About Sacred Heart of Jesus · Marshfield, Wisconsin
Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Parish is a historic Roman Catholic parish in Marshfield, Wisconsin, established in 1916 as a mission church from neighboring St. John's to serve the growing Catholic population on the south side of the city. The parish is part of the Diocese of La Crosse and today shares a unified pastoral team with neighboring Our Lady of Peace Parish at St. John the Baptist and the wider Marshfield Deanery. Sacred Heart celebrated its centennial in 2016 and is recognized for its remarkable legacy of 11 priestly vocations and 31 women religious grown from its parish and Catholic school community.
- Established
- 1916
- Patron
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Rector
- Very Rev. Douglas C. Robertson
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse
Why belong here
Sacred Heart of Jesus offers a centuries-rooted Catholic community in the heart of Marshfield, with daily and Sunday Mass, regular Eucharistic Adoration, and the sacramental and devotional rhythm of a vibrant parish. Parishioners are served by the same faith-formation staff and Columbus Catholic Schools system that educate students across the Marshfield Deanery, and outreach through St. Vincent de Paul brings the parish's love of neighbor to local families in need. Joining Sacred Heart means joining a faith family that has produced generations of priests and religious, and that continues to grow through OCIA, youth ministry, and dynamic parish-wide formation opportunities.
Mass times at Sacred Heart of Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday (1st): 6:00 PM (until all Confessions are heard)
- By appointment
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration follows the Wednesday 8:00 AM Mass
- Eucharistic Adoration follows the Friday 1st 5:30 PM and Friday 2nd/3rd/4th 8:00 AM Masses
- Deanery-wide 'Columbus Friday Adoration' sign-up available at Columbus Catholic Middle/High School Chapel, 7:30 AM–2:30 PM every scheduled school day
About Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
Sacred Heart of Jesus is a historic Catholic parish on the south side of Marshfield, Wisconsin, founded in 1916 from the mother parish of St. John's to serve the city's growing Catholic population. Today the parish is part of the unified ministry of Our Lady of Peace & Sacred Heart of Jesus Parishes in the Diocese of La Crosse's Marshfield Deanery. The parish is recognized for the remarkable fruit of faith grown within it: 11 priestly vocations and 31 women religious. Pastoral leadership is provided by Very Rev. Douglas C. Robertson (Pastor and Dean of the Marshfield Deanery), with Rev. Father Jared Clements as Associate Pastor and Chaplain of Columbus Catholic Schools, and Rev. Mr. Nate Mueller as Deacon.
- Founded 1916, Diocese of La Crosse
- Address: 112 East 11th Street, Marshfield, WI 54449
- Phone: 715-384-3213
- Office hours Monday–Thursday, 8:00 AM–4:00 PM
History
The parish was established in 1916 by Bishop Schwebach, who appointed Rev. Hubert Stehling to organize the new community and construct a rectory and combined church-and-school building dedicated in the spring of 1917. The parish school opened that September with 152 pupils under the Sisters of Notre Dame of Milwaukee, growing to 360 students by 1922. In September 2016 the parish celebrated its centennial with a Mass preached by Father Kevin Louis (a native son) and celebrated with Bishop Callahan and the parish's then-pastor Father Savarimuthu Selvaraj. The parish elementary school transitioned to the regional Columbus Catholic Schools system, closing its own K-6 school in 2001 with the building razed in 2019.
- 1916 – Parish established; Rev. Hubert Stehling named founding pastor
- 1917 – Church-school building dedicated; parish school opens with 152 students
- 1922 – School enrollment reaches 360
- 1996 – School shifts from K-8 to K-6 as Columbus Middle School opens
- 2001 – Parish elementary school closes
- 2016 – Centennial celebrated with Mass by Father Kevin Louis and Bishop Callahan
- 2019 – Former school building razed
Faith Formation & Catholic Education
Sacred Heart is part of the broader Marshfield Deanery Catholic school and faith-formation system. Parish children attend Columbus Catholic Schools, which serves Pre-K through 12th grade across its Marshfield campuses (Saint John the Baptist Primary School, Our Lady of Peace Intermediate School, and Columbus Middle & High School). The parish's Marshfield Faith Formation program — directed by Dave Alcott (Director of Catechesis) — provides sacramental preparation, OCIA, youth ministry, and adult education across the deanery, helping Sacred Heart and its neighboring parishes catechize children and welcome new members into the Church.
- Columbus Catholic Schools (Pre-K through 12)
- St. John the Baptist Primary School — Principal: David Eaton
- Our Lady of Peace Intermediate School — Principal: Michele Green
- Columbus Middle & High School — Principal: Michael Lambrecht
- Marshfield Faith Formation — Director: Dave Alcott
- Baptismal Preparation, OCIA/RCIA, Marriage Preparation, Adult Education
Music & Liturgy
Liturgical music at Sacred Heart is led by Elizabeth Dahlby, Director of Sacred Music for the parish, working in collaboration with the choirs of the wider deanery. Along with the Sacred Heart Choir, the parish benefits from the Deanery Festival Choir and Deanery Festival Youth Choir, which come together for major celebrations like the annual Deanery Festival of Lessons and Carols. Parish-recorded Masses are also aired on television through the region's TV Mass broadcast.
- Sacred Heart Choir — Elizabeth Dahlby, Director of Sacred Music
- Deanery Festival Choir
- Deanery Festival Youth Choir (Deanery Youth Singers)
- TV Mass on WQOW Channel 18 (Eau Claire) and Marshfield Cable Public Access Channel 989
Outreach & Service
Sacred Heart parishioners extend the parish's mission of charity through several outreach ministries, including the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry and St. Vincent de Paul Clinic, which serve local families and neighbors in need. The parish supports Bringing Christ to the Sick — a ministry bringing Holy Communion to patients at Marshfield Medical Center — and partners with the Central Wisconsin Aging & Disability Resource Center. During Advent, the parish hosts an Angel Tree giving program and Senior Stockings collection for residents of the local Marshfield care center. Additional support services include Online Catholic Counseling referrals, Marriage Encounter and Retrouvaille retreats, and Annulment advocacy.
- St. Vincent de Paul Outreach & Food Pantry
- St. Vincent de Paul Clinic
- Bringing Christ to the Sick (Marshfield Medical Center)
- Central Wisconsin ADRC partnership
- Angel Tree (Advent giving)
- Senior Stockings (Advent giving for care-center residents)
- Online Catholic Counseling referrals
- Marriage Encounter & Retrouvaille retreats; Annulment support
Becoming Catholic — OCIA
Sacred Heart hosts the deanery-wide Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly RCIA) formation program. The annual journey includes ten Sunday morning formation sessions from mid-January through March, a short Palm Sunday morning retreat, the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, and four follow-up mystagogy classes through early May. Parishioners who wish to help accompany inquirers are invited to join the Deanery OCIA Team, which meets organizationally in January at Sacred Heart's Toeller Hall.
- 10 Sunday morning sessions (January–March)
- Palm Sunday morning retreat
- Easter Vigil — Sacraments of Initiation
- Four follow-up classes (April–May)
- Deanery OCIA Team — meets at Toeller Hall, Sacred Heart
Getting Involved & Staff
Parishioners can get involved through dozens of liturgical, formation, and service ministries — from singing with the parish or deanery choirs, to volunteering in faith formation or OCIA, to serving at the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry or visiting the sick at Marshfield Medical Center. The parish's pastoral staff includes Very Rev. Douglas C. Robertson (Pastor and Dean of the Marshfield Deanery), Rev. Father Jared Clements (Associate Pastor and Chaplain of Columbus Catholic Schools), Rev. Mr. Nate Mueller (Deacon and Administrator of Temporalities), JaNae Westrich (Pastoral Secretary), Elizabeth Dahlby (Director of Sacred Music, Sacred Heart), and Dave Alcott (Director of Catechesis).
- Pastor: Very Rev. Douglas C. Robertson
- Associate Pastor: Rev. Father Jared Clements
- Deacon: Rev. Mr. Nate Mueller
- Deacon: Rev. Mr. Ray Draeger
- Pastoral Secretary: JaNae Westrich
- Director of Sacred Music (SH): Elizabeth Dahlby
- Director of Catechesis: Dave Alcott
- Contact: 715-384-3213 (SH) / 715-384-9414 (office) / [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Hubert Stehling1916–
Founding pastor; appointed by Bishop Schwebach to organize the new parish and oversaw construction of the rectory and combined church-and-school building dedicated in 1917.
- Father Savarimuthu Selvaraj
Pastor at the 2016 centennial celebration; previously served in India before his U.S. appointment.
- Father Kevin Louis
Native son of the parish; celebrated the 2016 Centennial Mass.