Web Page Contact:
webmaster

Page Last Updated:
October 30, 2007

Our Church History

Bishop Frederick W. Freking, Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, established this parish in Holmen, WI on August 3, 1983.

Under the leadership of Father Del Malin, the first pastor, the faith community gathered each Sunday in the golden Palace movie theater to celebrate the Eucharist.

In May 1984, a building committee was formed to plan a parish center on a site off Main Street near the high school.  This site was a gift to the diocese.   It was gift from a family that had a dream of a Catholic Church in Holmen.   River Architects were chosen to prepare the design. In April 1985, contracts were signed and construction began.  The parish center was substantially completed so that the parish was able to celebrate its first Mass in the new center on Christmas Eve of 1985.

This parish began with 299 families.  In a little more than 20 years, our faith community has tripled in size.  It now comprises nearly 900 households.

In July 2002, Father Del Malin became the church’s Pastor Emeritus when Father John McHugh was installed as the new Pastor of the church. In September 2004, Father Del Malin returned as temporary administrator.

In November 2005, Bishop Jerome Listecki installed Fr. Robert Schaller as pastor and Fr. Roy Witucki as associate pastor.

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton - Our Patron Saint

Elizabeth Ann Bailey was born in 1774 in New York City.   She grew up in a wealthy, English family where she was very well educated.   Yet, even at a young age, she spent time working with the poor and sick.

At age 20, Elizabeth married William Seton.  The family was reduced to poverty when the family fortune was lost.   His untimely death made Elizabeth a penniless widow with five small children.  She became the heroic woman raising her family despite all the adversity.  It was during these difficult days that she made the decision to enter the Catholic Church.

She found success and a future when she opened a Catholic school for girls.  Soon others joined her work.  This allowed her to expand her work to include the poor, the ill and homeless children.

In 1808, she founded the American Sisters of Charity, a religious community of women that established parish schools, orphanages and hospitals.

Elizabeth Ann Seton died in Emmitsburg, Maryland at the age of 47.   She was canonized a saint by the Catholic Church on September 14, 1975.  She is certainly a gift to our church and our country.  We are proud to have her for our patron.