About Our Lady of the Lake · Green Lake, Wisconsin
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish located at 530 Ruth Street in Green Lake, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Madison. The parish sits in the heart of the Green Lake community, where Catholics have worshipped on this site since 1909. Since March 1, 2025, Our Lady of the Lake has been one of six worship sites in the newly established Mater Dei Parish, which also includes All Saints (Berlin), St. Mary (Kingston), St. Joseph (Markesan), St. James (Neshkoro), and St. John the Baptist (Princeton). Msgr. James L. Gunn serves as pastor of the unified parish, assisted by parochial vicars Fr. Eric Nielsen and Fr. Anthony Thirumalareddy, along with Deacon Terry Larbes.
- Established
- 1908 (cornerstone laid); 1909 (first church dedicated); 1921 (became independent parish)
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Lake (the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Lake)
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. James L. Gunn (Pastor of Mater Dei Parish, installed March 30, 2025; ordained 1977)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
Our Lady of the Lake offers a small, intimate Catholic community in the heart of Green Lake, where parishioners can know one another and worship together in a church with more than a century of local history — its cornerstone was laid in 1908 and the present worship space has served since 1961. The parish provides daily and Sunday Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Fridays, regular Saturday and Sunday confessions, and a strong rosary tradition before weekday Masses. As part of the new Mater Dei Parish (established March 2025), Green Lake worshippers are supported by a unified pastoral team, retain their own historic worship site, and share in the broader life of five neighboring parishes including All Saints Catholic School in Berlin.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:00–4:45 PM
- Sunday — 30 minutes before each Mass
- First Friday and First Saturday — after Mass
- By appointment anytime
Adoration times
- Friday 8:30–9:30 AM (after the 8:00 AM Mass)
Parish Identity & History
Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Green Lake, Wisconsin, traces its roots to 1908, when the local Catholic community laid the cornerstone for its first church on the corner of Lake and Ruth Streets. Dedicated in 1909 and built for $2,800, the original building served as a mission of St. Patrick's Church in Ripon until 1921, when it became an independent parish. A bungalow-style rectory was added in 1951 for religious instruction, and the original mortgage was paid off in 1956. The present, larger church — built to seat 450 — was dedicated on June 4, 1961, and the original steeple was preserved on an adjacent lot on Ruth Street.
- Cornerstone laid: August 23, 1908
- First church dedicated: 1909
- Independent parish status: 1921
- New church dedicated: June 4, 1961 (450-seat capacity)
- Original 1909 steeple preserved on Ruth Street
Mater Dei Parish & 'Into the Deep' Reorganization
Our Lady of the Lake is one of six historic churches that together form Mater Dei Parish, established on March 1, 2025, by Bishop Donald J. Hying of the Diocese of Madison. The unification grew out of the diocese's 'Into the Deep' pastoral planning initiative, which grouped the parish into Pastorate 10 (also called the Mater Dei Pastorate). Msgr. James L. Gunn was installed as the parish's first pastor on March 30, 2025, at All Saints Church in Berlin, after serving as parochial administrator since August 2024.
- All Saints Church — Berlin
- Our Lady of the Lake Church — Green Lake
- St. Mary Church — Kingston
- St. Joseph Church — Markesan
- St. James Church — Neshkoro
- St. John the Baptist Church — Princeton
- All Saints Catholic School — Berlin (parish school)
Clergy & Parish Staff
Mater Dei Parish is shepherded by Msgr. James L. Gunn, who was ordained in 1977 and also serves the diocese as Vicar for Priests. He is assisted by two parochial vicars and a permanent deacon who travel among the six worship sites to celebrate Mass and the sacraments.
- Rev. Msgr. James L. Gunn — Pastor
- Rev. Fr. Eric Nielsen — Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Fr. Anthony (Tony) Thirumalareddy — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Terry Larbes
Sacramental & Devotional Life
The parish maintains a robust devotional rhythm, centered on the Eucharist. Weekly Friday Eucharistic Adoration follows the morning Mass, and Confession is offered Saturday afternoons, before each Sunday Mass, and after First Friday and First Saturday Masses — as well as by appointment. A longstanding weekday rosary tradition precedes daily Mass.
- Eucharistic Adoration — Fridays, 8:30–9:30 AM
- Confession — Saturdays 4:00–4:45 PM
- Confession — 30 minutes before each Sunday Mass
- Confession — after First Friday / First Saturday Masses
- Confession — by appointment anytime
- Rosary — Wed/Thu/Fri at 7:30 AM
Parish Office, Private Prayer & Visiting
Our Lady of the Lake keeps its church carport doors open throughout the week for visitors and quiet prayer, in addition to staffing a small parish office for administrative needs. This makes the church a welcoming stop not only for Mass-goers but also for travelers, vacationers on Green Lake, and locals seeking a place of stillness.
- Parish office hours: Monday & Tuesday, 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- Private prayer: Tuesday – Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (carport doors open)
- Phone: (920) 294-6440
- Email: [email protected]
- Mailing address: 530 Ruth Street, Green Lake, WI 54941
Faith Formation & School
The parish's children attend All Saints Catholic School in Berlin, the parish school of the unified Mater Dei Parish. All Saints School serves students from across the six worship communities of Mater Dei, including the Green Lake area. The Green Lake site itself housed religious instruction classes in the bungalow-style rectory built in 1951, a legacy that continues today in shared faith-formation programming.
- All Saints Catholic School (Berlin) — parish school of Mater Dei
- Address: 151 S. Grove Street, Berlin, WI 54923
- Phone: (920) 361-1781
- Email: [email protected]
- Principal: Mrs. Jana Dahms
- Religious instruction at Green Lake dates to the 1951 bungalow rectory
Why Belong or Visit
Our Lady of the Lake offers a small, walkable parish community in the heart of Green Lake — a place where the same family names have worshipped for generations. Visitors will find a generous daily Mass schedule, a quiet weekly Eucharistic hour, and a long rosary tradition before weekday Masses. As one of six worship sites of Mater Dei Parish, the church is part of a wider Catholic family across northern Green Lake County while still preserving its own historic identity, its 1961 church, and the 1909 steeple that marks its founding.
- Century-plus history on the same Ruth Street site
- Daily Mass Tuesday through Friday
- Friday Eucharistic Adoration
- Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses
- Part of the new Mater Dei Parish (est. March 1, 2025)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Fr. John Silva
Pastor of All Saints Parish (Berlin) and Our Lady of the Lake Parish (Green Lake); appointed from St. Luke Parish (Plain) and St. John the Evangelist Parish (Spring Green); also served as Vicar Forane of the Columbia North Vicariate Forane.
- Rev. Fr. Peter Auer
Succeeded as pastor of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Green Lake; reassigned in 2021 to pastor of St. Francis de Sales (Hazel Green) and St. Joseph (Sinsinawa).
- Rev. Msgr. James L. Gunn2024–present
Served as parochial administrator of the Pastorate 10 parishes from August 2024; installed as the first pastor of the newly established Mater Dei Parish on March 30, 2025, by Bishop Donald J. Hying.