Presentation of the Blessed Virgin - Holy Family Parish

Welcome to Holy Family Catholic Community

Holy Family Catholic Community is a vibrant, multi-cultural parish of about 5,700 families in the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin area — one of the northernmost parishes in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Fond du Lac sits on the south shore of Lake Winnebago, the largest inland lake in Wisconsin. The parish's stated mission is to be a Catholic community empowered through the Holy Spirit to love God and follow Jesus Christ through faith, worship, and witness, with a vision of 'Disciples in Christ living witness to the good news.' Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, at 705 Michigan Avenue in the village of North Fond du Lac, is one of the community's six worship sites.

History of Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish

Founded in 1902 by Father John Collins at the request of about 70 Catholic families, Presentation grew from a 20-pew wood-frame church dedicated in 1903 into a Gothic brick church (1915) and a four-room brick school staffed by the Sisters of St. Agnes from 1929 to 1990. After a 1990s renovation that improved accessibility, the school merged into the Fond du Lac Area Catholic Education System (FACES), and in July 2020 Presentation joined the new Holy Family Catholic Community.

• 1902 — Parish established; Father John Collins named first resident pastor
• 1903 — Frame church dedicated at Garfield and Minnesota Streets
• 1915 — Gothic-style brick church dedicated November 25 under Fr. Joseph Heller
• 1928-29 — Brick school built; Sisters of St. Agnes take charge
• 1956 — School addition completed
• 1962 — New sisters' convent built thanks to Mame Donovan bequest
• 1989 and late 1990s — Church and parish hall renovations; accessibility upgrades
• 1991 — Convent converted into Touchstone senior living
• 2000 — Parish becomes part of Holy Family Catholic Community
• 2020 — Merger of parishes consolidates Presentation into Holy Family
• 2021 — Former Presentation School sold to North Fond du Lac School District

Worship Sites of the Parish

Holy Family Catholic Community is a city-wide parish with nearly 20 Masses each week, 12 of them on weekends, celebrated across six worship sites in and around Fond du Lac.

• Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary — 705 Michigan Ave., North Fond du Lac (corner of Michigan Ave. and Garfield St.)
• Holy Family Church (parish offices) — 271 Fourth Street Way, Fond du Lac
• Sacred Heart Church — 200 S. Peters Ave., Fond du Lac (also houses Christian Formation and Youth Center)
• St. Mary Church — 59 E. Merrill Ave., Fond du Lac (downtown)
• St. Peter Church — N8079 Church Rd., Malone (the 'country church')
• Our Risen Savior Church — N6499 Co. Rd. Y, Eldorado

Devotions and Other Services

Beyond Mass, Adoration, and Confession, the parish offers a monthly First Saturday Mass and Novena at Presentation, and a Sunday Mass from Holy Family is livestreamed on Facebook and later posted to YouTube for those who cannot attend in person.

• First Saturday Mass/Novena — Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 8:30 am
• Cor Jesu — 1st Thursday, 6:30-7:30 pm Adoration and Confession, 7:30 pm Mass at Presentation
• Sunday 8:00 am Mass livestream from Holy Family on Facebook (later on website and YouTube)

Christian Formation and Schools

Holy Family Catholic Community offers Christian Formation for every age — elementary, middle, and high school — along with Young Adult and Adult Ministry and the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The parish collaborates closely with St. Mary Springs Academy, a regional K3-12 Catholic school system that moved into a new facility on the 'ledge' at the corner of Highway 23 (Johnson Street) and County Highway K at the start of the 2016-17 school year.

• Elementary Faith Formation
• Middle School Faith Formation
• High School Faith Formation / Youth Ministry
• Young Adult & Adult Ministry
• RCIA
• St. Mary Springs Academy (collaborating K3-12 Catholic school)

Hispanic Ministry

The parish welcomes Spanish-speaking Catholics with Mass celebrated in Spanish and a dedicated Director of Hispanic Ministry. A 7:00 am Saturday Spanish Mass is offered at Holy Family Church, and a 12:00 pm Sunday Spanish Mass is celebrated at Holy Family Church, while parish-wide Adoration hours on Tuesday and Friday mornings are offered in both English and Spanish.

• Spanish Mass — Saturday 7:00 am at Holy Family
• Spanish Mass — Sunday 12:00 pm at Holy Family
• Director of Hispanic Ministry — Carmen Valenzuela (ext. 203)
• Adoration offered bilingually on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:00 am

Outreach and Pastoral Concerns

Through its Human Concerns Commission, Holy Family Catholic Community runs a Warming Shelter, provides Bereavement Ministry, and offers Mass and formation services to the prisoners of Taycheedah Correctional Institution. The parish is also an active member of the Fond du Lac Area Ministerial Association, a collaborative ecumenical clergy group that coordinates shared ministries to the poor and other community religious and social initiatives.

• Holy Family Warming Shelter
• Bereavement Ministry
• Taycheedah Correctional Institution prison ministry
• Fond du Lac Area Ministerial Association (ecumenical collaboration)

Parish Governance and Staff

Holy Family Catholic Community is led by a pastor and associate pastor model with supporting deacons. The priests are advised by a Pastoral Council and a Finance Council composed of elected and ex-officio parishioners. Four Commissions — Worship, Formation, Human and Pastoral Concerns, and Stewardship — are managed by employee-directors and assisted by support staff and volunteers.

• Pastor — Very Rev. Ryan J. Pruess
• Parochial Vicars — Fr. Matthew Kirk, Fr. Kevin Tanel, Fr. Fernando Torres, Fr. Patrick Behling, Fr. Kevin Durand, Fr. Craig Richter (beginning June 2025); Transitional Deacons Alex Becker and Nicholas Waddell
• Deacons — Deacon Marty Ryan, Deacon Ricardo Muñoz, Deacon Dale R. Paczkowski
• Director of Christian Formation — Sabina Carter (ext. 501)
• High School Faith Formation & Youth Ministry Coordinator — Trisha Zimmerman (ext. 503)
• Director of Hispanic Ministry — Carmen Valenzuela (ext. 203)
• Warming Shelter Manager / Bereavement Coordinator — Manuel Santos
• Director of Human Concerns — Gail

Contact, Locations, and Accessibility

The parish office is open Monday through Thursday 7:30 am-4:15 pm and Friday 7:30 am-12:00 pm. Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church sits at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Garfield Street in North Fond du Lac; Holy Family and Sacred Heart Churches have no steps, St. Mary has an outside ramp, and St. Peter has a lift. Hearing assistive devices are available at all worship sites.

• Parish office phone — (920) 921-0580
• Email — [email protected]
• Mailing address — 271 Fourth Street Way, Fond du Lac, WI 54937-7508
• Office hours — Mon-Thu 7:30 am-4:15 pm; Fri 7:30 am-12:00 pm
• Accessibility — step-free access at Holy Family and Sacred Heart; ramp at St. Mary; lift at St. Peter
• Hearing assistive devices available at all sites