St. Augustine

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)

Belgian and Dutch immigrants arrived in the Harrison area in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Fr. Charles Googstoel from Flanders, Belgium, encouraged and paved the way for his fellow countrymen to settle in Harrison. As the community grew, a new permanent place of worship was needed. St. Augustine Church was dedicated on June 1, 1906, one of the first parishes established in the newly created Diocese of Superior. In 1936 a rectory was built and Fr. Henry Kiel was the first resident pastor. Fr. Tobias Lochtefeld was assigned to the parish in 1951 and St. John the Baptist in Bloomville was made a mission of St. Augustine. Under Fr. Lochtefeld’s guidance the parish celebrated its golden jubilee with the dedication of a new church in 1956. The parish’s history changed drastically in 1981 when Bishop George A. Hammes appointed Sr. Marla Lang, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, as pastoral administrator of the Harrison-Bloomville parishes. She was the first woman and layperson to serve in this capacity in the diocese and Wisconsin. Priests from nearby Tomahawk administered the sacraments at both parishes. In 1993, Sr. Lang resigned and Michele Rein assumed the role of parish director.

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