About St. Barnabas · Mazomanie, Wisconsin
St. Barnabas is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Mazomanie, Wisconsin, set in the rolling hills of southwestern Wisconsin's Dane County. It is part of the Diocese of Madison and today operates as one of the worship sites of Holy Cross Parish (formerly Pastorate 8), a multi-site Catholic community gathered with St. Norbert Parish in Roxbury and Divine Mercy Parish in Sauk City. The parish gathers for Sunday Mass and a steady rhythm of weekday Masses, confessions, and Eucharistic Adoration, serving working families in this quiet rural village. Its historic 1890 stone church at 410 Cramer Street was severely damaged by fire in 1929, rebuilt on its original walls, and later joined to a modern school building in 2001.
- Established
- 1890
- Patron
- St. Barnabas (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Miguel Galvez, SJS (Parochial Administrator of Holy Cross Parish, with ministry at St. Barnabas)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Barnabas is a small, close-knit rural parish in Mazomanie where Sunday Mass at 9:00 AM is the heart of the week, supplemented by weekday Masses on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The parish offers a generous confession schedule — including a Spanish-language reconciliation hour on Tuesday evenings — and weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Tuesday from 6 to 7 PM, giving working families real access to the sacraments. Being a worship site of Holy Cross Parish (formerly Pastorate 8) means parishioners benefit from a stable team of priests, including Spanish-speaking clergy from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest, while still worshipping in their historic 1890 stone church.
Mass times at St. Barnabas
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
- Tuesday: 5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
- Tuesday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (English and Spanish)
- Thursday: 7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
Adoration times
- Tuesday: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
History of St. Barnabas, Mazomanie
The Catholic congregation in Mazomanie built its stone church at 410 Cramer Street in 1890, serving the farming and railroad village of Mazomanie in southwestern Wisconsin's Dane County. On November 23, 1929, a catastrophic fire swept through the church, destroying the roof, steeple, and interior while leaving the stone walls standing. The parish rebuilt the church in 1931 on those same walls, with a new interior and spire, and the building has served the community continuously ever since. In 2001 the church was connected by a small hyphen to an adjacent modern school building, uniting the parish's worship and educational facilities.
- Stone church built 1890 in Early Gothic Revival style
- Devastating fire on November 23, 1929
- Rebuilt on original walls in 1931 with new interior and spire
- Joined to modern school building via a hyphen in 2001
The Building and Its Architecture
St. Barnabas Catholic Church at 410 Cramer Street is documented by the Wisconsin Historical Society's Architecture and History Inventory (record HI5500) as a stone Early Gothic Revival house of worship. Its exterior features include lancet windows, a Tudor arch over the entrance door, and a buttressed square tower topped with a turret. While the church itself is not listed on the National or State Register of Historic Places, it remains a recognizable landmark in the village of Mazomanie.
- Architectural style: Early Gothic Revival
- Wall material: stone
- Lancet windows and Tudor-arched doorway
- Buttressed square tower with turret
Clergy and Pastoral Leadership
St. Barnabas is served today by a team of priests assigned to Holy Cross Parish (formerly Pastorate 8) of the Diocese of Madison. The parochial administrator is Rev. Fr. Miguel Galvez, SJS, who oversees the parish along with several parochial vicars whose ministry is specifically directed to St. Barnabas Church in Mazomanie: Rev. Fr. Pedro Escribano, SJS; Rev. Fr. Osvaldo Briones, SJS; and Rev. Fr. James Kotch, SJS. Rev. Fr. Faustino Ruiz, SJS, serves as Local Superior of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest and lives in residence in the pastorate, and Rev. Fr. Cristian Valenzuela, SJS, is a parochial vicar with Spanish-language proficiency.
- Rev. Fr. Miguel Galvez, SJS — Parochial Administrator
- Rev. Fr. Pedro Escribano, SJS — Parochial Vicar (St. Barnabas)
- Rev. Fr. Osvaldo Briones, SJS — Parochial Vicar (St. Barnabas)
- Rev. Fr. James Kotch, SJS — Parochial Vicar (St. Barnabas)
- Rev. Fr. Faustino Ruiz, SJS — Local Superior, SJS, in residence
- Rev. Fr. Cristian Valenzuela, SJS — Parochial Vicar (Spanish-language)
Part of Holy Cross Parish (formerly Pastorate 8)
St. Barnabas Church in Mazomanie is no longer a standalone parish but a worship site of Holy Cross Parish, the multi-site parish formerly known as Pastorate 8 (and later Pastorate 19) of the Diocese of Madison. Holy Cross Parish brings together several rural congregations across southwestern Wisconsin, sharing priests and pastoral resources under the leadership of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest.
- Worship site of Holy Cross Parish, Diocese of Madison
- Shares clergy with St. Norbert (Roxbury) and Divine Mercy (Sauk City)
- Ministry served by priests of the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest (SJS)
Languages Spoken
Parish life at St. Barnabas is bilingual in practice: weekday and Sunday Masses are celebrated in English, while the Tuesday-evening confession hour from 6:00 to 7:00 PM is explicitly offered in both English and Spanish. Several of the SJS priests serving the pastorate carry Spanish-language proficiency in their official diocesan appointments.
- English — primary Mass and confession language
- Spanish — Tuesday-evening reconciliation hour; bilingual SJS clergy
Visiting St. Barnabas — Location and Directions
St. Barnabas Catholic Church is located at 410 Cramer Street, Mazomanie, Wisconsin 53560, in Dane County. Visitors traveling on U.S. Highway 14 should turn onto Cramer Street — right if coming from the west, left if coming from the east. The parish's phone line is (608) 795-4321. The historic church shares a campus with a modern school building, connected by a hyphen added in 2001.
- Address: 410 Cramer Street, Mazomanie, WI 53560
- Phone: (608) 795-4321
- From Hwy 14 westbound: turn right on Cramer St.
- From Hwy 14 eastbound: turn left on Cramer St.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Del PrioreInstalled June 2008
Installed as pastor of St. Barnabas Parish in Mazomanie in June 2008; became a national Catholic-media figure soon afterward for ending the parish's altar-girl program.