Since March of 1834, when the first eight settlers arrived in this area, the needs of the Catholic commuinity have continued to grow and expand. The little white chapel was built in 1840 by Irish immigrants. It is believed to be the oldest existing frame Catholic Church building in the Lower Peninsula. By 1870, as the community grew, the structure became too small and members traveled to Pontiac and Milford for services.
After World War I, Detroiters began to come to this area for summer vacations. The little chapel was reopened after a cement block foundation and electric lights were added. Priests came from Pontiac to celebrate Mass during the summer months. The first 40 arrivals would squeeze into the chapel and the others stood and knelt outside the adjacent cemetery. In 1948, the capel was proclaimed "St. Patrick Chapel" when Cardinal Edward Mooney, Bishop of Detroit, established St. Patrick Parish.
St. Patrick School was established in 1956. The office building, adjacent to the church, was dedicated in 1978. The William and Myrtle Hess Center for Education was built in 1986 and dedicated on August 24, 1986 by Archbishop Edmund C. Szoka. 
