St. Theresa

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)

Before a church was built in Three Lakes, Fr. Adam J. July celebrated Masses in private homes. In 1894, permission was granted by Bishop Sebastian G Messmer, bishop of Green Bay, to build a church. In 1899, Fr. Prosper Geopfert saw the completion of a small wooden church, located where the present church now stands. St. Theresa served as a mission to St. Peter the Fisherman Parish until 1909, when it became a mission of the new St. Joseph Parish in Rhinelander. In 1943, Fr. Joseph Himmelsbach was appointed the first resident pastor and a rectory was built for him. On June 28, 1956, Bishop Joseph J. Annabring dedicated the new St. Theresa Church.

By the time Fr. Henry Gosanski became pastor in June 1967, the church was too small for the summer crowds. A new addition to the church was built and dedicated on August 24, 1969, by Bishop George A. Hammes. Among parish members who became diocesan priests were Richard Burzynski and John Stoehr, both deceased. Another member, Sr. Mary Charles (Henrietta Rydzewski) joined the Sisters of Mercy of the Holy Cross in Merrill.

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