Saint Michael - Saint Michael Catholic Church
The village of St. Michael is located on St. Michael Island on the south side of Norton Sound. As early as 1833 the Russian American Company built a redoubt there. The Island has a good natural harbor and had been used both as a transfer point and gateway to the gold fields via the Yukon River during the Gold Rush Era. This particular transfer point used by river travelers effectively ended in 1923 with the construction and completion of the Alaska Railroad at Nenana.
St. Michael has a population of both lnupiat and Central Yup'ik peoples. Catholic presence there has been long and continuous since 1873 when Fr. Auguste Lecorre and Bishop Isidore Clut visited the area with Fr. Lecorre spending one winter. Another pioneer, Fr. Aloysius Ragaru, S.J., crossed over the Chilkoot Pass in 1887 and recorded a stop at Saint Michael with these words: "I find myself happy and most ready to labor and suffer without discouragement, although I will see the work that offers itself without limits." Another deserving historical note in passing is that the murdered body of Bishop Charles Seghers was interred in the St. Michael cemetery during 1886-1887 before being transferred back to Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada. Before 1900, the village of Saint Michael had seen many visiting priests who had stopped to perform baptisms. None had established permanent residency there until Fr. Rogatien Camille, S.J. A new church was built during his service to the Catholic community. The building was replaced in 1954.
The village of Saint Michael was the birthplace of the first full-blooded Eskimo to have entered the Society of Jesus. He is Brother Joseph Prince, S.J., educated at Holy Cross and, who died prematurely in 1931 of tuberculosis while studying in Montana. He made vows on his death bed, but unfortunately never was able to serve in Alaska as a Jesuit Brother.
Many Jesuits have served the Catholic community of Saint Michael, some as residents but most came from other missions such as Stebbins or Unalakleet. Other than the clergy mentioned above, the following have served the St. Michael parish: Frs. Francis Nawn, René Astruc, James Plamondon and Jules Convert. Fr. Joseph Stolz served as a Diocesan priest. The early Ursuline Sisters served at Saint Michael briefly around 1910. Fr. Gerald Ornowski, M.I.C., was pastor there from 1990-1994. Fr. Thomas Carlin, S.J., served there until 1999.