German heritage. Sacred Heart has had a history of many active organizations such as Men and Women's Catholic Foresters, the Ladies' Altar Society, Men's Club and many others.
     Music has always been an important part of our parish. One couple, Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Dix served as choir director and organist from 1931-1959. During this time many choirs and musical events were held in the parish.
     Fr. Ethelbert Harrington, O.F.M. was Sacred Heart's longest serving pastor. He served from 1932-1951. Fr. Harrington, who was a Calumet native, also served several years as Assistant Pastor.
     Catholic Education is a strong tradition in the history of the parish. Sacred Heart School began in 1891 and served the parish and the community until June 1982 when it closed.
     On August 13, 1983, Sacred Heart Church was destroyed by fire of undetermined origin; fortunately, no one was hurt. If the fire had started just an hour earlier, the loss of life might have been considerable. Masses were held in the CLK Religious Education Center for the next few years. After receiving permission from Bishop Mark Schmitt the planning for a new church began. Three years of hard work followed under the leadership of Fr. Casper Gensler, O.F.M. The new church was dedicated on May 4, 1986.
     Today Sacred Heart Parish, having served the community for more than 120 years, faces the future with confidence and faith as it approaches its 125 anniversary.


OUR LADY OF THE PINES
           
     Our Lady of the Pines is the northernmost Catholic Church in Michigan and is located at the tip of the Upper Peninsula. Nestled in the pinewoods, this log cabin church, with its rustic beauty, blends in with the surrounding beauty of nature.
     In September of 1951 Fr. Jordan Telles, O.F.M. organized a committee to start plans for the church. Mr. & Mrs. Azar Kirkish, Mrs. Karl Christensen, Mrs. Mayme Swykert, Mrs. Beth Matthews and himself comprised the committee. Throughout the winter of 1952, Mr. John Jackson of Mohawk, the engineer and Mr. Victor Oja, constructer, one of the last highly skilled Finnish log cabin builders left, met with Fr. Jordan to draw up the plans in complete detail.
     Though not completed and dedicated until August 23, 1953, this roofless church was used during the summer months of 1952 for Sunday Mass, the first of which was celebrated on June 22, 1952.
     The church is built on a three-foot deep solid rock ledge. Placed on this rock ledge are 18" high pillars made of rock from Clark mine. On these pillars rest 120 logs 10"-15" in diamater, hand hewn on location.
     The roof rafters are hand scribed logs and the wall beams, 4 in all, are 35 feet long. The rock altar is built from the solid ground up through the floor and into the sanctuary. Rocks for the altar came exclusively from the Keweenaw. Mr. Louis Azzi of Mohawk donated the masonry work. The beautiful crucifix above the altar is of solid copper and towers at least 5 feet in height; the corpus is made of tinted alabaster. Also made of copper is the cross on the roof donated by Calumet & Hecla Mining Co. The tabernacle was donated by the committee; also the Stations of the Cross were carved by Fr. Herculan Kolinsky O.F.M. of Kentucky. Mr. Oja made all the 30 pews and kneelers from pine & cedar with a seating capacity of 224. His other work included the birch candlesticks on the altar, two holy water fonts and the re-enforced front doors.
     Across from the church is a lovely rock grotto of Our Lady of the Pines where visitors may sit with her and enjoy the peace and serenity. Flowers, cared for by the residents, enhance the beauty of the area.