About Sacred Heart · Appleton, Wisconsin
Sacred Heart Parish is a Roman Catholic parish on the south side of Appleton, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Green Bay. The parish was dedicated on October 9, 1898 and today serves a multi-generational, multi-cultural community — including a long-standing East African/Congolese community that gathers every other Sunday for an 11:00 AM Swahili Mass. Worship includes daily and weekend Masses, weekday Confession, First Friday Adoration and Benediction, and a parish Pastoral Council that supports faith formation, youth ministry, liturgy, and care for those in need.
- Established
- 1898
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Rev. John Kleinschmidt
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
Sacred Heart has been a fixture on Appleton's south side since 1898 and today welcomes both longtime local families and a growing community of African Catholic faithful. Worship is generous — nine Masses a week including a unique every-other-Sunday Swahili Mass — and the parish also offers daily Confession, monthly Holy Hours, First Friday Adoration and Benediction. A small staff of clergy, deacons and coordinators runs Faith Formation for children, Youth Ministry, a Care Ministry, Liturgy, and a Communications effort, so newcomers and established members alike can find a place to belong, serve and be formed in the faith.
Mass times at Sacred Heart
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 5:30 PM
- Tuesday 7:30 AM
- Wednesday 7:30 AM
- Thursday 7:30 AM
- Friday 7:30 AM
- Saturday 7:30 AM
- Saturday 3:00 PM
Adoration times
- Adoration: First Friday of the month, 8:30 AM
- Benediction: First Friday of the month, 5:00 PM
- Holy Hours: Third Thursday of the month, 6:00 PM
Parish Identity and History
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Appleton, Wisconsin, sits in the Diocese of Green Bay and was officially dedicated on October 9, 1898. The community began in a former Methodist church at Monroe and Harrison that was purchased for $2,000 and fitted out with a sacristy, sanctuary, kneelers, statues and a steeple cross, largely through donations raised by neighboring St. Joseph Parish. Rev. John Kastner celebrated the first Mass on October 16, 1898. From those modest beginnings the parish built a school (opened September 6, 1899), then a larger church at Monroe and Fremont (dedicated June 18, 1950), and a campus that grew through fire and rebuilding in the early 1950s into the present worship and parish-life complex. In 1989 Sacred Heart School — the last parish elementary school in the city of Appleton — closed as the Appleton Catholic Educational System (ACES) was formed. The interior was renovated in 1998 and a canopied parking-lot entrance was added to improve accessibility. A Parish Fest weekend with the Saturday evening Mass and a parish picnic continues to draw the community together each summer.
- Dedicated October 9, 1898; first Mass October 16, 1898 by Rev. John Kastner
- School cornerstone laid June 9, 1899 (Feast of the Sacred Heart); classes began September 6, 1899
- Present church built 1950 on the corner of Monroe and Fremont Streets
- Old church destroyed by fire (excess gas pressure) in March 1951
- Interior renovated 1998; Sacred Heart Room and canopied parking-lot entrance added in 2000
- School closed 1989 as ACES formed; old school building razed 1996
Worship and Liturgy
Sacred Heart offers a robust schedule of daily and weekend Masses, weekday Confession, monthly Holy Hours and First Friday Adoration and Benediction. The parish is well-known across the diocese for its every-other-Sunday Swahili Mass at 11:00 AM, begun in March 2022 to serve local African Catholic families — particularly those from the Democratic Republic of the Congo — with the help of a Swahili choir. Liturgy is coordinated by a parish Liturgy Coordinator, working in tandem with cantors, music ministers and the Pastoral Council to support a reverent, welcoming worship experience for both longtime parishioners and newcomers.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:30 PM (English)
- Sunday: 9:00 AM (English) and 11:00 AM (Swahili, every other week)
- Weekday Masses: Mon 6:30 PM; Tue–Sat 8:00 AM
- Confession: Mon 5:30 PM; Tue–Sat 7:30 AM; Sat 3:00 PM
- First Friday Adoration (8:30 AM) and Benediction (5:00 PM)
- Monthly Holy Hours on the third Thursday at 6:00 PM
Swahili Mass Community
The Swahili Mass began on March 20, 2022 at 11:00 AM every other Sunday, after a group of African immigrants — many from the Democratic Republic of the Congo — asked Sacred Heart's then-pastor Fr. John Katamba, who is from Uganda, to celebrate Mass in a language familiar to the whole community. About 80 people attended that first Mass, including longtime Sacred Heart parishioners. Swahili was chosen as a common East/Central African liturgical language, and the celebration is supported by a Swahili choir and ongoing efforts (such as a bilingual prayer card) to involve non-African parishioners. The parish frames the Mass as an answer to the synodal call to listen to diverse voices within the diocese.
- Celebrated every other Sunday at 11:00 AM
- Began March 20, 2022 — the first Swahili Mass in the Diocese of Green Bay
- Serves Congolese and other East/Central African Catholics in the Appleton area
- Supported by a Swahili choir and bilingual worship aids
Clergy, Staff and Parish Office
The parish is led by Fr. John Kleinschmidt, who was installed as pastor by Bishop David Ricken on June 21, 2026 after serving the parish as Administrator since 2024. A deacon and a small office staff run the day-to-day work of the parish, including Business Management, Marketing & Communications, Faith Formation and Youth, Liturgy, and Care Ministry. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM and is closed on Fridays and holidays.
- Fr. John Kleinschmidt — Pastor (email: [email protected])
- Deacon Dan Koszalinski (email: [email protected])
- Laura Savoie — Business Manager ([email protected]; ext. 123)
- Willa Mueller — Marketing & Communications ([email protected])
- Kelly Koszalinski — Care Ministry & Liturgy Coordinator ([email protected] / [email protected])
- Debecca Olson — Faith Formation & Youth Coordinator / Administrative Assistant ([email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected])
Faith Formation and Youth Ministry
A full-time Faith Formation / Youth Ministry Coordinator oversees catechesis for children and youth, supported by the Parish Council and dedicated catechists. In the parish's own words, the program is intentionally small and is being grown to serve more families. The coordinator's role focuses on building intentional relationships with parents and walking young people closer to Christ through religious education, sacramental preparation and youth activities. (Public posting for the position in 2022 described a 'small program' with a vision to expand.)
- Faith Formation for parish children
- Youth Ministry programming
- Sacramental preparation (Baptism, First Eucharist, Confirmation)
- Family-focused catechesis supported by the Parish Council
Care Ministry and Outreach
A dedicated Care Ministry is coordinated through the parish office, working alongside the Pastoral Council to respond to the practical and pastoral needs of parishioners — particularly the elderly, the sick, and those experiencing hardship. Parishioners are invited to contact the parish office to learn more or to volunteer.
- Pastoral care for parishioners in need
- Coordinated by Kelly Koszalinski (Care Ministry)
- Volunteer opportunities through the parish office
Sacraments and Devotions
Alongside the daily and Sunday Mass schedule, Sacred Heart offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation seven days a week, First Friday Adoration and Benediction, monthly Thursday Holy Hours, and an every-other-Sunday Swahili Mass. Baptisms, weddings, anointing of the sick, and First Eucharist/Confirmation preparation are arranged through the parish office.
- Confession seven days a week (see schedule)
- First Friday Adoration and Benediction
- Monthly Holy Hours (third Thursday, 6:00 PM)
- Baptism, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick — contact parish office
- Sacramental preparation through Faith Formation
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Kastner1898
Celebrated the first Mass at the newly dedicated former Methodist church on October 16, 1898.
- Rev. John Katamba
From Uganda; previously associate pastor at Sacred Heart; began celebrating a Swahili Mass every other Sunday at 11 AM starting March 20, 2022.
- Very Rev. Donald ZulegerJuly 2011
Assigned as pastor in July 2011; served during the period the parish was 'linked' with St. Bernadette.
- Rev. John Kleinschmidt2024–present
Ordained in the Diocese of Fargo in 2002; previously served parishes in North Dakota and Most Precious Blood / St. Patrick in New London–Lebanon, WI; arrived at Sacred Heart as Administrator in 2024 and was installed as pastor on June 21, 2026.