Mishicot Catholics prepare to celebrate 150 years of faith at anniversary Mass

MISHICOT — Holy Cross Church has hosted some of the most important moments in Joe Samz’s life.

Fr. John Becker, pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Mishicot, stands near the church entrance. Holy Cross will celebrate its 150th anniversary Oct. 26 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken. (Benjamin Wideman | For The Compass)

Fr. John Becker, pastor of Holy Cross Parish in Mishicot, stands near the church entrance. Holy Cross will celebrate its 150th anniversary Oct. 26 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken. (Benjamin Wideman | For The Compass)

“I was baptized here, I had first Communion here and I was confirmed here, so this church definitely means a lot to me,” Samz said while standing outside the church on a recent sunny afternoon. “I’ve been going to this church all 88 years I’ve been alive and I think it’s a wonderful church. I hope it’s around for a long time into the future, too.”

Joe and Audrey, his wife of 67 years, are among the roughly 460 families who lovingly call Holy Cross Church their home.

Anniversary Mass and dinner

The parish is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year, highlighted by a special Mass at 4 p.m. Oct. 26 at which Bishop David Ricken will preside. A family-style dinner will follow the Mass (to make dinner reservations, call the parish office at (920) 755-2550).

Parishioners and church leaders alike say this is a memorable year for Holy Cross Church.

“To be celebrating 150 years, it shows that this church has had a strong foundation, and that the people take pride in their parish community,” said Fr. John Becker, who was appointed to serve as Holy Cross pastor in July 2011. He also serves as pastor at St. Anne in Francis Creek and St. Augustine in Kossuth.

In his many years as a pastor, Fr. Becker said this is the first time he’s been at a parish that’s celebrating its 150th anniversary. “It’s quite a big milestone,” he said.

Donald Krajnik, another longtime parish member, said that attending church and school at Holy Cross over the years “made me a better person and gave me a lot of moral ideas to live up to. So I think it’s great that the church is still going strong.”

In the mid-1800s, the Catholics of Mishicot were visited only occasionally by Jesuit priests, with services held at area residents’ homes. It wasn’t until 1854 that a small chapel was built as a place of worship.

Parish established in 1863 with 70 families

The parish officially formed in 1863 with about 70 families. The land on which the parish buildings stand was donated by Oliver LeClair. His was the first recorded marriage to take place at the parish, and he is buried in the old parish cemetery.

An exterior view of Holy Cross Church in Mishicot. The parish officially formed in 1863 with about 70 families. (Benjamin Wideman | For The Compass)

An exterior view of Holy Cross Church in Mishicot. The parish officially formed in 1863 with about 70 families. (Benjamin Wideman | For The Compass)

Fr. A.B. Rinkes served as the first pastor of the parish. Other pastors over the years included Fr. Hellweger, Fr. George Veith, Fr. H. Reuter, Fr. Sales Beck, Fr. A.N. Buschle, Fr. W.F. VanRossemalen, Fr. Aloysius Bastian, Fr. Phillip St. Louis, Fr. Arthur Belle, Fr. Michael Gonnering, Fr. Alfred Pritzl, Fr. Joseph Van Bogart, Fr. George Beth, Fr. Anthony Betley, Fr. Earl Brouchoud, Fr. Richard Allen, Fr. James Feeley, Fr. John Neuser, Fr. Paul Paider and, now, Fr. Becker.

Among some of their notable accomplishments at the parish:

  • With the help of John Cochems, Fr. St. Louis built a one-room school building. The Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross in Bay Settlement were the first teachers at the school and continued to serve the parish until 1991.
  • In 1915, during Fr. Belle’s tenure, the church (which had been rebuilt in 1894) was redecorated and oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross were donated by parishioners. The paintings and the names of the donors still grace the walls of the church.
  • The present school, parish hall and sisters’ convent (now administrative offices) were built during Fr. Beth’s tenure (1946-1958).
  • In 1961, during Fr. Betley’s tenure (1958-1971), the current rectory was built and the church was remodeled and enlarged to its current size.
  • Under Fr. Neuser’s leadership, beginning in 1992, the parish became debt free for the first time in many years.

Parishioners share memories

“It’s just a beautiful church we have here,” Krajnik said. “There aren’t a lot of fancy paintings everywhere, but it’s clean and nice. We’ve got some beautiful statues and the church itself is very, very nice. It has been well taken care of over the years here.”

Krajnik attended church with his family every Sunday as a youngster, and now he and his wife, Elsie, attend Mass together every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday (Elsie also goes on Saturdays).

Donald, who also serves at Mass on Tuesdays and weekdays, was the parish council chairperson about 10 years ago, and before that he was assistant chair and served on several other committees.

Krajnik vividly remembers attending Holy Cross School for grades one through eight and attending church with his family.

“One of the things different now from back then, we had to go to confession before Communion almost every time back then,” he said. “Some things are the same, but some things have changed over the years.”

Samz also attended Holy Cross School for grades one through eight, during which time he went to Mass every morning.

“I remember I was the president of our eighth-grade class, and there were only eight students in that class,” Samz said. “Our family would go to church back then — there were 12 kids in our family — and we always sat in the same row each week. That was kind of our row.

“We never missed church,” he said, “except one winter we were snowed in and couldn’t get there for a week or two. Besides that, our family never missed church.”

Samz’s father, Oscar, who lived to be 100, was the financial secretary at Holy Cross for several years, and his mother, Frances, who lived to be 97, sang in the church choir. Samz noted that his great-grandparents are buried in the church’s old cemetery.

These days, Joe and Audrey Samz attend Mass every Saturday afternoon.

“Audrey and I, we like going to Mass a lot,” Joe said. “We are always happy to go over to Holy Cross and hear Fr. John speak. We love him; he’s a real go-getter.”

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