About Holy Cross · Green Bay, Wisconsin
Holy Cross Catholic Church is a vibrant Norbertine parish in the Bay Settlement neighborhood on the northeast side of Green Bay, Wisconsin, within the Diocese of Green Bay. The parish has served the Bay Settlement community for 172 years and is part of a historic church-and-convent complex listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Worship, faith formation for grades K–11, the parish-sponsored Holy Cross Catholic School (PK3–8, part of the GRACE system), OCIA, and a range of outreach and fellowship ministries are all part of parish life.
- Established
- 1834
- Patron
- Holy Cross (the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
- Rector
- Abbot Dane Radecki, O. Praem. (Parish Administrator, effective July 1; succeeds Abbot Gary Neville, O. Praem., who is concluding his eight years as pastor on June 30)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
Holy Cross is a long-standing, growing Norbertine Catholic community in northeast Green Bay where members are invited to deepen their faith, share their gifts, and serve others. The parish offers daily and weekend Mass in a beautiful 1931 Romanesque Revival church, a K–11 faith formation program with Sacramental Prep, year-round fellowship (parish picnic, Polka Mass, ice cream social, bingo nights), and outreach ministries through the parish office. With its parish-sponsored Holy Cross Catholic School (PK3–8) and active OCIA and youth Sacramental Prep programs, families can grow together in one faith community anchored in the Norbertine values of trust, sincerity, and respect.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:30 PM–3:50 PM
- By appointment
Welcome to Holy Cross Parish
Holy Cross Parish is a Norbertine Catholic community in the Bay Settlement neighborhood on the northeast side of Green Bay. The parish mission states: 'Holy Cross Parish Family, with the Eucharist as our center, welcomes all God's people through our open doors. By working together as a strong faith community, we live what we believe. Our Catholic heritage and solid educational tradition provide the foundation upon which we build for the future.'
- Sunday Masses at 8:00 AM and 10:00 AM
- Saturday Vigil at 4:00 PM
- Weekday Mass Wednesday–Friday at 8:00 AM
- Reconciliation Saturdays 3:30–3:50 PM (or by appointment)
- Parish Office Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Our Story and the Bay Settlement Community
Holy Cross is rooted in 1834, when Father Theodore Van den Broek built a chapel along Green Bay's eastern shore. By the 1850s the parish was led in part by Belgian priest Father Edward Daems, who drew immigrant families to the area. A white-pine church was built in 1852, a rectory in 1862, and a parish school in 1868. The community has been designated a Norbertine parish since 1904, when the Norbertines of St. Norbert Abbey assumed pastoral responsibility. What was once a rural farming crossroads is now a sprawling suburban Green Bay neighborhood, and Holy Cross has grown from 321 households in 1992 to more than 600 households today.
- Chapel established 1834 by Father Theodore Van den Broek, O.Praem.
- First church built of white pine, 1852
- Rectory built 1862; parish school built 1868
- Norbertine Order takes pastoral charge, 1904
- Present brick church built, 1931
- Parish grows from 321 households (1992) to 600+ households today
Norbertine Heritage
Since 1904 Holy Cross has been a designated Norbertine parish. The Norbertines (Order of Premontré) at St. Norbert Abbey in De Pere staff the parish and shape its identity around their values of community, communion, trust, sincerity, and respect for others. The parish website emphasizes living these values by deepening spiritual roots while being agents of positive change and being deeply engaged in the place one calls home.
- Norbertine stewardship since 1904 (122 years)
- St. Norbert Abbey is the founding abbey of the local community
- Values: community, communion, trust, sincerity, respect
Pastoral Team and Parish Staff
Holy Cross is currently led by Abbot Gary Neville, O. Praem., as Pastor, with Deacon Darrell Lubenow assisting. The parish has announced a leadership transition: Abbot Gary will conclude his eight years of service on June 30, and Abbot Dane Radecki, O. Praem., will return to Holy Cross as Parish Administrator beginning July 1. Lay staff include the Director of Faith Formation and Community Outreach (Angela Bieda), the Parish Coordinator (Eileen Jahnke), an Accountant (Ray Sears), Maintenance (Dave Delfose), a Maintenance Manager (Amy Sorenson), and a team of office volunteers.
- Abbot Gary Neville, O. Praem. — Pastor (through June 30)
- Abbot Dane Radecki, O. Praem. — incoming Parish Administrator (from July 1)
- Deacon Darrell Lubenow — Parish Deacon
- Angela Bieda — Director of Faith Formation and Community Outreach (ext. 105)
- Eileen Jahnke — Parish Coordinator (ext. 102)
- Ray Sears — Accountant (ext. 103)
- Dave Delfose — Maintenance
- Amy Sorenson — Maintenance Manager
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
The parish publishes a straightforward schedule of weekend, vigil, and weekday Masses, with Saturday afternoon Reconciliation. Confession is also available by appointment.
- Saturday Vigil — 4:00 PM
- Sunday — 8:00 AM & 10:00 AM
- Wednesday–Friday — 8:00 AM
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:30 PM–3:50 PM (or by appointment)
Sacraments
Holy Cross prepares parishioners for all seven sacraments. Baptisms are celebrated after preparation with the parish priest. Confirmation is usually celebrated in 11th grade and includes a day-long retreat, service hours, sponsor selection, and required paperwork. OCIA (formerly RCIA) welcomes unbaptized adults and baptized Christians seeking full communion, typically forming in the Fall and concluding at the Easter Vigil. Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy Orders are arranged through the parish office.
- Baptism — prepare through the parish office
- Confirmation — Grade 11 preparation (sessions, retreat, service hours, sponsor)
- Eucharist (First Communion) — Grade 2 preparation
- Reconciliation — Saturday 3:30–3:50 PM or by appointment
- OCIA — Fall formation ending at the Easter Vigil
- Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders by arrangement
Faith Formation (K–11)
Holy Cross's K–11 faith formation program supports parents as the primary educators of their children in the faith. Catechists and small-group leaders lead weekly classes with engaging, age-appropriate content, and families with children at Catholic schools register only for Sacramental Prep. Sacramental fees are kept low, and no family is turned away for inability to pay. Catechists receive free tuition for their own children in the program, and the parish also offers a SCRIP gift-card program that earns tuition credit for participating families.
- Weekly K–11 classes with catechists and small-group leaders
- Grade 1 required before First Reconciliation/Communion in Grade 2
- Grade 10 required before Confirmation in Grade 11
- Wednesday evening Confirmation prep for all 11th graders (including Catholic high school students)
- Tuition: $110 / $200 / $275 family max; Sacramental fees $50 each
- SCRIP gift-card tuition credit program
Holy Cross Catholic School
Holy Cross Catholic School, located at 3002 Bay Settlement Road, has been in continuous operation since 1868. It is a private Catholic PK3–8 school and a member of the Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) system. The school focuses on whole-student development — mind, body, and soul — cultivating critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication in a faith-filled culture of stewardship.
- Address: 3002 Bay Settlement Road, Green Bay, WI 54311
- Grades: Preschool (PK3) through Grade 8
- Member of the GRACE school system
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: (920) 468-0625
- Website: www.holycrossfamily.org
Parish Life, Fellowship, and Outreach
Parish life revolves around worship, formation, and fellowship. Annual events include the Parish Picnic with Polka Mass, ice cream socials welcoming new clergy, and Family Fun Bingo Nights. The parish offers adult faith formation, prayer and social groups, and a robust volunteer corps that supports both the parish office and its ministries. The Parish Center is available for facility rentals to support community gatherings.
- Annual Holy Cross Parish Picnic with Polka Mass (Herman's Club Booyah, live music, cash raffle, silent auctions, beer tent, kids games)
- Ice Cream Social welcoming Abbot Dane Radecki
- Family Fun Bingo Nights
- Volunteer opportunities in ministries and parish office
- Parish Center / facility rentals
The Holy Cross Church and Convent Complex
The parish occupies a six-building historic complex on Bay Settlement Road determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for architecture (period of significance 1862–1932). The 1931 Romanesque Revival brick church by architect W. E. Reynolds stands alongside the 1862 rectory, the circa-1880 convent (later home to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross), the 1916 Gothic Revival convent wing by Foeller, Schober, and Berners, and the 1932 Colonial Revival convent addition also by Reynolds.
- 1931 Romanesque Revival brick church — W. E. Reynolds, architect
- 1862 rectory
- c. 1880 original convent
- 1916 Gothic Revival convent wing — Foeller, Schober, and Berners
- 1932 Colonial Revival convent wing — W. E. Reynolds
- NRHP-eligible complex (Criterion C, Architecture)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Abbot Gary Neville, O. Praem.approx. 8 years
Norbertine pastor whose term ends June 30; previously Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey (2003–2018).
- Abbot Dane Radecki, O. Praem.from July 1
Returning as Parish Administrator beginning July 1; Abbot of St. Norbert Abbey 2018–2026.