About St. Bernard · Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
St. Bernard Parish was a Roman Catholic parish in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, founded in 1911 as the first Catholic parish in the City of Wauwatosa. The parish was located on North Wauwatosa Avenue at 7474 Harwood Avenue in the heart of Wauwatosa's Village, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. After more than a century of ministry — including the operation of Wauwatosa Catholic School — St. Bernard was closed and merged with neighboring Christ King Catholic Parish in 2023, with the property sold to a developer and the 1963 contemporary-style church demolished in 2025. The parish's mission statement emphasized proclaiming Christ, making disciples, and stewarding time, talent and treasure while celebrating the sacramental life of the Church.
- Established
- 1911
- Patron
- St. Bernard of Clairvaux
- Rector
- Rev. Phillip Bogacki (pastor at time of closure/merger in 2023–2024)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. Bernard was a welcoming, village-centered Catholic community rooted in Wauwatosa since 1911, with a stated mission of proclaiming Christ and making disciples through the stewardship of time, talent and treasure. The parish celebrated the sacramental life of the Church with weekend and weekday Masses, Reconciliation, Adoration, and outreach through ministries such as the Tosa Community Food Pantry (founded with parish support in 1980). After its 2023 merger with Christ King Parish, members were warmly invited to continue worship and ministry together on the Christ King campus, carrying forward St. Bernard's century-long legacy of hospitality and faith.
Mass times at St. Bernard
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesdays at 5:00 PM (along with Adoration)
Adoration times
- Tuesdays at 5:00 PM
History of St. Bernard Parish
St. Bernard was formally organized in 1911 and was the first Catholic parish in the City of Wauwatosa. The first Mass was offered on June 27, 1911 by Msgr. Bernard Traudt, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The congregation initially worshipped in a house belonging to Wauwatosa pioneer John D. Hemlock that stood on the present church site along Harwood Avenue. The parish took the patron St. Bernard of Clairvaux (feast day August 20), the 12th-century Cistercian monk and Doctor of the Church.
- 1911 – First Mass offered June 27 by Msgr. Bernard Traudt
- 1917–1918 – Original church dedicated October 1917, completed 1918
- 1919 – Two-room school built, staffed by Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa
- 1922 – Convent for the Dominican Sisters added
- 1955 – Larger school with 12 classrooms, gymnasium and cafeteria replaces the original
- 1963 – Contemporary-style church, rectory and convent built; designed by Brust and Brust
- 1980 – Parish helps establish the Tosa Community Food Pantry
- 1991 – Sinsinawa Dominican sisters leave the school
- 2000 – 1963 rectory demolished; priests move to 7517 Lincoln Place; school renovated with new offices, gymnasium and elevator
- 2010 – School merges with St. Pius X to form Wauwatosa Catholic
- 2018 – Wauwatosa Pocket Park added to southern corner of lot
- 2023 – Merged with Christ King Parish under pastor Rev. Phillip Bogacki
- 2024 – Property sold to Three Leaf Partners
- 2025 – 1963 church demolished
Architecture & Buildings
The church that served St. Bernard for most of its modern life was a Contemporary-style brick building completed in 1963 and designed by the Milwaukee architecture firm Brust and Brust. It replaced the original 1918 church. Both the church and the rectory were designed by Brust and Brust, and the property also included the 1955 school (renovated in 2000) and a small pocket park added in 2018. The 1963 complex has since been demolished.
- Style: Contemporary (1963)
- Architect: Brust and Brust of Milwaukee
- Exterior: common-bond red brick with limestone trim
- Façure: angled brick walls, triangular entrance vestibules, and a large cast-limestone relief of St. Bernard
- Bell tower: semi-free-standing H-plan brick tower at the southeast corner, topped with a tall green metal Latin cross
- Decoration: Greek-cross brick cutouts infilled with colored glazed tile
Sacraments
The parish celebrated the central sacraments of the Catholic Church — most visibly the Eucharist at Sunday and weekday Masses, and Reconciliation (Confession) during scheduled Tuesday hours. As a parish of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, all sacramental preparation followed archdiocesan norms.
- Eucharist (weekend and weekday Mass)
- Reconciliation (Tuesday at 5:00 PM with Adoration)
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
Youth ministry for St. Bernard was shared with neighboring parishes. Sarah Daszczuk served as Director of Youth Ministry for the combined Christ King, St. Bernard and St. Pius X parishes in Wauwatosa, supporting middle-school and high-school faith formation retreats and programs, including work with the Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally.
- Combined parish youth ministry covering Christ King, St. Bernard and St. Pius X
- Retreats and faith formation for middle- and high-school teens
- Connection to the Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally
Wauwatosa Catholic School
Catholic elementary education on the St. Bernard campus dates to 1919, when a two-room school was built and placed under the direction of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. A larger 1955 school was expanded in 2000 and, in 2010, merged with St. Pius X to form Wauwatosa Catholic, which operated on the St. Bernard site from 2011. The school closed at the end of the 2022–2023 school year due to a financial deficit and low enrollment.
- 1919 – Two-room school opened, taught by Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa
- 1955 – New school with 12 classrooms, gymnasium and cafeteria
- 1991 – Sinsinawa Dominicans leave the school
- 2000 – Major renovation adds new offices, gymnasium and elevator
- 2010 – School merges with St. Pius X to form Wauwatosa Catholic
- 2011 – Wauwatosa Catholic begins operating on the St. Bernard campus
- 2023 – School closes due to financial deficit and declining enrollment
Outreach & Charity
St. Bernard's most visible charitable ministry was its support for the Tosa Community Food Pantry, which the parish helped establish in 1980 to serve neighbors in need throughout Wauwatosa. Parish stewardship of time, talent and treasure was a recurring theme of the parish's stated mission.
- Tosa Community Food Pantry – co-founded with parish support in 1980
The 2023 Merger & Closing
In 2023, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee merged St. Bernard with neighboring Christ King Parish, with operations to shift entirely to the Christ King campus on Swan Boulevard and continue under the Christ King name. The decision followed years of declining enrollment, an aging campus needing roughly $5 million in repairs, a failed boiler in December 2023, and a Love One Another capital appeal that raised only $1.5 million of the required $2.5 million. Pastor Rev. Phillip Bogacki led both parishes through the transition.
- 2023 – Merger with Christ King Parish approved by Archdiocesan Priest Council
- Rev. Phillip Bogacki led both parishes through the transition
- Property sold to Three Leaf Partners (Pat Connaughton's firm) for redevelopment
- Parishioners and sacramental life moved to the Christ King campus
- 1963 church demolished in 2025
Visit & Contact
Before its 2023 closure, St. Bernard was located in the heart of Wauwatosa's Village, on the edge of the downtown village area at 1500 N. Wauwatosa Avenue. The parish office could be reached by phone, and the parish maintained a website and Facebook presence. After the merger, parishioners were directed to the Christ King Catholic Parish campus.
- Address: 1500 N. Wauwatosa Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213
- Phone: (414) 258-4320
- Website: stbernardparish.org
- Facebook: /stbernardparish