About St. Benedict the Moor · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
St. Benedict the Moor Chapel, known affectionately as 'St. Ben's,' is a historic Roman Catholic chapel at 924 West State Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that has served as a spiritual home for African American Catholics since it was founded as a mission in 1908. The chapel is staffed by the Capuchin Franciscans of St. Francis Friary and is now administered as part of St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Capuchin Center. True to its founding mission, St. Ben's remains a vibrant community of worship and outreach — most notably through the St. Ben's Community Meal program (a hot supper served six nights a week) and jail chaplaincy at the Milwaukee County Jail directly across the street.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- St. Benedict the Moor (Benedict of San Fratello / Benedict the African), Franciscan lay brother, patron of African Americans
- Rector
- Rev. Francisco Javier Rodriguez, OFM Cap (Religious Order Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, which administers St. Benedict the Moor Chapel)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. Benedict the Moor is more than a chapel — it is the spiritual heart of Milwaukee's historic Black Catholic community, founded in 1908 and still tended by the Capuchin Franciscans who have staffed it for more than a century. It welcomes the disenfranchised and outcast as warmly as longtime parishioners, celebrated by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as 'a table for the poor and those who hunger for justice.' Visitors and members can join Sunday Mass at 10:30 a.m., support the St. Ben's Community Meal (a hot supper served six nights a week through Capuchin Community Services), and walk across the street to minister with the Capuchins at the Milwaukee County Jail.
Mass times at St. Benedict the Moor
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- By appointment — call the Parish Office at (414) 374-5750 to see a priest for confession
History of St. Benedict the Moor
St. Benedict the Moor was founded in 1908 as a Catholic mission to Milwaukee's growing African American community, and it has been tended by the Capuchin Franciscans ever since. From a storefront on Fourth Street to a full square-block campus bounded by Ninth, Tenth, Prairie (Highland), and State Streets, the chapel has been a center of Black Catholic spirituality, education, and social outreach for more than a century. Its early pastor Servant of God Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap, expanded the mission into a boarding school, women's club, employment bureau, and settlement home before his death in 1923.
- 1908 — Mission established by Captain Lincoln Valle and Julia Yoular under Archbishop Sebastian Messmer
- 1909 — Chapel formally named St. Benedict the Moor at 530 State Street
- 1912 — Fr. Cyril Kufner, OFM Cap, first permanent pastor; school opens with eight pupils
- 1913 — Fr. Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap, appointed first resident pastor
- 1920s — School briefly relocated to Corliss (now Sturtevant), then returned to Milwaukee
- 1923 — New church approved over racist objections from city officials
- 1930s — Among the first religious institutions to observe Black History Week
- 1954 — Boarding school discontinued; high school and grade school close in mid-to-late 1960s
- 1970 — Loaves and Fishes Community Meal begins
- Servant of God Stephen Eckert (d. 1923) buried on parish grounds; tombstone reads 'The Apostle and Champion of the Colored Race'
Capuchin Franciscan Heritage
From the earliest days of the mission, the Capuchin Franciscan priests of St. Francis Friary have celebrated Mass and provided pastoral care at St. Ben's. The parish was officially placed under Capuchin leadership and has remained so for more than a century. Today the chapel is administered as part of St. Francis of Assisi Parish and Capuchin Center, sharing clergy and mission with its sister community.
- Staffed by the Capuchin Franciscans (OFM Cap) since 1909
- Servant of God Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap, key early pastor (1913–1923)
- Currently served under St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Milwaukee
Outreach Ministries
St. Benedict the Moor has always been a mission of service to those on the margins. The parish's longest-running outreach is the St. Ben's Community Meal, which began as Loaves and Fishes in 1970 and is now run by Capuchin Community Services (CCS). It offers a hot supper six nights a week along with wrap-around services such as case management, healthcare referrals, and refugee assistance through its front-door ministry. The parish also provides jail chaplaincy at the Milwaukee County Jail, which sits directly across the street from the chapel.
- St. Ben's Community Meal — hot supper served six nights a week
- Capuchin Community Services (CCS) — front-door wrap-around services
- Jail chaplaincy at the Milwaukee County Jail (across the street)
- Historical ministries: boarding school, day school, high school, health clinic, employment bureau, women's settlement home, day nursery
Black Catholic Spirituality & Education
St. Benedict the Moor nurtured a distinctly African American Catholic spiritual and educational life. African American priests were invited to give parish missions, retreats, and Forty Hours' devotions. The School Sisters of Notre Dame and Dominican Sisters staffed the school, blending high academic standards with a genuine affection for the children; sports, drama, music, art, and public speaking were part of the curriculum. In the 1930s — decades before most religious institutions — the parish and school observed Black History Week and offered courses in African American history and literature.
- Forty Hours' devotions, parish missions, and retreats led by African American priests
- Staffed by School Sisters of Notre Dame (1912) and later Dominican Sisters
- Pioneered Black History Week in the 1930s
- Courses in African American history and literature
Servant of God Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap
Fr. Stephen Eckert is remembered as the spiritual and social architect of modern St. Benedict the Moor. Appointed the mission's first resident pastor in July 1913, he visited every African American household in the neighborhood, expanded the school into a boarding institution, opened a day nursery, employment bureau, women's club room, and a settlement home for women needing safe lodging. He died of pneumonia on February 16, 1923, after a preaching trip, refusing hospitalization. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee opened his cause for canonization in 1952, and he is venerated as Servant of God Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap; his tomb is on the parish grounds.
- Pastor 1913–1923
- Declared Servant of God in 1952
- Buried at St. Benedict the Moor; tombstone reads 'The Apostle and Champion of the Colored Race'
Pastor & Clergy
St. Benedict the Moor Chapel is currently served by the Capuchin Franciscan pastors of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee lists Rev. Francisco Javier Rodriguez, OFM Cap, as Religious Order Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi – Milwaukee and St. Benedict the Moor – Milwaukee. Fr. Mike Bertram, OFM Cap, has also served in ministry at the parish.
- Rev. Francisco Javier Rodriguez, OFM Cap — Pastor
- Fr. Mike Bertram, OFM Cap — Capuchin priest associated with the parish
Further Reading
The parish's website offers a downloadable 'Centennial History of St. Benedict the Moor' for those who want to dive deeper into the chapel's story. The reference work 'Saint Benedict the Moor: A Legacy Revisited' (Foster Williams, A., Heritage Press, 2009) is also cited by the parish as recommended reading.
- Centennial History of St. Benedict the Moor (PDF available on stbensparishmilwaukee.org)
- Foster Williams, A. (2009). Saint Benedict the Moor: A Legacy Revisited. Heritage Press.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Capt. Lincoln Valle (lay founder) and Julia Yoular1908–1913
Founded the mission under Archbishop Sebastian Messmer; the couple was asked to leave in 1913 amid concerns over sloppy bookkeeping.
- Rev. Cyril Kufner, OFM Cap1912 (first permanent pastor)
First permanent pastor; oversaw opening of the school in September 1912 with eight children.
- Servant of God Stephen Eckert, OFM Cap1913–1923
First resident pastor; built the boarding and day school, social services, and Black Catholic spiritual life; declared Servant of God in 1952; buried on parish grounds.
- Fr. Sebastian Schafffrom 1921
Directed the school after its return from Corliss/Sturtevant.
- Fr. Philip Steffes, OFM Cap1922–1950
Directed the increasingly vibrant school and oversaw a two-year commercial high school launched in 1926.