About St. Francis Borgia-South Church · Cedarburg, Wisconsin
St. Francis Borgia Catholic Parish is a unified Catholic parish in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, part of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, with two worship sites: the historic 1870 stone South Church in downtown Cedarburg and the larger North Church on Covered Bridge Road. The parish's roots go back to 1844, when Jesuit Fr. Martin Kundig began ministering to mostly Irish Catholic settlers in the area. The merged parish serves local families through vibrant liturgies, a parish school (since 1951), Christian Formation programs from age 3 through high school, and a wide range of adult and outreach ministries. Its mission statement — Share Christ, Celebrate Christ, Live Christ — orients parish life around worship centered on the altar, vibrant parish community, and generous outreach to the poor.
- Established
- 1844
- Patron
- St. Francis Borgia (16th-century Spanish Jesuit, confessor to King Charles V, renowned for his charity to the poor)
- Rector
- Fr. Patrick Burns
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. Francis Borgia offers something most parishes can't: two complementary worship sites — a thriving modern North Campus that consolidates the parish school, Christian Formation, and offices, and the historic 1870 South Church that hosts daily Mass and round-the-clock Eucharistic Adoration. Members encounter Christ through vibrant weekend liturgies, a Catholic school since 1951, a full K3–grade 12 faith formation program including Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and Life Teen, and a mission rooted in sharing faith, celebrating the Eucharist, and serving those in need. Whether you are a young family, a teenager looking for community, or an adult seeking Adoration and spiritual growth, the parish is built to welcome you and walk with you.
Mass times at St. Francis Borgia-South Church
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00–9:30 AM (North Church)
- Monday 8:45 AM (South Church)
- Tuesday 7:45 AM (South Church)
- Wednesday 7:45 AM (South Church)
- Thursday 7:45 AM (South Church)
- Friday 7:45 AM (South Church)
- Thursday 5:00–6:00 PM (North Church)
Adoration times
- 24 hours, 7 days a week at the South Church; doors are open to the public from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day
Who We Are
St. Francis Borgia Parish is a unified Catholic parish in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, part of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, with two worship sites and a mission statement built around three pillars: Share Christ, Celebrate Christ, Live Christ. The parish describes itself as welcoming, Catholic, unified and harmonious, filled with volunteers of all ages, centered around the liturgy, practicing good stewardship, and singing. The parish commits itself to supporting and promoting the parish school and Christian Formation programs for children and young adults, and to serving the broader Cedarburg community through outreach to the poor and needy.
- Share Christ — through conversations and daily living, especially around the Sunday homily
- Celebrate Christ — through Sunday Mass as the parish's priority, vibrant parish life, and worship centered on the altar
- Live Christ — through total charity to neighbor and generous outreach, serving the poor 'as if the poor were Christ himself'
Our History
The parish traces its roots to 1844, when Fr. Martin Kundig, SJ, began ministering to Irish Catholic settlers from a log cabin chapel on Pioneer Road. A frame church replaced the cabin in 1852, and in 1870 the present stone South Church was built at Hamilton Road and Washington Avenue. The parish school was founded in 1951 under Fr. Leo Zingsheim. As the parish outgrew its downtown site, Fr. Leo founded the Church of the Divine Word (now the North Church) in 1970 north of Five Corners. The two parishes formally merged in 2001 under Archbishops Weakland and later Dolan, and in 2014–2015 a new Education & Activity Center was built on the North Campus to house the school and Christian Formation.
- 1844 — Parish founded by Fr. Martin Kundig, SJ, in a log cabin chapel
- 1852 — Frame church replaces the log cabin
- 1870 — Stone South Church built at Hamilton Road and Washington Avenue
- 1943 — Fr. Leo Zingsheim appointed pastor
- 1951 — Parish school built on Hamilton Road
- 1970 — Church of the Divine Word (now North Church) founded by Fr. Leo
- 1999 — Merger announced by Fr. Ed Wawrzyniakowski and Fr. George Gajdos
- 2001 — St. Francis Borgia and Divine Word begin worshipping together in September
- 2003 — Archbishop Timothy Dolan appoints Fr. Tom Eichenberger as pastor
- 2014–2015 — New Education & Activity Center built and dedicated on North Campus
- 2017 — Fr. Patrick Burns appointed administrator; named pastor in December 2018
Two Worship Locations
The unified parish maintains both the historic 1870 South Church in downtown Cedarburg and the larger North Church on Covered Bridge Road. Most weekend Masses and the parish office, school, and Christian Formation programs are at the North Campus; the South Church continues to host daily Mass, weekday confession, and 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration.
- North Church & Parish Office — 1375 Covered Bridge Road, Cedarburg, WI 53012
- South Church — N44 W6055 Hamilton Road, Cedarburg, WI 53012
Faith Formation
Faith Formation at St. Francis Borgia spans from early childhood through adulthood, organized into Child Ministry (K3–Grade 5), Youth Ministry (Grades 6–12), and Adult Formation.
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (K3–Grade 2)
Based on the Montessori method of religious formation begun by Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi more than 60 years ago, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) brings children into a specially prepared 'atrium' to encounter the mystery of God at their own level. St. Francis Borgia opened its first Level I atrium in Fall 2021 and its first Level II atrium in Fall 2023. The Level I and Level II atria are housed in the North Church Hall, with an additional atrium in the Education and Activity Center. Level I (K3–K5) is offered Monday through Thursday, and Level II (Grades 1–2) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
- Level I (ages 3–6): Monday–Thursday
- Level II (ages 6–9): Tuesday–Thursday
- Three-year-olds are the ideal age to enroll
- Welcomes parish school children as well
Christian Formation (Grades 3–5)
Children in grades 3–5 meet on Wednesday evenings from 6:00–7:30 PM. The program uses Sophia Institute's Spirit of Truth series and models itself on the pattern of the early Church — apostles' teaching, fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and prayers — with catechists encouraged to nurture a love of Christ in teaching, community, the sacraments, and prayer. Grade-level themes: Grade 3 — the Kingdom of God and the Church; Grade 4 — the Moral Life; Grade 5 — the Seven Sacraments.
- Wednesday evenings, 6:00–7:30 PM
- Curriculum: Spirit of Truth
- Director: Yvonne Wolfe
Life Teen (Grades 9–12 and Confirmation Prep)
Life Teen is a Eucharist-centered movement that leads high school teens and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. The Life Teen Mass is celebrated Sunday nights at 6:00 PM, followed by a Life Night beginning around 7:15 PM with dinner and ending at 9:15 PM. Beginning in the 2024–25 program year, 11th-grade Confirmation preparation moved under the Life Teen umbrella (12th graders are also now included), with retreats — including a Confirmation Retreat in March — as a required part of preparation.
- Life Teen Mass: Sunday 6:00 PM
- Life Nights: ~7:15–9:15 PM
- Includes 11th-grade Confirmation preparation and 12th-grade ministry
- Confirmation Retreat in March
- Director: Brian Bottei
Adult Faith Formation
The Adult Formation ministry (ages 18+) invites parishioners to grow together in faith, building on the parish belief that each human heart seeks to be known and loved because we were created to be in relationship with God.
St. Francis Borgia Catholic School
The parish school was established in 1951 on Hamilton Road in downtown Cedarburg and has since moved to the unified North Campus on Covered Bridge Road, where it shares facilities with Christian Formation and parish offices. The school is a core component of the parish's commitment to faith formation for children and young adults.
- Founded 1951 under Fr. Leo Zingsheim
- Now located on the North Campus at 1375 Covered Bridge Road
Our Priests and Seminarians
Pastor Fr. Patrick Burns grew up in Fox Point and Mequon, studied philosophy at Loyola University Chicago, and completed his Masters in Divinity at Sacred Heart School of Theology during his time at St. Francis de Sales Seminary. Ordained in May 2013, his first assignment was St. Charles Parish in Hartland. He joined St. Francis Borgia as associate pastor in 2016, was named parish administrator in 2017, and was installed as pastor in December 2018. The parish is also hosting summer seminarian Andrew Beine in 2025, a theology student studying in Rome for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
- Pastor: Fr. Patrick Burns
- Summer Seminarian (2025): Andrew Beine
- Phone: 262-377-1070
Parish Staff and Offices
Beyond the priests and seminarian, the parish maintains an administrative, liturgical, formation, and facilities staff supporting worship, Christian Formation, youth ministry, school, and cemetery operations. Offices include Director of Administrative Services, Director of Child and Family Formation, Director of Youth Ministry, Interim Director of Sacred Music, Parish Accountant, Cemetery Coordinator, HR & Safe Environment Coordinator, Communications, and Building & Grounds.
Funerals, Weddings, and Cemetery
Funeral planning is coordinated through the parish office, and an Initial Funeral Planning contact is available among the parish staff. The parish maintains an historic cemetery near the original log cabin chapel site on Pioneer Road and Wauwatosa Road. Wedding coordination is handled through the Assistant to the Pastor.
- Initial Funeral Planning contact available in Parish Office
- Wedding coordinator: Assistant to the Pastor
- Historic parish cemetery near Pioneer Road & Wauwatosa Road
Outreach and Serving the Poor
Outreach is the third pillar of the parish's mission (Live Christ). The parish commits to 'total charity to our neighbor and generous outreach in all things,' serving the poor and needy 'as if the poor were Christ himself,' and to leading and serving the broader Cedarburg community alongside its worship and formation programs.
- Service to the poor and needy as a core mission
- Leadership and service within the Cedarburg community
Parish Office — Contact and Hours
The Parish Office is located just east of the North Church, one quarter mile north of the '5-Corners' intersection of State Hwy 60, County Hwy NN (Washington Avenue) and Covered Bridge Road in Cedarburg, with entrances from both Covered Bridge Road and Hwy NN. Office hours are Monday–Thursday 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM and Friday 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM. The parish can be reached by phone at (262) 377-1070 or via the 'Email Us' form on the website.
- Phone: (262) 377-1070
- Office Hours: Mon–Thu 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM; Fri 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM
- General email available via the website contact form
Joining the Parish
St. Francis Borgia traces its roots in Cedarburg back to 1844, with the historic 1870 South Church still in active use and the parish school (founded 1951) consolidated at the unified North Campus. New parishioners are invited to register and become part of a faith community that worships together, learns together, and serves together.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Martin Kundig, SJ1844 (founder)
Jesuit priest assigned as a Milwaukee pastor in 1842; ministered to Irish Catholic settlers on horseback and helped establish the parish.
- Fr. Ed Wawrzyniakowski
Pastor of St. Francis Borgia at the time of the 1999 merger announcement with Divine Word; remained pastor until retirement in June 2002.
- Fr. George Gajdos
Pastor of Divine Word; continued as pastor of the merged St. Francis Borgia Parish until June 2003.
- Fr. Tom Eichenberger2003–2017
Appointed pastor in June 2003 by Archbishop Timothy Dolan.
- Fr. Patrick Burns2017–present
Appointed parish administrator in June 2017, named pastor in December 2018.