About St. Ambrose · Wabeno, Wisconsin
St. Ambrose Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish serving the Forest County community of Wabeno, Wisconsin, and the surrounding northwoods. It is part of the Diocese of Green Bay and today is administered as a co-parish with St. Mary of the Lake in Lakewood, with mission sites in Silver Cliff and Crooked Lake. The parish was organized in 1905 during the great logging era, when Mass was first celebrated in private homes and town buildings before a permanent church was built on North Branch Street.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- St. Ambrose (Bishop of Milan, Doctor of the Church)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti (Parish Administrator since September 2022)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Ambrose is a small, tight-knit Catholic community rooted in the Northwoods logging heritage of Wabeno, offering the sacraments in a historic church on North Branch Street just off State Highway 32. Visitors and parishioners find a traditional devotional rhythm — weekly Sunday Mass, midweek Mass, First Wednesday confession and Holy Hour — under the pastoral care of Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti, who also shepherds the neighboring Lakewood and Silver Cliff / Crooked Lake missions. For Catholics moving into Forest County or passing through the Nicolet National Forest, it is a welcoming place to worship, join the parish family, and continue the more-than-a-century-old Catholic tradition of the town.
Mass times at St. Ambrose
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- First Wednesday 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM (per parish bulletin aggregation)
- First Wednesdays 3:30 – 4:00 PM followed by Mass at 4:00 PM (per Diocese of Green Bay parish listing)
Adoration times
- First Wednesday 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM (Holy Hour)
Parish History
St. Ambrose Catholic Parish was incorporated in 1905 during the height of the Northwoods logging boom, when Wabeno was growing rapidly around the Menominee Bay Shore, A. E. Rusch, and C. W. Jones lumber mills. Early Masses were held in private homes and town buildings before a church was constructed on North Branch Street. By 1910 the building was already too small and was split at the center to add a 30-foot extension, with the interior redecorated at a cost of $2,800. A few years later, the construction of a rectory brought Wabeno its first resident pastor.
- Incorporated 1905 — first Masses held in parishioners' homes and town buildings
- Land purchased and first church built shortly after incorporation
- 1910 — church split at center and lengthened by 30 feet; interior redecorated for $2,800
- Rectory built in subsequent years — first resident pastor arrives
- Parish is featured on the Wabeno Historical Walking Tour
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
The parish is currently administered by Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti, a priest from India who has served since September 2022. He also shepherds St. Mary of the Lake in Lakewood and the mission sites at Silver Cliff and Crooked Lake, reflecting the diocese's practice of clustering small rural parishes. The parish is supported by an Administrative Assistant (Kendra Yingling), a Secretary/Trustee (Alyce Sauer), and a Treasurer/Trustee (Joan Sackett).
- Parish Administrator: Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti (since September 2022)
- Administrative Assistant: Kendra Yingling
- Secretary/Trustee: Alyce Sauer
- Treasurer/Trustee: Joan Sackett
- Pastoral & Finance Councils active
Diocese & Regional Clustering
St. Ambrose is a parish in the Diocese of Green Bay, which was established on March 3, 1868, and today comprises 156 parishes serving approximately 361,500 Catholics (2023). Like many small Northwoods parishes, St. Ambrose is administered in a cluster: since 2022 it has shared a pastor with St. Mary of the Lake in Lakewood and the mission chapels at Silver Cliff and Crooked Lake.
- Diocese of Green Bay (established March 3, 1868)
- Clustered with St. Mary of the Lake, Lakewood
- Mission sites at Silver Cliff and Crooked Lake
- Historically paired with Blackwell station and St. Joseph, Norman
Sacraments & Devotional Life
The parish celebrates the Eucharist weekly along with weekday Mass, monthly Reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, and the church's historic cemetery serves families from across Forest County. Sacramental preparation (Baptism, Marriage) is arranged through the parish office.
- Sunday and weekday Eucharist
- First Wednesday Reconciliation and Holy Hour
- Funeral Masses and parish cemetery ministry
- Baptism, Marriage, and other sacraments by arrangement through the parish office
Visit, Location & Contact
St. Ambrose is located at 4265 North Branch Street in downtown Wabeno, at the corner of State Highway 32. The church is part of the Wabeno Historical Walking Tour and is a short drive from the Nicolet National Forest. The parish office can be reached by phone at (715) 473-2511.
- Address: 4265 North Branch Street, Wabeno, WI 54566
- Phone: (715) 473-2511
- Website: wabenocatholic.wordpress.com
- On the Wabeno Historical Walking Tour
- Off State Highway 32 in the heart of historic Wabeno
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Unnamed first resident pastorafter first church built, before 1982
After the first church was built and a rectory added, Wabeno received its first resident pastor; identity not found in published sources.
- Rev. Lawrence Gerend1982–1997
Appointed pastor of St. Ambrose Parish, Wabeno, with station at Blackwell; also served as administrator of St. Joseph Church, Norman, 1983–1987; retired 1997.
- Rev. Ralph Joseph Gillisapprox. 1990s–2000s
Served St. Ambrose along with a circuit of small Northwoods parishes (St. Mary Florence, St. Norbert Long Lake, St. Charles Borromeo Lena, St. Joseph Crandon, St. Mary Argonne, St. Michael Hiles); also Regional Vicar; retired May 1, 2012.
- Rev. Jason Blahnikbefore 2022
Served as administrator of St. Ambrose in Wabeno and St. Mary of the Lake in Lakewood with mission sites in Silver Cliff and Crooked Lake; subsequently assigned to St. Francis Xavier Parish.
- Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar PamisettiSeptember 2022–present
Priest from India; serves as parish administrator of St. Ambrose Wabeno and St. Mary of the Lake Lakewood (with Silver Cliff and Crooked Lake missions).