Saints Peter & Paul

The history of the Diocese of Superior dates back to the 17th century. Our Journey Through Faith offers a glimpse into the historic events that played a role in the growth of Catholicism in Northern Wisconsin. Diocese of Superior - Statistics

Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior,

View the summary from the last Parish self-assessment questionnaire conducted in 2012.

Read the 98-page Executive Report 2013 (PDF)

From 1891 to 1896, services were held in private homes. In 1897, Bishop James Schwebach granted permission for construction of a church within the Diocese of La Crosse. Lumber baron, Fredrick Weyerhaeuser, donated 12 acres of land for the site. The building was used until 1952.

SS. Peter and Paul Church has a strong Polish heritage. Homilies were in English and Polish until the 1970’s. It boasts a men’s group whose founding notes were written in Polish. The priest in Weyerhaeuser also served Assumption of the Blessed Mary Church in Strickland. A school was added to the parish in 1936. The school reached a maximum enrollment of 90 students. The Servants of Mary of Ladysmith taught classes. The school was closed in 1968.

In 1944, a building fund began for a new church. Ground breaking for the new church took place on April 24, 1951. Up until the 1960’s Weyerhaeuser had seven grocery stores, and several hotels. The railroad roundhouse was removed in the late ‘60’s, which was a devastating blow to the town’s economy.

Today, SS Peter and Paul Parish hosts an annual Polish dinner, and each Labor Day celebrates with the town in a festival called Booster Days with a polka Mass and dinner.

REFERENCE: Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior,
by Sam Lucero, 2005.