About St. Cecilia · Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
St. Cecilia Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, belonging to the Diocese of Madison and forming part of the St. John Paul II Pastorate (formerly Pastorate #7 of the Into the Deep pastoral initiative). The parish serves a diverse community, celebrating Mass in English, Polish, and Spanish each Sunday, and has grown from a small 1902 brick church that seated about 350 people into a 23,000-square-foot worship space accommodating up to 1,000–1,200 worshippers — a scale driven by the heavy summer tourism that fills Wisconsin Dells. The current church building was completed in August 2016 and deliberately preserves the architectural and spiritual heritage of its predecessor through restored stained glass, statuary, the Stations of the Cross, a custom altar reredos, a digital organ from the Netherlands, and three bells cast in Holland housed in a 92-foot bell tower.
- Established
- 1902
- Patron
- St. Cecilia of Rome (early Christian martyr and patron saint of music and musicians)
- Rector
- Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze (Parish Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison (Bishop Donald J. Hying)
Why belong here
St. Cecilia is a diverse, multilingual parish that welcomes English, Polish, and Spanish-speaking Catholics each weekend, with a Sunday Mass schedule that includes a 3:00 p.m. Polish Mass (po polsku) and a 6:00 p.m. Spanish Mass (en español). It is a designated Jubilee Pilgrimage site for the Diocese of Madison, a pastorate that spans four churches under Bishop Hying's Into the Deep initiative, and a community that intentionally preserved its artistic and devotional heritage — from century-old stained glass to a relic of St. John Paul II venerated at the parish — while building a modern, accessible 1,000-seat worship space capable of serving both locals and the millions who vacation in the Wisconsin Dells each year.
Mass times at St. Cecilia
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Tuesday: 4:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: 7:30 a.m.
- Thursday: 7:30 a.m.
- Friday: 7:30 a.m.
- Saturday: 9:00 a.m.
Adoration times
- Wednesdays: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- First Fridays: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
History of St. Cecilia Parish
St. Cecilia Catholic Church was built in 1902 to serve the Catholic community — many of them of Polish heritage — in the growing Wisconsin Dells area. The original brick church seated roughly 320–350 people and carried the inscription 'Domum Dei Decet Sanctitudo' ('Holiness befits the House of God'). A bell cast in 1904 by the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore was installed during the pastorate of Rev. O. Kolbe. By the early 2000s, the parish had grown to over 1,000 families, with summer tourism to the Dells regularly filling the church and forcing overflow seating into the parish school gymnasium. After more than fifteen years of planning, the old church held its final Mass on May 17, 2015, and was demolished; the new 23,000-square-foot church on the same 603 Oak Street site was solemnly dedicated on August 28, 2016.
- Original brick church built 1902, seating ~320–350
- 1904 McShane Bell Foundry bell installed under Rev. O. Kolbe
- Final Mass in old church: May 17, 2015 ('Roots in Faith' celebration)
- Construction of new church began June 2015
- Solemn Mass of Dedication: August 28, 2016, by Bishop Donald J. Hying
- Parish grouped into Pastorate #7 (now St. John Paul II Pastorate) in 2023
Architecture & Building Features
The new St. Cecilia church was designed by River Architects and built by Kraemer Brothers as a 23,000-square-foot worship space seating 1,000–1,200 people. Its brick exterior, stone banding, arches, gables, and 92-foot bell tower deliberately echo the 1902 building, so visitors walk through the historic front façade to reach the new worship space. Sixteen century-old stained-glass windows were painstakingly restored by Willet Hauser Architectural Glass of Winona, Minnesota, and reinstalled in the new sanctuary.
- Architect: River Architects
- Builder: Kraemer Brothers
- 175,000 brick in walls and bell tower
- Three bells cast in Holland in the 92-foot bell tower
- Custom digital organ from the Netherlands near the altar
- Balcony with music ministry, overflow seating (~150), and infant/toddler care area
- Gathering Area accommodates up to 400 additional people for seasonal overflow
- Stations of the Cross and altar reredos carried over from the original church
Sacraments
St. Cecilia, through the St. John Paul II Pastorate, celebrates all seven sacraments. The parish website offers pages for Baptism (infants, children, and adults via OCIA), First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion preparation, Confirmation for teens and adults, Anointing of the Sick and Ministry to the Homebound, and Matrimony. Spanish-language sacramental inquiries are directed to Fr. John after the 6:00 p.m. Sunday Spanish Mass at St. Cecilia.
- Baptism of Infants & Children
- Baptism of Adults (OCIA / Becoming Catholic)
- First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion
- Confirmation (teens and adults)
- Anointing of the Sick & Ministry to the Homebound
- Matrimony
- Spanish-language sacramental information available after the 6:00 p.m. Sunday Spanish Mass
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The pastorate runs a robust catechetical program that includes the Family of Faith model — with monthly check-in, community dinner, breakout sessions, and prayer at locations such as the St. Joseph School Gym — plus the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium experience for children. Vacation Bible School is offered each summer in multiple sessions (registration opens in the spring). Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation is organized pastorate-wide.
- Family of Faith (monthly gathering with dinner, breakout sessions, and prayer)
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (atrium-based program for children)
- Vacation Bible School (summer, multiple sessions)
- First Reconciliation & First Holy Communion preparation
- Confirmation preparation (teens and adults)
- OCIA / Becoming Catholic for adults
Music & Liturgical Arts
Music has long been central to the parish's identity — fitting for a church named for St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. The new church's balcony level houses the full music ministry, and the sanctuary features a custom-designed digital organ from the Netherlands. Statuary and stained glass carried over from the 1902 church — including statues of St. Cecilia and the Sacred Heart of Jesus — are given honored positions in the new building.
- Custom digital organ from the Netherlands
- Music ministry in the balcony level
- St. Cecilia statue and Sacred Heart of Jesus statue preserved from the 1902 church
- 16 restored stained-glass windows from the original church
Polish Heritage & Community Life
Wisconsin Dells is a longstanding center of Polish-American culture, and St. Cecilia has long served that community — the Polish Club of Wisconsin Dells continues to be active in parish life, including helping to fund the reliquary for the new relic of St. John Paul II. A 3:00 p.m. Polish-language Sunday Mass (po polsku) is celebrated regularly, and the pastorate was renamed St. John Paul II in 2024 in part as a tribute to the Polish pope's evangelizing legacy and to the local Polish Catholic faithful.
- Polish-language Sunday Mass at 3:00 p.m. (po polsku)
- Annual polka festivals in Wisconsin Dells
- Polish Club of Wisconsin Dells active in parish life
- First-class relic of St. John Paul II housed at St. Cecilia
Spanish-Language Ministry
St. Cecilia's 6:00 p.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish (en español) anchors the parish's Hispanic ministry. Spanish-speaking parishioners and visitors gather weekly for this celebration, and sacramental inquiries in Spanish can be directed to Fr. John after that Mass.
- 6:00 p.m. Sunday Mass in Spanish
- Spanish-language sacramental information via Fr. John after the 6:00 p.m. Mass
Jubilee Pilgrimage Site (2025)
For the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, Bishop Donald J. Hying designated St. Cecilia as one of six diocesan Jubilee Pilgrimage sites. The church is open to visitors on Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. through January 6, 2026. The parish also marked the Jubilee with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Hying on October 22, 2025, followed by veneration of a first-class relic of St. John Paul II.
- Designated diocesan Jubilee Pilgrimage site for 2025
- Visiting hours: Saturdays 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (through Jan 6, 2026)
- October 22, 2025 Jubilee Mass with Bishop Hying
- Veneration of first-class relic of St. John Paul II
Clergy & Staff
St. Cecilia is currently led by Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze as Parish Administrator, working alongside three Parochial Vicars: Fr. John Blewett, Fr. Garrett Kau, and Fr. Luke Powers. The parish office can be reached at (608) 254-8381. The parish is part of the St. John Paul II Pastorate in the Diocese of Madison, led by Bishop Donald J. Hying.
- Parish Administrator: Fr. Paul Ugo Arinze
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. John Blewett
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Garrett Kau
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Luke Powers
- Bishop: Most Rev. Donald J. Hying (Diocese of Madison)
- Parish phone: (608) 254-8381
The St. John Paul II Pastorate (Into the Deep)
In 2023, Bishop Hying grouped St. Cecilia in Wisconsin Dells with three neighboring parishes — St. Joseph (Baraboo), Sacred Heart (Reedsburg), and Holy Angels/Holy Family (La Valle) — into Pastorate #7 as part of the Diocese of Madison's Into the Deep pastoral initiative. In the spring of 2024, Bishop Hying renamed the pastorate 'St. John Paul II' in honor of the Polish pope whose legacy resonates with the strong Polish Catholic heritage of the Wisconsin Dells area. The four parishes collaborate on shared sacramental preparation, faith formation events, and the Family of Faith program.
- Formed 2023 as Pastorate #7 under Bishop Donald J. Hying
- Renamed 'St. John Paul II Pastorate' in spring 2024
- Member parishes: St. Cecilia (Wisconsin Dells), St. Joseph (Baraboo), Sacred Heart (Reedsburg), Holy Family (La Valle)
- Shared faith formation, sacramental prep, and family events across parishes
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. O. Kolbeearly 1900s
Pastor under whose tenure the 1904 McShane Bell Foundry church bell was installed (per the bell's inscription).
- Fr. Eric Sternbergc. 2015–2016
Pastor during the historic 2015 demolition of the 1902 church and the August 28, 2016 Solemn Mass of Dedication of the new church; quoted in Catholic Herald coverage saying 'the heart of the old church will be in the new.'