About Immaculate Conception · Fountain City, Wisconsin
Immaculate Conception Parish is a small Catholic church serving Fountain City, Wisconsin, in Buffalo County along the Upper Mississippi River. It is one of three parishes in the Tres Ecclesiae cluster, sharing a single pastor with Saint Lawrence Parish in nearby Alma and Saint Boniface Parish in Waumandee. Tucked into a hillside on North Hill Street, the parish combines a 19th-century brick church with an active schedule of weekday Masses, Eucharistic Adoration, devotions, religious education, and outreach such as Project Milk.
- Established
- 1863
- Patron
- Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Fr. Albert
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Arcadia Deanery)
Why belong here
Immaculate Conception offers the full rhythm of Catholic life in an intimate small-town setting: Sunday Mass at 10:00 am, weekday Mass on Fridays, a dedicated weekly Eucharistic Adoration hour, Sunday confessions half an hour before Mass, and a Rosary said together each Sunday morning. Parishioners are woven into a hands-on community — a Prayer Chain, a Sunday Rosary intention line, a Beautification Committee for flowers and seasonal décor, a Cemetery Committee, and outreach through Project Milk (which sends dried milk to children in Peruvian orphanages). Families with children are well served through the shared Religious Education program for the three Tres Ecclesiae parishes, and new parishioners can simply register using a form in the back of church.
Mass times at Immaculate Conception
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00 pm (St. Boniface, Waumandee)
- Sunday 7:30 am (St. Lawrence, Alma)
- Sunday 9:30 am (Immaculate Conception, Fountain City)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm (St. Boniface, Waumandee)
- Thursday 7:00 am – 8:00 am (St. Lawrence, Alma)
- Friday 7:00 am – 8:00 am (Immaculate Conception, Fountain City)
The Tres Ecclesiae Cluster
Immaculate Conception is one of three parishes — along with St. Lawrence in Alma and St. Boniface in Waumandee — that share a single pastor and operate cooperatively under the Latin name Tres Ecclesiae. The cluster shares a bulletin, website, parish office staff, and Religious Education program, while each parish keeps its own church building, weekly Mass schedule, and parish councils. This shared ministry lets the three small river-valley parishes continue to offer daily Mass, weekly Adoration, and a full Sacramental program despite their modest size.
- Immaculate Conception Parish — Fountain City
- St. Lawrence Parish — Alma (206 Second Street South, P.O. Box 246, Alma, WI 54610)
- St. Boniface Parish — Waumandee (S2022 County Road U, Waumandee, WI 54622)
- Cluster Pastor: Fr. Albert (Mobile 608-863-8815, Rectory 608-687-3496)
- Cluster Office Administrator: Connie Sweno
History of the Parish
Catholic worship in Fountain City organized formally in 1863, the year the Diocese of La Crosse records show Immaculate Conception's sacramental registers beginning. The current brick church was constructed in 1899 — replacing or supplementing earlier facilities — and its Early Gothic Revival form has been a neighborhood landmark on North Hill Street ever since. The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory surveyed it in 1978 under its historic name, St. Mary's Church. In recent decades Immaculate Conception entered the Tres Ecclesiae cluster with St. Lawrence (Alma) and St. Boniface (Waumandee) under Fr. Albert.
- 1863 – First parish records on file with the Diocese of La Crosse
- 1899 – Brick church built in Early Gothic Revival style
- 1978 – Wisconsin Historical Society survey (AHI 2561)
- 21st century – Joined Tres Ecclesiae cluster under Fr. Albert
Sacraments
All seven sacraments are available through the cluster, arranged by contacting the pastor or parish office. Sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation is handled through the shared Religious Education program, directed by DRE Carrie Venner-Adams, while adult preparation (RCIA) begins each Fall with sessions run by the pastor. Marriage requires arrangements six months in advance, and Baptism requests should come in 1–2 months before the desired date.
- Baptism — contact pastor 1–2 months prior
- Marriage — arrangements 6 months in advance
- Anointing of the Sick — request via parish office or pastor
- RCIA — sessions begin in Fall, contact the pastor
- First Communion / Confirmation — contact DRE Carrie Venner-Adams, 507-450-7191
- Visitation — notify the pastor when a homebound or hospitalized parishioner wishes Holy Communion
Religious Education & Youth
Faith formation for elementary and youth ages is shared across Immaculate Conception, St. Lawrence, and St. Boniface under Director of Religious Education Carrie Venner-Adams. The cluster prepares children for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation, and welcomes inquiries from families in any of the three parishes.
- Director of Religious Education: Carrie Venner-Adams (507-450-7191)
- Elementary and youth preparation available across the three parishes
- RCIA available for adults seeking baptism, confirmation, or full communion
Parish Life & Ministries
Immaculate Conception's parish life is built around a small circle of named ministries that keep the church beautiful, the Sunday prayer intentional, and the wider community remembered. Volunteers are actively welcomed into most of them.
- Beautification Committee — flowers and seasonal décor in the church, monthly rotation pairs (contact Connie at [email protected])
- Prayer Chain — active chain of intercessory prayer (contact Bernice Semling, 608-687-8530)
- Sunday Rosary — intentions gathered by Rita Bechly (608-687-8180)
- Cemetery Committee — care and maintenance of the parish cemetery
- Church & Finance Council — bimonthly meetings, helps set the parish direction
- Mass Intentions — $20 per intention, requested via blue envelopes at the church entrances
Outreach: Project Milk
Project Milk is a diocesan-wide collection that turns donations into powdered milk for children in Peruvian orphanages. Donations are gathered at both entrances of Immaculate Conception, where envelopes are placed in the pews; a $100 donation buys a 50-pound sack of milk, which the parish notes is enough to feed 72 children for one week.
- Diocesan program serving Peruvian orphanages
- $100 funds a 50-pound sack feeding 72 children for one week
- Donation envelopes available at both church entrances
Visit, Register & Stay Connected
New parishioners are invited to register using the Family Registration sheets in the back of church, which can then be returned in the weekend collection. Sunday Masses from the cluster are televised and live-streamed on the Diocese of La Crosse website, its YouTube channel, and on Facebook, so even people who cannot be physically present can follow along. The parish office at 2 North Hill Street is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, with staff available by phone at (608) 687-8418 or by email at [email protected].
- Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00 am – 2:30 pm
- Phone: (608) 687-8418
- Email: [email protected]
- Online: tresecclesiae.org and facebook.com/.../100064257146574
- New parishioners: registration forms in the back of the church