Our Churches
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ST. MARY MAGDALENE CHURCH242 Williams St.
Johnson Creek, WI 53038The first Mass of what would become the St. Mary Magdalene parish was celebrated on November 1, 1906 at Daly’s Hall in Johnson Creek. The celebrant, Fr. Joseph Schroeder, traveled from St. Coletta in Jefferson by horse and buggy to celebrate Mass. When the decision was made to build a church, the design chosen was in the Gothic style, with a 100-foot spire. The 40-family parish was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1907. The church was built with two classrooms in the rear, each 20×39 feet. The school was open from 1907 until 1964. Nuns lived in the upper classroom until a home was built for them in 1923. St. Mary Magdalene became a mission church of St. Francis Xavier in 1946 with the inception of the Madison Diocese. After 1964, sisters from St. Coletta came once a week to lead religious education. At the time of the 75th anniversary celebration of the church in 1981, there were 140 families in the parish. Noted at the the church centennial in 2006 was the fact that the monstrance, donated by the Peter Spangler family in 1907, was still being used. Then pastor Fr. Robert Hughes wrote, “We ardently thank God … for the love for their parish of the people who worshiped and gathered and labored here. From the beginning down to the present day, it is they who have breathed life into St. Mary Magdalene Parish.”
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ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CHURCH606 College St.
Lake Mills, WI 53551Saint Francis Xavier Parish was founded in 1912, originally functioning as a “mission parish” of Saint Joseph in Waterloo, WI. Father Francis Xavier Hess (for whom the parish was named) was the pastor of Saint Joseph and recognized the calling to fill the sacramental needs of Catholics in Lake Mills. He celebrated the first Mass on Christmas Day, 1911 in the home of Mr. and Mrs. George Atwood. In 1915 the land and home on which the current parish center resides was purchased and intended to be used as a rectory. The second story of the home was converted into a chapel with seating capacity of about 100 people. The first mass was celebrated there on February 13, 1916. The current church building was constructed and dedicated on July 4, 1934. The then 50-family community celebrated Mass on Sunday and Wednesday. The parish’s first resident pastor, Fr. Robert Hoeller, began in 1944 and celebrated daily Mass. In 1964 the parish bought property across the street from the church and created the (still existing) parking lot. The Catechetical Center was built in 1966. In 1972 the faceted glass “Bursting Pomegranate” was installed above the sanctuary. At the parish centennial in 2012, emeritus pastor Father Robert Hughes prayed, “…that our efforts may bear fruit unto good as have the efforts of the parishioners who have gone before us.”
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St. Mary Magdalene
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St. Francis Xavier
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