About St. Ann · Saxon, Wisconsin
St. Ann Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in Saxon, Wisconsin, located in Iron County in the far northern reaches of the Diocese of Superior. The parish was established in 1886 to serve Catholic families drawn to the region by the logging, mining, and dairy-farming economy of the late nineteenth century. The present church, situated just off U.S. Highway 2, was built in 1908 (replacing an 1896 structure), and the community has since grown into a tight-knit congregation whose members participate in nearly every ministry of the parish. Today the faithful gather for Sunday Mass at 8:45 AM in a tradition that has continued in Saxon for more than 130 years.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- St. Ann (Saint Anne)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Superior
Why belong here
St. Ann is a small but deeply active parish where nearly every member is involved in one or more ministries. Generations of Iron County families have worshipped in the same 1908 church just off U.S. Highway 2, and the parish's long-running St. Ann Service Club — descended from the 1926 Confraternity of the Holy Rosary — keeps the community active in outreach and service. Visitors and parishioners are welcomed into a faithful, traditional Catholic community rooted in the north woods of Wisconsin.
Mass times at St. Ann
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
St. Ann Parish was founded in 1886 in the lumber, iron-mining, and dairy country of Iron County in far northern Wisconsin, then under the Diocese of La Crosse. Mass was first celebrated in an old log schoolhouse before the first wooden church was built in 1896. The present church was erected in 1908 and has served the community continuously ever since. Over its first century, more than thirty-five priests served the parish, and it has belonged to a number of parish clusters. The community's economy shifted in the 1950s as the mines closed and logging slowed, but the parish continued as a stable presence in Saxon. The parish's history is documented in Sam Lucero's Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior (2005).
- Founded 1886
- First church built 1896 (replaced an earlier log-school Mass site)
- Present church erected 1908
- More than 35 priests have served the parish in its first century
- Originally part of the Diocese of La Crosse; Diocese of Superior established 1905
Community & Economy
Saxon sits in Iron County in Wisconsin's north woods. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the town was sustained by logging, iron-mining, and dairy farming, all of which shaped the growth of St. Ann Parish. A peacetime economy in the 1950s brought closure to many of the mines and a slowdown in the logging industry, but the parish and its Service Club have continued to serve the local community.
- Logging, mining, and dairy farming were the historical mainstays of the community
- Mine closures and logging slowdown began in the 1950s
Mass & Worship
St. Ann offers one weekend Mass for the parish community, celebrated in English on Sunday mornings. The Mass schedule reflects the parish's small size and rural setting, providing a single, consistent weekly gathering for the faithful.
- Sunday Mass: 8:45 AM (English)
Ministries & Outreach
Although parish membership is small, ministries at St. Ann are thriving — nearly every parishioner is involved in one or more ministries. The parish's signature lay organization grew out of the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary, established in 1926, which later evolved into the St. Ann Service Club. The Service Club carries on the parish's tradition of outreach and service to the Saxon community.
- St. Ann Service Club (community outreach and service)
- Confraternity of the Holy Rosary (founded 1926; predecessor of today's Service Club)
Location & Contact
The parish is located on Church Street in Saxon, just off U.S. Highway 2, in Iron County, Wisconsin. Mailing and parish contact details are listed below.
- Address: 14233 N. Church Street, Saxon, WI 54559
- Phone: (715) 893-2236
- Located just off U.S. Highway 2