Our Lady of Guadalupe

History & Heritage

Our Lady of Guadalupe began on December 12, 1926, when Archbishop Sebastian Messmer blessed a storefront mission chapel at 5th and National Avenue, founded by church-goods dealer Frank Gross, publisher William Bruce, the Knights of Columbus and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to minister to Mexican immigrants. It moved to a former Wisconsin Telephone Company building in 1944 and became a parish at 3rd and Washington in 1946, staffed by the Mercedarian Fathers. On August 28, 1966, hundreds of parishioners carried a banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe six blocks to merge with Holy Trinity Church — the third-oldest Catholic parish in the City of Milwaukee, dedicated in 1850 and previously served by German, Slovenian, Mexican and Puerto Rican families. The merged community took the hyphenated name Holy Trinity–Our Lady of Guadalupe before being simplified to its present name.

• 1926 — Storefront mission chapel blessed by Archbishop Messmer at 5th and National
• 1944 — Mission relocates to a former Wisconsin Telephone Company building
• 1946 — Becomes a parish church at 3rd and Washington under the Mercedarian Fathers
• 1850 — Holy Trinity Church (now the OLG building) dedicated; third-oldest Catholic parish in Milwaukee
• 1966 — Merger of Our Lady of Guadalupe with Holy Trinity at 4th and Bruce
• 2006 — Jesuits assume pastoral care of Our Lady of Guadalupe (already at St. Patrick's since 1982)

Jesuit Identity

Both Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Patrick's are administered by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), the religious order approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 whose initials 'S.J.' stand for 'Society of Jesus.' The order's first three members — Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Peter Faber — were roommates at the University of Paris around 1530. Today roughly 19,000 Jesuits serve worldwide, with about 2,400 in the U.S. (around 100 in the Milwaukee area), running high schools, colleges and universities, retreat houses, parishes and Native American missions. The parishes share the Jesuit motto Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam — 'All for the Greater Glory of God' — and draw on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius as a foundation for their shared spiritual life.

• Society of Jesus (Jesuits) — founded 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier and Peter Faber
• St. Patrick's under Jesuit care since 1982; Our Lady of Guadalupe since 2006
• Motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
• Main U.S. Jesuit ministries: schools, retreat houses, parishes, Native American missions

Clergy & Staff

The parishes are led by Jesuit priests supported by a lay staff who keep both churches running day-to-day.

• Fr. Renzo Rosales, SJ — Pastor (Ext. 105, [email protected])
• Fr. Aaron Pierre, SJ — Associate Pastor ([email protected])
• Silvia Jiménez — Parish Life Director (Ext. 102, [email protected])
• Amanda Espinosa — Business Manager (Ext. 101, [email protected])
• Lorena Badillo — Secretary (Ext. 100, [email protected])
• Michael Angelo Quiroz — Iskali missionary ([email protected])
• Maria Estrada (Chayo) — Sacristan and Events support
• Ismael Soto — Maintenance ([email protected])
• Parish Council: Letzbia Martinez (President), Carlos Esparza (Vice-President)

Parish Groups, Prayer Groups & Music

A wide range of parish groups meet throughout the week, including Spanish-language prayer gatherings, choirs and a 12-step support group.

• Walking With Jesus / Caminando con Jesús — Saturday evening prayer group at St. Patrick's (Coordinator: Natalia Zarate)
• Light of Christ / Luz de Cristo — Monday evening prayer group at Our Lady of Guadalupe (Coordinator: Nicolasa Martínez)
• Al-Anon — 12-step support group for families of alcoholics, Saturday mornings at St. Patrick's (Coordinator: Lucy Beltrán)
• Las Guadalupanas
• The Christian Women
• Mensajeros de la Paz — youth choir (children & teens) for the 5 p.m. Mass at St. Patrick's; practices Tues & Thurs 5–7 p.m.; Director Ricardo Hidalgo
• St. Patrick's Choir / Coro de San Patricio — 10:30 a.m. Mass; Director Judy Negrón
• Youth Choir

Young Adults & Iskali Mission

The parishes host an active Ministry of Young Adults that works closely with Iskali, a young-adult missionary community serving Latino populations. The Iskali team at the parish is led by Michael Angelo Quiroz ([email protected]). Recent parish activity has included an Iskali 'Christ in the City' service day in Denver serving people experiencing homelessness, and a Young Adult St. Patrick's Community Service Day on the near South Side of Milwaukee.

Outreach & Social Justice

Continuing a tradition documented in the academic history of Milwaukee Latinos, the parish reaches out to neighbors experiencing food insecurity and has historically been a base for social activism — from the Sanctuary Movement of the 1980s to membership in MICAH, a multiracial interfaith coalition. The parish website states that 'our parishioners are hard-working, faithful, and generous within their generally modest means' and that donations advance 'the spiritual formation of children and young adults; the celebration of the sacraments; the beautifying of the church interiors; and outreach to those who are food-insecure.'

• Society of St. Vincent de Paul conferences at both parishes
• Food-insecurity outreach
• Sanctuary Movement history (1980s)
• Membership in MICAH interfaith coalition

Our Two Churches

Although the joint parish is run as one community, Masses and devotions are celebrated in two distinct church buildings a few blocks apart on Milwaukee's Near South Side.

• Our Lady of Guadalupe Church — 605 S. 4th Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204 (former Holy Trinity, architect Victor Schulte, dedicated 1850)
• St. Patrick's Church — 723 W. Washington Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204 (dedicated 1893; Irish-American origins dating to 1876; first Spanish Mass Thanksgiving Day 1969)
• Parish office phone: 414-645-7624

Visiting & Getting Involved

Visitors are warmly welcomed at either church. The parish asks that office visits be made by appointment during current office hours, and welcomes new parishioners to join any of the prayer groups, choirs, the Iskali young-adult community, or the parish council. The annual giving page invites support for children's and young-adults' spiritual formation, the celebration of the sacraments, the beautification of the church interiors, and outreach to those who are food-insecure.