About St. Andrew the Apostle · Lomira, Wisconsin
St. Andrew the Apostle is a Roman Catholic parish in the unincorporated village of LeRoy (Lomira mailing address), Wisconsin, situated on a rise above the Horicon Marsh in rural Dodge County. The parish was founded in 1849, when Casper and Regina Sterr donated ten acres of farmland to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and today it is part of the 'Dodge East Catholic' grouping of parishes (with St. Mary, Mayville and St. Theresa) served by a shared pastoral team under the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The current physical church — a striking Gothic Revival 'Cathedral of the Marsh' designed by master architect Anton Dohmen and consecrated in 1901 — is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is renowned for its 39 Emil Frei stained-glass windows and elaborate original interior.
- Established
- 1849
- Patron
- St. Andrew the Apostle
- Rector
- Rev. Nathaniel Miniatt
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. Andrew the Apostle welcomes you into one of Wisconsin's most historically significant Catholic churches — a Gothic Revival landmark with stained-glass windows and statuary that most parishes can only dream of — and into a tight-knit rural worshipping community. As part of the 'Dodge East Catholic' family with St. Mary's and St. Theresa's, parishioners here share weekend Masses, weekday devotions, and an active ministries program (Eucharistic Ministers, choir, sacristans, altar servers, RCIA, Christian Formation, St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, Pro-Life, Health Ministry, and more). It's a place where 175 years of German-Catholic farming heritage and twenty-first-century parish life meet.
Mass times at St. Andrew the Apostle
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Second and fourth Saturdays of the month at 11:00 am (English) — per Archdiocese of Milwaukee parish listing
Adoration times
- Adoration is offered — see parish bulletin or contact the parish office for current schedule
Parish History & Heritage
Founded in 1849 with the gift of ten acres from Casper and Regina Sterr, St. Andrew the Apostle grew through three successive church buildings — a 1850 log church, an 1868 frame church, and the present Gothic Revival landmark consecrated in 1901 by Archbishop Frederick X. Katzer. The full parish history was compiled by Leonard Schraufnagel and published as part of the 150-year anniversary in 1999; the entire booklet is reproduced chapter-by-chapter on the parish website under the 'About' page. Former pastor Father Anthony Gundrum famously called it the 'Cathedral of the Marsh.'
- Founded April 23, 1849 — Sterr family land donation to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee
- First log church built c. 1850; second church built 1868
- Third (present) church built 1899–1901, designed by Anton Dohmen, consecrated Sept. 25, 1901
- History of St. Andrew 1849–1999 published 1999 by Leonard Schraufnagel
- St. Theresa's 175-year history (1849–2024) updated by Monica and Marilyn Steger in 2024
The Historic Church Building
The current St. Andrew's Church is a large Gothic Revival building designed by master architect Anton Dohmen (himself a German immigrant). It features pointed arch openings, buttresses, and towers on the exterior and a soaring rib-vaulted ceiling inside reminiscent of medieval European cathedrals. Its 39 stained-glass windows were manufactured in the Munich Style by the Emil Frei Art Glass Company of St. Louis and installed in 1912 by parish families; the interior was professionally decorated in 1922 with figural murals, medallions, and statuary that the parish has preserved.
- Architect: Anton Dohmen
- Date of construction: 1901 (designed 1899)
- Style: Gothic Revival
- 39 Emil Frei (St. Louis, MO) stained-glass windows — installed 1912, Munich Style
- Interior professional decoration completed in 1922
- Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places: October 23, 2009
- National Register of Historic Places: January 27, 2010
Dodge East Catholic Parishes
St. Andrew shares a pastor and two associate pastors with St. Mary's (Mayville) and St. Theresa's (Theresa) under the 'Dodge East Catholic' umbrella. The three parishes publish a combined weekend and weekday Mass schedule and have a joint 'Who's Who' directory of ministries, staff, and committees, so parishioners participate in a wider Catholic community across the rural eastern Dodge County area.
- Dodge East Catholic shared clergy: Fr. Nathaniel Miniatt (Pastor), Fr. Zachary Galante (Associate), Fr. Mark Brandl (Associate)
- Parish office phone: 920-387-2920 (ext. 335 for Fr. Galante)
- Emergency after-hours anointing: 920-266-8273
Parish Ministries & Volunteer Life
Parish life at St. Andrew centers on an unusually rich set of liturgical and outreach ministries. Liturgical roles include Readers, Sacristans, Eucharistic Ministers (with homebound visitation), choir/cantor/organists, Altar Servers, and Ushers. Pastoral committees include the Spiritual Life & Worship (Liturgy) Committee, Building & Grounds, and Finance. Outreach includes St. Vincent de Paul, Human Concerns, Social Justice, Health Ministry, Pro-Life, Grief Support, and the Knights of Columbus (Lomira council).
- Liturgy roles: Reader, Sacristan, Eucharistic Minister, Music Ministry, Altar Server, Usher
- Spiritual Life & Worship (Liturgy) Committee
- Building & Grounds Committee
- Finance Committee
- Christian Formation program — catechists, classroom aides, discussion leaders
Faith Formation & Youth
The parish's Christian Formation program welcomes catechists, classroom aides, and discussion leaders for the high-school years, working in cooperation with St. Mary's Catholic School and the wider Dodge East Catholic youth and young-adult ministries.
- Christian Formation (children and youth)
- RCIA
- Adult and Family Ministry
- Young Adult Ministry
- Youth Ministry
- St. Mary's School Angels (school volunteers)
Outreach & Service
Serving the wider community is part of St. Andrew's identity as a rural parish, with active chapters of St. Vincent de Paul, Human Concerns, Social Justice, Health Ministry, and Pro-Life. The parish also participates in fraternal organizations such as the Knights of Columbus (Lomira and Mayville councils) and the Catholic Order of Foresters.
- St. Vincent de Paul (Lomira)
- Human Concerns and Social Justice
- Health Ministry
- Pro-Life
- Grief Support
- Knights of Columbus — Lomira and Mayville councils
- Catholic Order of Foresters
- St. Ann Sodality
Building & Grounds — St. Andrew's
Because St. Andrew's sits in a National Register-listed 1901 Gothic Revival building with stained-glass windows and an elaborate plaster interior, careful stewardship of the physical plant is a defining parish commitment. The Building & Grounds committee — chaired for many years by Mark Walcheske at the sister St. Theresa campus and shared by St. Andrew's — coordinates tuck-pointing, exterior painting, steeple repair, HVAC, gutters, and other projects in a way that preserves the church's historic fabric.
- Ongoing preservation of the 1901 Gothic Revival church and its Emil Frei windows
- Building & Grounds chairperson reports on completed projects (steeple repair, tuck-pointing, HVAC, gutters)
- Committee coordinates with parish architect for any interior redecoration
Staff, Contacts & Who's Who
The parish 'Who's Who' page lists contacts for each of the three Dodge East Catholic parishes, including Pastor, Parish Secretary/Webster, Pastoral Council chairs, Building & Grounds chairs, school staff, Christian Formation DREs, ministry leaders, and Historians and Photographers. This directory reflects the shared parish-staff model of the Dodge East Catholic grouping.
- Pastor: Rev. Nathaniel Miniatt
- Parish Secretary/Webster: Tamela Bath
- Christian Formation DREs: Danielle Wiedmeyer, Nicole Glogovsky
- Building & Grounds chairs, Pastoral Council chairs, ministry leaders and Historians listed at stsandrewmarytheresa.org/who-s-who
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father John Blumc. 1899–1901
Pastor during whom the third and present Gothic Revival church was built and consecrated in 1901.
- Father Anthony Gundrum
Former pastor who coined the phrase 'Cathedral of the Marsh.'
- Father Tom BiersackRecent pastorate
Listed as pastor serving St. Mary's and St. Andrew's parishes together.
- Rev. Edwin KornathListed in parish 'Who's Who'
Pastor named in current parish organization chart.