Our History

St Gerard Catholic Church was established on June 25, 1958. At that time, the city of Lansing was booming and a new parish was needed to ease the strain on Holy Cross Parish. Bishop Joseph Henry Albers asked Fr. John F. Weber to be the founding pastor of St. Gerard, which first met in Bretton Woods School until the church building was completed. The first on-site Mass was in a "temporary" church building for the Midnight Mass on Christmas 1959.

In 1961 the Sisters of St. Joseph opened St. Gerard School with grades 3-6, and by 1964 they had expanded to their very first 8th grade graduation. The parish was growing rapidly, so in September of 1971 ground was broken for the construction of the first "permanent" church building. Bishop James Sullivan dedicated this church when it was completed in June of 1975. The "temporary" church was converted into the gymnasium which is still in use today.

After 30 years of shepherding St. Gerard, Fr. Weber retired from active ministry in 1988. Fr. Sylvester Fedewa was then assigned as the 2nd pastor to the still growing parish on the west side of Lansing. Fr. Fedewa gave the school its fifth addition, and in 1997 renovated the worship space.

Fr. Fedewa was elevated to the title of Monsignor and led St. Gerard through its 40th anniversary. He retired from active ministry shortly thereafter.

When Msgr. Fedewa retired in 1998, Fr. John P. Klein came to St. Gerard as the 3rd pastor. In 2004, the congregation had outgrown the entire space, so the church was expanded and the parish center was constructed, including new office space, meeting rooms, and the parish hall. The school was also expanded and renovated to accomodate the influx of students. In October 2005, Bishop Carl Fredrick Mengeling blessed the newly completed buildings with a Mass of Solemn Dedication. In October of 2007, the Rosary Garden was completed in the courtyard of the school, with Fr. Klein celebrating a special Mass and blessing.

Fr. Klein led the parish through it 50th anniversary, a year long celebration involving a 5K, a Chili Cook-Off, and a parish cookbook, culminating with a special Anniversary Mass and dinner. A time capsule was also buried at the base of the bell tower to be opened on June 25, 2058.

On June 21, 2009, Holy Cross Parish, the "mother church" for St. Gerard, closed its doors. St. Gerard has continued to welcome Holy Cross families with open arms. Several treasured artifacts from Holy Cross have found a home at St. Gerard, including an original altar cloth, a statue of St. Anthony, and a crucifix.

Fr. Robert C. Bacik was named the 4th pastor of St. Gearard parish in 2021. Fr. Bacik, originally from Jackson, MI, was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lansing in 2015. After his first assignment as the pastoral vicar at St. John, Davison, Fr. Bacik was named the pastor of St. Isidore, Laingsburg, and Holy Family, Ovid. Fr. Bacik has also served as the Diocesan Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus since 2018.