About St. Bernard · Middleton, Wisconsin
St. Bernard Catholic Parish is a Catholic, Eucharistic community in the heart of Middleton, Wisconsin, glorifying God through prayer, the sacraments and service, and building oneness with God and neighbor. Worship is offered at its main church on Parmenter Street (7450 University Avenue) and the parish now operates as part of Holy Cross Parish — a merged pastorate of five western Dane County churches formed under the Diocese of Madison's 'Into the Deep' initiative. St. Bernard continues as the busiest of the five worship sites, with daily Mass, multiple Sunday Masses, regular confession, weekly Eucharistic Adoration and a livestreamed liturgy for the homebound.
- Established
- 1949
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Fr. Scott Jablonski
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Bernard offers a full sacramental life in the heart of Middleton — daily Mass Monday through Saturday, three Sunday Masses, weekly Eucharistic Adoration on Wednesdays, and frequent confession times including Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. As one of five worship sites of Holy Cross Parish, it benefits from a large pastoral team (pastor and three priests in residence) while keeping the warmth of a single suburban parish. The parish livestreams its liturgy for the homebound, runs an active faith-formation and sacramental-preparation program, and is supported by the parish-school tradition of St. Francis Xavier Catholic School nearby in Cross Plains.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 7:45 AM – 8:05 AM
- Wednesday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Friday 7:45 AM – 8:05 AM
- Saturday 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
- Sunday 9:15 AM – 9:45 AM (before 10:00 AM Mass)
- Also by private appointment — contact the parish office
Adoration times
- Wednesday 8:45 AM – 11:00 AM (St. Bernard)
History of St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church in Middleton was planned and built across the late 1940s and 1950s to serve the growing Catholic population of Middleton and surrounding western Dane County. The Wisconsin Historical Society's Architecture and History Inventory records that the three-building parish complex was designed by Madison architect John J. Flad and Associates and built between 1949 and 1959. The parish rectory at 2015 Parmenter Street was completed in 1952; the main church on University Avenue was begun in 1958 and completed in March 1959. On March 24, 1959, Bishop William O'Connor blessed the new altar in a ceremony recorded by photographer Edwin Stein for the Wisconsin State Journal. The mid-century Modern Movement building is built of brick on a steel frame and is distinguished by a memorial window designed by Eugene Margraff and fabricated by Universal Studios of Winona, Minnesota.
- Three-building parish complex designed 1949–1959 by John J. Flad and Associates
- Rectory at 2015 Parmenter St. completed 1952
- Main church at 7450 University Ave. dedicated March 24, 1959 by Bishop William O'Connor
- On February 1 of the 'Into the Deep' years, St. Bernard merged with four neighboring parishes into Holy Cross Parish
Architecture and Buildings
The parish occupies a mid-century Modern Movement / Contemporary-style complex in brick with a steel frame. The architect of record was John J. Flad and Associates, with Herman Simon serving as contractor on the 1958–59 church construction. The sanctuary's defining artistic feature is the large memorial window by artist Eugene Margraff, executed by Universal Studios in Winona, Minnesota.
- Church: 7450 University Avenue, Modern Movement style, brick, steel frame, 1958–1959
- Rectory: 2015 Parmenter Street, Contemporary brick residence, 1952
- Memorial window by Eugene Margraff / Universal Studios (Winona, MN)
- Parish center renovation under construction 2021
Merger into Holy Cross Parish
As part of the Diocese of Madison's 'Into the Deep' pastoral realignment — a project to strategically match priests, parishes and resources for the long-term — St. Bernard in Middleton merged with St. Francis Xavier (Cross Plains), St. Martin of Tours (Martinsville), St. Mary (Pine Bluff) and St. Peter (Ashton) to form Holy Cross Parish on February 1 of the merger year. Pastor Fr. Scott Jablonski described the move as a chance to realign the new pastorate's physical, financial, human and priestly resources, and parishioners reported a clear 'desire for deeper discipleship' across the merged community.
- Merger effective February 1 (formally announced in the Madison Catholic Herald)
- Five worship sites: St. Bernard, St. Francis Xavier, St. Martin of Tours, St. Mary, St. Peter
- Pastor: Fr. Scott Jablonski
- Parochial vicars: Fr. Michael Wanta, Fr. Brian Dulli
- Vicar General Fr. Tait Schroeder lives in residence
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Holy Cross Parish — and therefore St. Bernard's church in Middleton — is served by a larger-than-typical pastoral team because the Diocese of Madison's Vicar General, Fr. Tait Schroeder, lives in residence at the parish while serving the wider diocese. Day-to-day pastoral care of St. Bernard's is the joint responsibility of Pastor Fr. Scott Jablonski and parochial vicars Fr. Michael Wanta and Fr. Brian Dulli.
- Fr. Scott Jablonski — Pastor of Holy Cross Parish
- Fr. Michael Wanta — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Brian Dulli — Parochial Vicar (Spanish-language proficiency)
- Fr. Tait Schroeder — Vicar General / Moderator of the Curia of the Diocese of Madison, Priest in Residence
Parish Office and Contact
The St. Bernard parish office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. The office handles sacramental scheduling, faith-formation registration, parish records and general inquiries. Confession is also available by appointment through the parish office.
- Address: 2015 Parmenter St., Middleton, WI 53562
- Phone: (608) 831-6531
- Livestream dial-in for the homebound: (608) 798-0100
- Office hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–Noon and 1:00–4:30 p.m.
Sacraments
The parish prepares Catholics for the seven sacraments through catechesis and formation programs tied to its worship-site identity as a member parish of Holy Cross. Those preparing for marriage, baptism of an infant or older child, First Communion, Confirmation or Anointing of the Sick are asked to contact the parish office to begin sacramental preparation.
- Baptism — infant and adult (through OCIA)
- First Reconciliation and First Communion
- Confirmation preparation
- Marriage preparation — contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick / Communion to the homebound