About Our Lady of Divine Providence-St. Casimir Site · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Our Lady of Divine Providence is a Roman Catholic parish serving Milwaukee's Riverwest neighborhood from its St. Casimir Church at 2600 North Bremen Street. The parish was canonically established in 2003 through the merger of historic Polish parishes St. Casimir (founded 1893) and St. Mary of Czestochowa (founded 1907), and in May 2021 it consolidated worship at the St. Casimir site after decommissioning St. Mary of Czestochowa. It is staffed as part of the Family of Four Parishes — a pastoral collaboration begun in 2010 with Old St. Mary, Ss. Peter & Paul, and Three Holy Women Parishes that shares priests and ministries across Milwaukee's Riverwest, East Side, and Downtown neighborhoods. The parish describes itself as 'a vibrant worship community' offering sacramental preparation, faith formation, music ministry, social-justice outreach, and community-building events to a diverse, multigenerational congregation.
- Established
- 1893 (St. Casimir parish); 2003 (Our Lady of Divine Providence through merger)
- Patron
- St. Casimir (Polish royal saint; patron of the historic 1893 parish) and Our Lady of Divine Providence (patron of the merged 2003 parish)
- Rector
- Fr. Timothy L. Kitzke
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
Our Lady of Divine Providence is a welcoming, multigenerational parish rooted in more than a century of Riverwest Catholic life and alive with present-day programming for every age. Regulars find a robust sacramental life — weekend Masses in English, weekday Mass and confession, plus sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage — alongside a wide ministry menu: SPRED for adults with special needs, UPLIFT family faith formation, Catholic East Elementary, the Kinship Community Food Center, a community garden, music ministry, support groups, a veterans ministry, senior get-togethers, and prayer and education opportunities around the clock. Being part of the Family of Four Parishes also opens the door to even more shared ministries across Riverwest, the East Side, and Downtown.
Mass times at Our Lady of Divine Providence-St. Casimir Site
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 pm at St. Casimir (before the 4:00 pm Vigil Mass)
- Sunday 9:15 am at St. Casimir (before the 10:00 am Mass)
- Monday 8:00 am (per the weekly Daily Mass & Weekday Confession Schedule; canceled July 4)
Adoration times
- Adoration is listed by the parish on the weekly Daily Mass & Weekday Confession Schedule — see the parish Mass Times page for the current week's hours.
Our Story — From St. Casimir to Our Lady of Divine Providence
The parish of Our Lady of Divine Providence was canonically founded in 2003, but its roots reach back to 1893, when Polish immigrants flooding into Riverwest overwhelmed St. Hedwig's parish on Brady Street. Archbishop Frederick X. Katzer split off the northwestern corner of St. Hedwig's to create St. Casimir, named for the Polish royal saint, and appointed Fr. Tarasiewicz to lead the 300 founding families. The first combined church-and-school building was finished by November 11, 1893, at a cost of $6,300, with the School Sisters of Notre Dame taking over the classrooms. School enrollment grew from 274 children in 1894 to 972 by 1904, and a larger, permanent church was needed. Ground was broken on September 16, 1899 for the present neo-Gothic church, designed and built by E. Brielmaier and Sons; Archbishop Katzer laid the cornerstone on December 10, 1899; the first wedding was held inside the unfinished building on January 9, 1901; and the church was completed that fall. Fr. Tarasiewicz died suddenly on January 18, 1903, after securing a privileged altar from the Vatican granting indulgences to the parish's living and dead.
- 1893 — St. Casimir Parish founded as a Polish-language daughter of St. Hedwig's
- 1901 — Present neo-Gothic church completed; designed by E. Brielmaier and Sons
- 1907 — St. Mary of Czestochowa founded by St. Casimir families who moved north
- 1930s–1940s — Fr. Keiplinski serves the parish, is named Monsignor for smuggling letters to families in Nazi-occupied Poland
- 2003 — St. Casimir and St. Mary of Czestochowa merge to form Our Lady of Divine Providence
- May 2021 — St. Mary of Czestochowa Church decommissioned; consolidated worship at the St. Casimir site
The St. Casimir Church Building
The parish's primary worship site is the St. Casimir Church at 2600 North Bremen Street, a Cream City brick neo-Gothic landmark completed in 1901 and built by Erhard Brielmaier and Sons. Its southwest tower and steeple rise approximately 175 feet from the ground to the top of the cross — the tallest church steeple in the City of Milwaukee north of Walnut Street — and the upper stage of the northwest tower is turned 45 degrees, a one-of-a-kind feature among Milwaukee church towers. Inside, tall vaulted ceilings, columns, balconies, an organ, and the main altar give the space the sense of a true community center, an impression strong enough that the parish chose to retain this building (rather than St. Mary of Czestochowa) when it consolidated in 2021. Immediately east of the church still stands the 1894 combined school/church building, whose top-floor worship space became the school gymnasium once the new church opened.
- Architect: Erhard Brielmaier and Sons
- Construction: 1899–1901; cornerstone laid December 10, 1899
- Style: Neo-Gothic, cream-city brick on stone foundation
- Tallest church steeple in Milwaukee north of Walnut Street (~175 ft)
- Only Milwaukee church tower with its upper stage rotated 45 degrees
- 1894 combined church-and-school building still stands adjacent, used as school gymnasium
Mass & Sacraments
Weekend Masses at St. Casimir are celebrated in English: the Saturday Vigil at 4:00 pm and Sunday at 10:00 am. Confessions are heard at St. Casimir 30 minutes before each Mass — Saturday at 3:15 pm and Sunday at 9:15 am — with additional weekday opportunities published weekly on the parish Mass Times page. Sacramental preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage is offered through the parish. Those inquiring about becoming Catholic are invited into the Family of Four Parishes' OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program, which meets Tuesdays 7:00–9:00 pm at Old St. Mary's Parish Center (835 N Milwaukee St) from September through May, with initiation at the Easter Vigil.
- Saturday Vigil — 4:00 pm (English) at St. Casimir
- Sunday — 10:00 am (English) at St. Casimir
- Confession Saturday 3:15 pm and Sunday 9:15 am at St. Casimir
- Monday 8:00 am Confession (weekly schedule; canceled July 4)
- Tuesday 4:00 pm Mass (per weekly schedule)
- Sacramental Prep for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage
- OCIA Tuesdays 7:00–9:00 pm at Old St. Mary's Parish Center
Family of Four Parishes
Since 2010, Our Lady of Divine Providence has partnered with three neighboring parishes — Old St. Mary, Ss. Peter & Paul, and Three Holy Women — under the banner 'Family of Four Parishes' to share priests, staff, and ministries across Milwaukee's Riverwest, East Side, and Downtown. The four-parish family maintains its own collaboration: a single pastoral team administers the sacraments and oversees the spiritual and material needs of all four parishes, while many staff members have roles that span the collaboration. This shared structure creates additional programming opportunities for parishioners and non-parishioners alike and makes each individual parish stronger.
- Old St. Mary Parish — 844 N Broadway (church); 835 N Milwaukee St (office); 414-271-6180; oldsaintmary.org
- Ss. Peter & Paul Parish — 2490 N Cramer St; 414-962-2443; ssppmilw.org
- Three Holy Women Parish — three worship sites (Holy Rosary, St. Hedwig, St. Rita); 414-271-6577; threeholywomenparish.org
Parish Ministries & Community Outreach
Our Lady of Divine Providence describes itself as 'a vibrant worship community' offering opportunities for community outreach and community building that go well beyond Sunday Mass. Annual events include a winter pancake breakfast, a summer parish picnic, a Christmas bake sale and bazaar, and an annual parish festival. The parish's Human Concerns Committee highlights a partner community organization each month — past partners have included Capuchin Community Services (St. Ben's Community Meal and the House of Peace), Global Solidarity sister parishes in Chiapas, Mexico and Padibe, Uganda, Meta House, the Women's Care Center, and Habitat for Humanity. Other regular offerings include prayer, meditation, and education opportunities for every age, music ministry, various support groups, a community garden, a veterans ministry, senior get-togethers, the Kinship Community Food Center (with monthly service opportunities from the parish office), and the welcoming OremusMKE open-door prayer nights.
- Annual winter pancake breakfast
- Summer parish picnic
- Christmas bake sale and bazaar
- Annual parish festival
- Kinship Community Food Center — monthly service
- Human Concerns Committee monthly community-ministry spotlight
- OremusMKE open-door prayer nights
- Music Ministry; Support Groups; Community Garden; Veterans Ministry; Senior get-togethers
Faith Formation for All Ages
Faith formation is offered across every stage of life through both parish-level programs and the Family of Four collaboration. Families with children participate in UPLIFT (Uniting People Living in Faith and Truth) Family Faith Formation, while Catholic East Elementary provides parochial schooling. SPRED (Special Religious Development) creates small faith communities for people with special needs — at Our Lady of Divine Providence, the parish hosts the SPRED group for adults age 22 and older, while Three Holy Women serves youth 11–16 and Ss. Peter & Paul serves adolescents 17–21. Adults seeking to deepen their faith can join JustFaith, Engaging Spirituality, or Just Matters (Faith & Equity), and the parish supports Social Justice Faith Formation in cooperation with the Director of Social Justice and Outreach.
- UPLIFT Family Faith Formation
- Catholic East Elementary
- SPRED (adult age 22+) — small faith community with symbol-based catechesis
- JustFaith — multi-week program of encounter, discipleship, and justice
- Engaging Spirituality
- Just Matters — Faith & Equity
- Social Justice Faith Formation
Becoming Catholic (OCIA)
For adults interested in exploring or entering the Catholic Church, Our Lady of Divine Providence joins the Family of Four Parishes in running the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Meetings are held on Tuesdays from 7:00–9:00 pm in the Old St. Mary's Parish Center (835 N Milwaukee St). The group meets weekly from September through May, and the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) are received at the Easter Vigil. Contact Chad Griesel, Pastoral Associate, at [email protected] or 414-271-6577 for more information.
- OCIA meetings: Tuesdays 7:00–9:00 pm at Old St. Mary's Parish Center
- Season: weekly September through May
- Easter Vigil — reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist
- Contact: Chad Griesel, Pastoral Associate
Locations & Hours
Our Lady of Divine Providence currently worships at a single site — St. Casimir Church at 2600 N Bremen St, Milwaukee, WI 53212 — with the former sister-church site of St. Mary of Czestochowa (3055 N Fratney St) decommissioned in May 2021. The Parish Office is located at 1716 N Humboldt Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202, and is open Monday–Thursday 9:00 am–4:00 pm and Friday 9:00 am–3:00 pm (closed July 3). The main parish phone is 414-264-0049, with email routed through the Office Administrator, Teresa Gross, at [email protected].
- St. Casimir Church (worship site) — 2600 N Bremen St, Milwaukee, WI 53212
- St. Mary of Czestochowa (decommissioned May 2021) — 3055 N Fratney St
- Parish Office — 1716 N Humboldt Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 9:00 am–4:00 pm; Fri 9:00 am–3:00 pm (closed July 3)
- Phone: 414-264-0049
Get Involved — Serve in Our Parish
Becoming a parishioner is described by the parish as easy as filling out a one-page form for those who are already Roman Catholic; those curious about Catholicism are encouraged to contact the parish office. Ministry openings highlighted on the website include volunteering for OremusMKE (greeting or inviting neighbors in during weekend prayer nights), teaching in the Religious Education (UPLIFT Family Formation) program, and serving as a SPRED catechist with formation and support provided. Those wanting to explore adult faith formation through JustFaith, OCIA, or SPRED are invited to reach out to the staff contacts on the parish website.
- Parishioner registration — one-page form available at the parish office
- OremusMKE volunteer (greeters, outreach, planning)
- Religious Education / UPLIFT Family Formation catechist
- SPRED catechist and parish-chair support (Kathy Tolbert)
- JustFaith, OCIA, and adult formation engagement
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Tarasiewicz (Fr. Taraseiwicz)1893–1903
Founding pastor; oversaw construction of 1893 school/church, commissioned the neo-Gothic Brielmaier church (1899–1901), obtained a privileged altar from the Vatican, and died suddenly on January 18, 1903.
- Fr. Keiplinski1930s–1940s
Longtime pastor honored as Monsignor; helped secure jobs for parishioners during the Depression and smuggled letters between parishioners and family in Nazi-occupied Poland during WWII.