About Holy Ghost · Dickeyville, Wisconsin
Holy Ghost Catholic Parish is a historic rural parish in the village of Dickeyville, Wisconsin, founded in 1872 when forty-five families gathered at the Dickeyville town hall to plan a Catholic church on land purchased by Bishop Henni of Milwaukee. The parish shares its pastor with neighboring Immaculate Conception Parish in Kieler (just two miles away), and together the two parishes operate Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception Catholic School. Today more than 300 families belong to Holy Ghost, and the parish grounds are home to the world-famous Dickeyville Grotto, built by pastor Father Matthias Wernerus between 1925 and 1930. The parish sits within the Diocese of Madison and is part of the broader St. Dominic Pastorate.
- Established
- 1872
- Patron
- Holy Ghost (Holy Spirit)
- Rector
- Rev. Bernard "Bernie" Rott (also pastor of Immaculate Conception, Kieler)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
Holy Ghost is a faithful rural Catholic community in southwest Wisconsin where more than 300 families worship together. Members are drawn by a 150-year-old parish life that includes a parish-run K-8 school shared with sister parish Immaculate Conception, a vibrant Council of Catholic Women, an annual Labor Day Picnic dating back to 1914, a long-running summer garage sale, a Grotto Board that welcomes 15,000–25,000 visitors a year, and family faith formation programs. It is a parish where newcomers are welcomed to register and find a place in longstanding traditions of prayer, education, and community.
Mass times at Holy Ghost
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:20 pm (at Holy Ghost, per parish schedule)
- By appointment anytime (St. Dominic Pastorate-wide)
Adoration times
- 1st Friday, 8:45–9:45 am at Holy Ghost
History of Holy Ghost Parish
Holy Ghost Parish traces its beginnings to June 8, 1872, when forty-five families gathered at the Dickeyville town hall and resolved to build a Catholic church on land purchased by Bishop Henni of Milwaukee. Over the next century the parish recorded 2,544 baptisms, 700 marriages, and 690 funerals between 1913 and 2013 alone. The defining chapter of its history is the creation of the Dickeyville Grotto between 1925 and 1930 by Father Matthias Wernerus, then pastor, who together with parishioners transformed the church grounds into an internationally recognized devotional landscape.
The Dickeyville Grotto
The Dickeyville Grotto & Shrines sit on Holy Ghost Parish grounds and are the life's work of Father Matthias Wernerus, a German-American priest who served the parish from 1918 until his death in 1931. Built between 1925 and 1930 of stone, mortar, and brightly colored materials collected from around the world, the Grotto was constructed without blueprints and is supported underground with almost as much material as appears above ground. It was formally dedicated on September 14, 1930, and welcomes an estimated 15,000–25,000 visitors each year.
- Grotto of Christ the King and Mary His Mother
- Grotto of the Sacred Heart
- Grotto of the Holy Eucharist (begun 1924)
- Patriotism Shrine
- Stations of the Cross (added 1964)
- Our Lady of Fatima Shrine (added 1998)
- Dickeyville Grotto Gift Shop (open Wed–Sat, 10:00 am–3:00 pm, seasonal)
Parish Life & Annual Traditions
Long-standing community traditions are a hallmark of Holy Ghost. The parish Labor Day Picnic, first held in 1914, continues each year on the Sunday before Labor Day with chicken and ham dinner in the school gymnasium, games, prizes, raffles, refreshments, and live music in the evening. The Holy Ghost Garage Sale, run out of the church basement from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, raises funds for the parish, school, grotto, and community.
- Annual Labor Day Picnic (since 1914)
- Summer Garage Sale (Memorial Day through Labor Day)
- Bake sales and garden-produce sales
- Canned beef sales
- Family Faith Formation gatherings
Parish Organizations & Ministries
Both Holy Ghost and Immaculate Conception offer many opportunities to be connected with the faith family. The Holy Ghost Council of Catholic Women meets on the third Tuesday of each month and runs monthly parish breakfasts in November, February, March, and April, a Christmas collection for the Family Promise Project, and rose sales for Right to Life. The Grotto Board maintains the grotto buildings and grounds; the Endowment Board oversees an education-focused fund; and the Picnic Committee organizes the annual fundraiser.
- Holy Ghost Council of Catholic Women (CCW)
- Holy Ghost Grotto Board
- Holy Ghost Endowment Board
- Holy Ghost Parish Picnic Committee
- Holy Ghost Garage Sale
- Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception School Education Commission
- Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception School Development Committee
- Holy Ghost and Immaculate Conception Pastoral Council
- Holy Ghost and Immaculate Conception Youth Choir
Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception School
Holy Ghost and Immaculate Conception parishes jointly operate Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception Catholic School (hgicschool.com), serving preschool through 8th grade. Preschool through 3rd grade classrooms are housed in the Dickeyville (Holy Ghost) school building, while grades 4 through 8 are located in the Kieler (Immaculate Conception) school building. The HG-IC Education Commission and School Development Committee provide parish-side governance and fundraising support.
- Preschool–3rd grade at Dickeyville building
- Grades 4–8 at Kieler building
- Family Faith Formation program
- Totus Tuus summer catechetical camp (hosted at Immaculate Conception, Kieler)
Becoming a Member
The parish welcomes newcomers who want to learn more about Holy Ghost or formally register as parishioners. Holy Ghost administrative assistant Lois Dietzel is the point of contact for joining the parish.
- Contact Lois Dietzel at Holy Ghost parish office
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00 am – Noon
- Phone: (608) 568-7519
Visiting the Dickeyville Grotto & Gift Shop
Even outside Mass times, the parish grounds attract tens of thousands of visitors each year to the Dickeyville Grotto & Shrines. The on-site Gift Shop offers religious items, First Communion gifts, and souvenirs, and guided tours of the restored site are available by appointment. A separate Friends of the Grotto Committee coordinates volunteer heritage-restoration work to conserve the site.
- Gift Shop hours: Wednesday–Saturday, 10:00 am–3:00 pm (seasonal)
- Guided tours available by appointment
- dickeyvillegrotto.com
- Phone: (608) 568-3119
Contact & Office Information
Holy Ghost Parish Office is located at 305 West Main Street in Dickeyville. Office hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 am to Noon, and the parish shares administrative and pastoral staff with Immaculate Conception Parish in Kieler as part of the St. Dominic Pastorate.
- Address: 305 West Main Street, PO Box 429, Dickeyville, WI 53808
- Phone: (608) 568-7519
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Tuesday & Thursday, 8:00 am – Noon
- Website: hgicchurches.org
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Matthias Wernerus1918–1931
Built the Dickeyville Grotto between 1925 and 1930; died of pneumonia in February 1931.