About St. Anne · Lena, Wisconsin
St. Anne Parish is a Roman Catholic parish of the Diocese of Green Bay that serves two small Oconto County communities in northeastern Wisconsin — Lena and Coleman — from a pair of historic church sites on East Main Street in each village. Under the pastoral leadership of Father Ben Johnson, the parish offers seven Masses each week across the two locations (including daily 8:30 a.m. weekday Masses, two Saturday vigil Masses, and two Sunday Masses), Saturday Holy Hour adoration in Lena, and Sunday-morning confession in Coleman. Its life spans a Food Pantry, Knights of Columbus councils in both towns, an active K–11 Religious Education program, RCIA/OCIA for adults and teens preparing for initiation, sacramental preparation for Baptism, Marriage, and Confirmation, plus parish fundraisers (Booyah sale, seafood sale, card parties) that knit the two communities together.
- Patron
- St. Anne (mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Benjamin (Ben) Johnson — Administrator
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Anne is a small but active two-site parish where Mass is celebrated seven days a week and where visitors are explicitly welcomed as 'All Are Welcome.' A family with children can enroll in the K–11 Religious Education program offered Wednesdays and Sundays at both Lena and Coleman; adults and teens interested in becoming Catholic can enter the parish's RCIA/OCIA 'New Disciples' process; and anyone facing food insecurity can turn to the parish's Feed My Sheep Food Pantry, which distributes groceries from the Lena site on Tuesday mornings and evenings. Membership also means joining a parish where the Knights of Columbus host card parties and fundraisers in the parish hall, where Confirmation and First Communion are celebrated together as a community, and where the pastor is a young diocesan priest personally committed to small-town parish life.
Mass times at St. Anne
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:00 AM (Coleman, before 8:30 Mass)
- Saturday 3:00–3:30 PM (Lena, before 4:00 Mass — as listed by third-party aggregator)
Adoration times
- Saturday Holy Hour 3:00 PM (Lena)
Our Two Worship Sites: Lena & Coleman
St. Anne Parish is unusual in keeping two full church buildings alive, one in each village it serves. The Lena site at 221 E. Main St. is the historic anchor of the former Holy Cross, Lena parish and today houses the parish office, the parish hall (used for Knights of Columbus card parties, Religious Education, and community fundraisers), and the Feed My Sheep Food Pantry. The Coleman site at 228 E. Main St. is the historic anchor of the former SS. Francis and Wenceslaus parish; it hosts the 6 PM Saturday vigil, the 8:30 AM Sunday Mass, and the monthly Spanish Mass.
- Lena church — 221 E. Main St., Lena, WI 54139 — phone 920-829-5222 — [email protected]
- Coleman church — 228 E. Main St., Coleman, WI 54112 — phone 920-897-3226 — [email protected]
- Lena Office hours may be reduced seasonally; check the bulletin before visiting
Parish History & Heritage
St. Anne is the merged successor of two earlier Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Green Bay: SS. Francis & Wenceslaus of Coleman and Holy Cross of Lena. As smaller rural churches closed or were suppressed through diocesan reorganization, St. Anne inherited the sacramental records for St. Leo (Pound), St. John (Coleman), St. Francis of Assisi (Coleman), St. Wenceslaus (Klondike), St. Charles Borromeo (Lena), and Sacred Heart (Spruce). The consolidation preserved the parish's presence in both villages rather than centralizing it into one town.
Pastor & Staff
The parish is administered by Rev. Benjamin (Ben) Johnson, a diocesan priest of the Diocese of Green Bay. Fr. Ben is from Oshkosh and was educated at Lourdes Academy, MSOE, St. Mary's University in Winona, MN (B.A. in Philosophy), and Mundelein Seminary in Illinois (M.Div.). He was ordained during the COVID era and graduated remotely — 'technically I did get my Master's degree in the mail,' he has written — and previously served as associate pastor and as priest chaplain at UW–Green Bay. His interests include Theology on Tap, philosophy, Bible studies, Star Wars, Nintendo, and Chipotle. The parish staff listed in the diocesan directory includes Office Manager Tricia Cops and Administrative Assistant Iris Garbo; Fr. Felix serves as chaplain to the Coleman Knights of Columbus council.
- Administrator: Rev. Benjamin (Ben) Johnson
- Office Manager: Tricia Cops
- Administrative Assistant: Iris Garbo
- Chaplain to Coleman K of C: Fr. Felix
Religious Education & Youth Ministry
St. Anne Parish offers a full K–11 Religious Education program at both its Lena and Coleman sites, with classes on Sundays for the youngest learners and on Wednesdays after school for older grades. The mission of the program is to support catechists, encourage parents to take an active role in their children's formation, and to nurture young people through instruction, prayer, worship, and community. Curriculum is approved by the Diocese of Green Bay: the Christ Our Life series for K–8, and the Didache Series plus the Encountering Jesus Series for grades 9–11.
- Lena site — K–2 Sunday 9:30–10:30 AM; 3–4 Wed 3:15–4:30 PM; 5–11 Wed 5:15–6:30 PM
- Coleman site — K–2 Sunday 9:30–10:30 AM; 3–6 Wed 5:30–6:45 PM; 7–11 Wed 7:00–8:15 PM
- Curriculum: Christ Our Life (K–8); Didache Series and Encountering Jesus Series (9–11)
- First Communion and Confirmation preparation (Confirmation is celebrated with surrounding parishes)
RCIA & OCIA — Becoming Catholic
Adults and teens interested in learning about Jesus, the Catholic faith, and the sacraments of initiation are welcomed through the parish's RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), now commonly called OCIA. The parish offers separate forms for adults, children/teens, and for parents participating in the children's process — all linked from the parish website's Forms page.
- RCIA Adult Form
- RCIA Child/Teen Form
- RCIC Parent Participation Form
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the three sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) and for Marriage. Baptism is celebrated both for infants and for adults; parents are asked to make their request at least 60 days in advance and to attend a preparation session if it is their first child. Confirmation is typically celebrated in conjunction with other parishes in the area (e.g., a 3 PM Mass at Crivitz was scheduled for the current class). Marriage preparation uses the parish's published Marriage Prep Checklist.
- Baptism — 60-day notice; preparation session required for first child
- Confirmation — preparation through Religious Education
- First Communion — preparation through Religious Education
- Marriage — Marriage Prep Checklist on Forms page
- Sacramental records on file for predecessor parishes
Feed My Sheep Food Pantry
St. Anne's food pantry — 'Feed My Sheep' — operates out of the Lena site at 221 E. Main St. and is one of the parish's most visible ministries to the surrounding community. Distribution hours are Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 11:00 AM and Tuesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. A photo ID and proof of address are required for the first visit. Donations of shelf-stable food or financial gifts can be dropped off or mailed to either parish office.
- Hours: Tuesday 10–11 AM and 6–7 PM
- First-visit requirements: photo ID and proof of address
- Current needs: chicken noodle soup, cream of mushroom soup, peas, carrots, green beans, ramen, peanut butter, elbow macaroni, spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, toilet paper, ketchup
- Donations accepted at either parish office
Knights of Columbus
Two active Knights of Columbus councils operate within St. Anne Parish, one in each community. The Lena council — St. Charles Council #6926 — meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM in the parish cafeteria and supports St. Anne Parish through works of charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism. The Coleman council — Cardinal Mindszenty Council #6689 — meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the parish hall, with its own slate of officers (Grand Knight Carl Porior, Deputy Grand Knight Dick Steiner, Chaplain Fr. Felix, etc.) and signature parish events like the Smear and Sheepshead card parties.
- Lena K of C #6926 — meets 2nd Wednesday, 7:30 PM, parish cafeteria
- Coleman K of C #6689 (Cardinal Mindszenty) — meets 2nd Tuesday, 7:00 PM, parish hall
- Coleman contacts: Carl Porior (920-604-0168), Dick Steiner (920-897-2367)
Livestream & Bulletin
The parish maintains an online livestream of its Masses and a weekly parish bulletin (current bulletins are linked from the homepage). The livestream page is the parish's principal online-presence outlet beyond the website itself, allowing homebound parishioners and members who travel to keep connected to weekend and weekday Masses.
Visit, Register & Contact
St. Anne Parish welcomes all visitors — 'All Are Welcome' is the parish's stated refrain — and provides a Parish Registration Form on the Forms page for those who wish to become registered members. Office hours and contact information differ by site, so parishioners are encouraged to use the location-specific phone and email that corresponds to their village.
- Parish Registration Form (online via Forms page)
- Lena office: 920-829-5222 / [email protected]
- Coleman office: 920-897-3226 / [email protected]
- Religious Education contact: Maggie Cook, [email protected], 920-829-5222 x 3
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Benjamin (Ben) Johnsoncurrent (as of 2024 diocesan directory)
Listed as Administrator; diocesan priest from Oshkosh, previously associate pastor and chaplain at UW–Green Bay.