About St. Francis of Assisi · Holcombe, Wisconsin
St. Francis of Assisi is a small Roman Catholic parish in the rural community of Holcombe, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior. It is one of five parishes in the Rusk County Catholic Community cluster, which also includes Our Lady of Sorrows (Ladysmith), St. Anthony de Padua (Tony), Ss. Peter & Paul (Weyerhaeuser), and St. Mary (Bruce). The parish offers a Saturday vigil Mass and a Friday morning weekday Mass, with reconciliation available before each Mass. Worshippers at St. Francis are part of a wider Chippewa River valley cluster that shares Hispanic Ministry, Totus Tuus summer youth formation, faith formation programs, and a live-streamed weekend Mass.
- Established
- 1881
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Fr. Joseph Kumar Mayakuntla
- Diocese
- Diocese of Superior
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi offers the rural faithful of Holcombe and the surrounding Chippewa River valley a chance to worship in a small, tight-knit community with both a Saturday vigil Mass and a Friday weekday Mass, with reconciliation available before each. As part of the five-parish Rusk County Catholic Community cluster, parishioners benefit from shared Hispanic Ministry outreach to local families, Totus Tuus summer youth formation for grades 1–12, and a cluster-wide faith formation program for children and adults. The historic Flambeau Mission Church — the first Catholic church in Rusk County — stands as a living link to the area's 1881 Ojibwe and French-Canadian Catholic heritage.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Before Friday morning Mass at St. Francis of Assisi
- Before Saturday vigil Mass at St. Francis of Assisi
- Saturday 9:00 AM at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Ladysmith
- By appointment (any time) — contact the parish office
Parish Identity & Mission
St. Francis of Assisi, Holcombe is one of five parishes in the Rusk County Catholic Community, a cluster of rural parishes in the Diocese of Superior. The cluster's mission statement reads: 'We are disciples of Christ. We practice our Catholic faith tradition by serving God's people through thoughts, words, and actions.' Each parish retains its own identity and worship site while sharing clergy, staff, faith formation, and outreach ministries.
- Patron: St. Francis of Assisi (feast day October 4)
- Part of the five-parish Rusk County Catholic Community cluster
- Cluster mission: disciples of Christ serving through thoughts, words, and actions
Rusk County Catholic Community Cluster
St. Francis of Assisi shares its Sacramental Minister and staff with four neighboring parishes in the cluster. Together, these parishes minister to the rural faithful of Rusk County and the surrounding Chippewa River valley. The cluster was reduced to five parishes on July 1, 2024, when Bishop James Powers moved St. Mary of Czestochowa to the Winter/Radisson cluster.
- Our Lady of Sorrows — 120 E. Corbett Ave, Ladysmith — Sunday 9:00 AM; Wed. 8:45 AM; First Friday 5:00 PM
- St. Anthony de Padua — N5333 Maple St, Tony — Sunday 10:30 AM; Wed. 11:00 AM
- Ss. Peter & Paul — N3729 First St, Weyerhaeuser — Sunday 7:30 AM; Thu. 8:15 AM
- St. Mary — 721 N. Second St, Bruce — Saturday 5:30 PM; Thu. 9:30 AM
- St. Francis of Assisi — W10193 Lehman Rd, Holcombe — Saturday 3:30 PM; Fri. 8:15 AM
- Cluster Office — 611 First Street S, Ladysmith, WI 54848
Clergy & Staff
The cluster is served by Sacramental Minister Fr. Joseph Kumar Mayakuntla with supervising pastor Fr. Patrick McConnell of Medford. Fr. Christopher Kemp is listed as Associate Pastor. Day-to-day operations are coordinated by Parish Director Robert Lecheler, supported by three deacons and parish staff.
- Fr. Joseph Kumar Mayakuntla — Sacramental Minister (cell 715-292-5449)
- Fr. Patrick McConnell — Supervising Pastor (Medford, 715-479-8704)
- Fr. Christopher Kemp — Associate Pastor
- Robert Lecheler — Parish Director
- Deacon Thomas Fuhrmann
- Deacon Craig Voldberg
- Deacon Douglas Sorenson (Retired)
- Laurie Fortuna — Secretary
- Marcy Tracy — Bookkeeper
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith Formation in the Rusk County Catholic Community is catechesis aimed at deepening contact with Jesus Christ through education, prayer, liturgy, and community life. The cluster serves all ages — infants through elderly — and offers programs for children, youth, and adults, plus sacramental preparation.
- Faith Formation for families and children
- Adult Faith Formation
- OCIA — Order of Christian Initiation of Adults/Teens/Children (inquiry sessions by appointment: 715-532-3051)
- Sacramental Preparation & Registration Forms
- Called to Be Catholic inquiry process
Totus Tuus Summer Youth Program
Totus Tuus (Latin for 'totally yours,' the motto of St. John Paul II) is a summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship. College-aged teachers and seminarians from the Diocese of Superior lead a week of day camp for grades 1–6 and evening sessions for grades 7–12, including games, skits, prayer, daily Mass, Reconciliation, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and a vocations/apologetics night. The 2026 program is scheduled July 13–17 at Our Lady of Sorrows School in Ladysmith and is free for participants.
- Day Camp (grades 1–6) — July 13–17, 9:00 AM–2:30 PM
- Youth Evenings (grades 7–12) — July 13–17, 7:30 PM–9:45 PM
- Tuesday: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation for youth
- Wednesday: Vocations and Apologetics night
- Friday: water fight and celebration
Hispanic Ministry (Ministerio Hispano)
The cluster's Hispanic Ministry serves the spiritual and community needs of Hispanic families in Rusk and Barron Counties, with costs shared by all cluster parishes. Services include sacramental preparation, baptisms, anointings, marriage blessings, home blessings, confession, prayer experiences, and periodic Masses. Bilingual Spanish/English contact is provided through Therese Tindol.
- Sacramental preparation (baptism, marriage, anointing)
- Home blessings and prayer experiences
- Periodic Spanish-language Masses
- Coordinator: Therese Tindol — 715-532-9163
- Bilingual Spanish/English support
Sacraments
St. Francis of Assisi, as part of the Rusk County Catholic Community, offers preparation and celebration of the seven Catholic sacraments. Sacramental preparation classes are held at the cluster level, and the OCIA process welcomes adults, teens, and children seeking baptism, confirmation, and/or First Communion.
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage — preparation and blessing
- Anointing of the Sick
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- OCIA / Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Historic Flambeau Mission Church
The original St. Francis of Assisi Mission Church — known as the Flambeau Mission Church — sits on the south bank of the Chippewa River just below its junction with the Flambeau River. Built in 1881 by local carpenter Thomas Orthman under the direction of Franciscan Fathers Chrysostom Verwyst and Casimir Vogt, it was the first Catholic church in Rusk County. The plain clapboard vernacular building features six-over-six windows, wooden pews in the balcony, and a two-stage bell tower added in 1903 by Gust Dakota with a conical belfry and wheel window. The church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1979) and remains the only surviving structure from the original Flambeau Farms logging settlement.
- Built 1881 by Thomas Orthman; Fathers Verwyst and Vogt directing
- Two-story annex added 1884
- Bell tower added 1903 by Gust Dakota
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places — 1979
- First Catholic church in Rusk County
- Served French-Canadian and Chippewa (Ojibwe) communities
Contact & Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach the cluster through the parish office in Ladysmith. The office is open Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM–4:00 PM and Friday 8:00 AM–Noon (hours beginning July 11).
- Parish Office: 611 First Street S, Ladysmith, WI 54848-1807
- Phone: (715) 532-3051
- Fax: (715) 609-1059
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:00 AM–4:00 PM; Fri 8:00 AM–Noon
- Fr. Joseph Kumar Mayakuntla cell: 715-292-5449
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Website: www.ruskcountycatholiccommunity.org