About St. Aloysius · Hillsboro, Wisconsin
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in the small community of Hillsboro, Wisconsin, located in Vernon County in the southwestern part of the state. The parish belongs to the Diocese of La Crosse's Richland Center Deanery and is currently served by Father Don Bauer. The church sits at 545 Prairie Avenue and gathers its members five times a week for Mass, including a Saturday Vigil and Sunday morning celebration, with weekday Masses on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, plus Eucharistic Adoration every Friday morning and the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered three days a week.
- Patron
- St. Aloysius (St. Aloysius Gonzaga)
- Rector
- Rev. Donald J. (Don) Bauer
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Richland Center Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Aloysius is a close-knit country parish in the Diocese of La Crosse's Richland Center Deanery that offers daily and weekend Mass, weekly Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and three weekly opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Under the pastoral care of Father Don Bauer, the parish serves the Catholic faithful of Hillsboro and the surrounding rural communities of Vernon County, including families with Bohemian-American heritage in nearby Yuba, Dilly, Mt. Tabor, and Woodlawn — a tradition of pastoral care reaching back more than a century.
Mass times at St. Aloysius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30 AM – 9:50 AM
- Friday 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:50 PM
Adoration times
- Friday 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon (Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish Identity and Location
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is the parish serving the Catholic community of Hillsboro, a small city in Vernon County in southwestern Wisconsin. It belongs to the Diocese of La Crosse and sits within the diocese's Richland Center Deanery. The parish's physical and mailing address is 545 Prairie Avenue, Hillsboro, WI 54634 (PO Box 466), and it can be reached by telephone at (608) 489-2580 or by email at [email protected].
Clergy and Pastoral Care
The parish is led by Rev. Donald J. (Don) Bauer, Pastor. Father Bauer also ministers to St. Jerome Parish in Wonewoc and assists at the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Theresa's in Union Center, reflecting the linked pastoral care shared among the small Catholic communities of southwestern Wisconsin.
- Pastor: Rev. Donald J. (Don) Bauer
- Father Bauer also serves St. Jerome's, Wonewoc
- Father Bauer helps serve the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Theresa's, Union Center
A History Rooted in Southwestern Wisconsin Catholicism
The Catholic faith came to the Hillsboro area through missionary priests serving from nearby parishes in the mid-to-late 1800s. By 1862 St. Theresa Church had been assembled at Union Center, and priests traveled by horse and buggy to alternate among mission stations including Hillsboro, Union Center, Kendall, Wonewoc, Greenwood, Champion Valley, and the Bohemian settlement at Dilly. St. Aloysius itself has for generations been the Catholic parish home of Hillsboro and has long served the surrounding rural communities.
Pastor Ferdinand Cech (1905–1923): A Builder of Churches
Father Ferdinand Cech (Čech), a Czech-born priest from Moravia, was transferred to St. Aloysius in Hillsboro in 1905 and served as pastor for eighteen years. Though the parish itself was English-speaking, he tended to the spiritual needs of Czech American communities in Yuba, Dilly, Mt. Tabor, and Woodlawn, and oversaw the construction of new churches at Yuba, Mt. Tabor, and Woodlawn. He later became pastor of St. Wenceslaus in La Crosse and was elevated to Monsignor in 1938. He was also a distinguished philatelist — his 'Philatelic Litany of the Saints,' a 30-year collection of more than 1,500 religious stamps, was gifted to Pope Pius XII in 1949.
Pastor Roman Joseph Papiernik (1972–1978)
Father Roman Joseph Papiernik was assigned to St. Aloysius in August 1972, having previously served at parishes including St. Patrick in Elroy and St. Joseph in Galloway. He also held chaplaincy duties at St. Joseph Hospital in Hillsboro during his tenure. He remained pastor until March 1, 1978, when he was granted senior priest status and relocated to Onalaska. Father Papiernik died in 2004 at age 90 after more than 63 years as a priest.
Contact Information
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. Aloysius at the contact details below; the parish office is open during regular business hours for sacramental needs, scheduling, and pastoral inquiries.
- Address: 545 Prairie Avenue, PO Box 466, Hillsboro, WI 54634-0466
- Phone: (608) 489-2580
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish website hosted by the Diocese of La Crosse: diolc.org/parish/st-aloysius-parish/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Ferdinand Cech (later Monsignor)1905–1923
Czech-born priest from Moravia; served 18 years as pastor while also ministering to Czech American communities at Yuba, Dilly, Mt. Tabor, and Woodlawn; oversaw construction of churches at Yuba, Mt. Tabor, and Woodlawn. Later became pastor of St. Wenceslaus in La Crosse and was elevated to Monsignor in 1938.
- Fr. Roman Joseph PapiernikAugust 1972 – March 1, 1978
Also served as chaplain at St. Joseph Hospital in Hillsboro. Previously at St. Patrick (Elroy) and St. Joseph (Galloway). Granted senior priest status and moved to Onalaska.
- Fr. Don Bauercurrent pastor
Also ministers to St. Jerome's at Wonewoc and helps serve the perpetual adoration chapel at St. Theresa's in Union Center.