Celebrating 150 Years Building Upon a Tradition of Catholic Faith
Beginning in the 1800s, tens of thousands of European Immigrants made their way to the area that would become Wisconsin. They came for many reasons and had varied backgrounds. Many were German, Irish, and Polish.Once in this area, they struggled to keep their language and culture alive. Faith and the Church were the center of life.
1868-1929
Putting Down Roots
- Bishop Michael Heiss – 1868–1880
- Bishop Kilian Flasch – 1881–1891
- Bishop James Schwebach – 1891-1921
The newly formed diocese included Native Americans and new arrivals from Ireland, Germany, French Canada, Poland, Bohemia and Italy.
The First Cathedral
Saint Joseph Cathedral in 1870
It was presumed that Prairie du Chien would be the natural place for the cathedral. However, the fur trade there had waned while La Crosse was becoming a center for commerce, so the cathedral was located in La Crosse.
Franciscan Sisters of
Perpetual Adoration (FSPA)
In 1868, Bishop Heiss arrived to a diocese in need of schools. He reached out to Mother Antonia who agreed to establish a motherhouse in La Crosse. In the years that followed, the Sisters established perpetual adoration – praying continuously since August 1, 1878, a tradition held sacred today. They established western Wisconsin’s first hospital, St. Francis, now known as Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare, and Viterbo College, now known as Viterbo University.
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Keyesville
A bell for the new church was donated by Margaret Adams nee Misslich with money she made while operating a restaurant in San Francisco. At the end of the day, she would sweep the dirty floor, saving the dirt. She would separate the gold dust left by miners from the dirt. Margaret sold the gold dust and bought a bell, inscribed with her name, for the church.
The Sisters of St. Joseph, Third Order of St. Francis, Stevens Point
In 1901, forty-six women, members of the School Sisters of St. Francis located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, responded to the need to educate Polish immigrant families. By 1918, the Sisters were teaching in 23 schools in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The order today is engaged in the fields of health care, education, social justice, missionary work, work with the developmentally disabled, parish work, religious education, counseling services, spiritual direction and respite care.
Father Peter Minwegen – Cornell, 1920
Father Peter Minwegen, a Missionary Oblate from Germany, was serving native peoples in Saskatchewan, Canada when WWI broke out. German nationalists were considered “foreign aliens” in Canada and placed in concentration camps; the clergy were no exception. Fr. Minwegen petitioned Bishop Schwebach and was granted permission to serve in the diocese. He was placed in Cornell, where there was a small Catholic population, wide spread anti-Catholic sentiment, and a controlling, threatening KKK presence. Fr. Minwegen and his small congregation were harassed and threatened to the point of death. Crosses were burned in an empty field across from his residence. Learning that an option on the land had expired, he was able to buy the 10 acre plot where Holy Cross Church stands today.
Diocese of La Crosse in 1946
1929-1989
Care For God’s Creation
- Bishop Alexander McGavick, D.D 1921–1948
- Auxiliary Bishop William R. Griffin – 1935–1944
- Bishop John Treacy 1948–1964
- Bishop Frederick Freking – 1965–1983
Due to the population growth in Wisconsin and the stability of life after World War II, the Diocese of Madison was formed on January 9, 1946, leaving the Diocese of La Crosse with 19 counties.
A New Cathedral
1955 was Bishop Treacy’s tenth year in the Diocese of La Crosse. He announced his next big project:
“Before our ninety-year old Cathedral falls down, let us prayerfully review the splendidly developed plans of Bishop McGavick.”
The dedication of St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral was set for May 14-19 1962.
The Second Vatican Council
As the new cathedral was being built in La Crosse, preparations for the Second Vatican Council were underway in Rome. Pope John XXIII had announced the Council in 1959, and the first session opened on October 1962. The Council would gather more than 2,000 bishops from around the world to look at the Church’s teachings and practices in a wide variety of areas.
A Future Saint in Stevens Point
In 1976, Karol Wojtyla, the Cardinal Archbishop of Krakow, visited Philadelphia for the International Eucharistic Congress. After the Congress was over, he proceeded to a potato farm in Rosholt, WI. Cardinal Wojtyla had a strong interest in the Polish culture of the U.S., and accepted an invitation to deliver a keynote address at the annual Lecture on Poland at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Along with Bishop Freking and Wisconsin Governor Lee Dreyfus, he paid a visit to the Zdroik family farm.
Rural Life
The 1980s brought difficult times to the farm families, with economic fluctuations, government policy, high interest rates, and debt. Foreclosures forced many to lose their farms.
In 2000, new challenges arose in sustainable agriculture, environmental justice, climate change, and the world wide need for food. The National Rural Life Conference, and the diocesan bishops, work hard to make sure these issues are addressed in keeping with Catholic social teaching.
1983-2010
Living the Faith
In reaction to Vatican II, Bishop Paul called the Fourth Synod of the diocese from April 28 – May 1, 1987. This Synod was different because, for the first time, it involved lay people from around the diocese.
Hmong and Hispanic Immigration
- Hmong refugees first began to arrive in the Midwest in 1975, following the end of the Vietnam War and the Civil War in Laos.
- Bishop Paul welcomed the strangers with open arms. Some La Crosse priests learned the Hmong language in order to minister more effectively.
- Mexican immigrants and migrants have been coming to Wisconsin since 1910.
- In the early 1950s, it was estimated that 12,000 migrant workers came each summer to work in Wisconsin.
- Latino communities formed in cities and became links for subsequent migration.
SYNOD 5
The Jubilee Year, 2000, would see the convening of the Fifth Diocesan Synod by Bishop Raymond Burke.
“The Diocesan Synod, a longstanding and proven means of pastoral care and leadership for Bishops, seeks to study the entire life of the Church in the diocese and the fidelity of the Church in the diocese to the Way of our Lord Jesus Christ, the obedience of the Church in the diocese to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit.”
Every deanery and parish consultative body, as well as diocesan commissions, were invited to study and discuss “the essential aspects of Church life in our diocese.”
Catholic School Unification
During this time, seven systems were established, consolidating individual parish schools in the same community. Students in the primary, intermediate and high school grades now share a common purpose and mission.
- Aquinas – La Crosse
- Assumption-Wisconsin Rapids
- Columbus-Marshfield
- McDonell-Chippewa Falls
- Newman-Wausau
- Pacelli-Stevens Point
- Pacelli-Stevens Point
Looking Forward
With confidence in the presence and action of God in the world, the Catholic Diocese of La Crosse is a welcoming and worshiping community of faith, hope, and love. Called by the love of Christ we recognize the Spirit of God in one another and give witness to the value of human life by mutual respect and honor.