About St. Francis of Assisi · Necedah, Wisconsin
St. Francis of Assisi is a Roman Catholic parish in the village of Necedah, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. It serves roughly 200 households in and around Necedah — a community first settled in 1848 along the Yellow River — and shares its pastor with nearby Our Lady of the Lake Parish on Castle Rock Lake. The parish is notable for its liturgical diversity, offering a Saturday Vigil Mass in English, a Sunday Mass in English, a Latin Mass (not in the Extraordinary Form) and a Polish Mass every Sunday, along with daily Mass Monday through Saturday.
- Established
- 1887
- Patron
- St. Francis of Assisi
- Rector
- Rev. Wesley Janowski
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Deanery: Tomah)
Why belong here
St. Francis of Assisi is a warm, multi-generational parish of more than 200 families that takes seriously both its immigrant roots and its present-day call to holiness. Members enjoy daily Mass seven days a week, all-day Eucharistic Adoration seven days a week, and a uniquely diverse Sunday liturgy that includes English, Latin and Polish Masses — a rare offering in rural central Wisconsin. With OCIA (formerly RCIA), CCD religious education, a Marian Catechist program, prison ministry, and an active parish life tied to Our Lady of the Lake, newcomers find ready-made ways to grow in faith and serve their neighbors.
Mass times at St. Francis of Assisi
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Daily: 30 minutes before each Mass (except the 8:45 AM Sunday Mass)
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 4:15 PM (Necedah)
- Sunday 11:00 AM Latin Mass: 30 minutes before Mass
- Sunday 12:30 PM Polish Mass: 30 minutes before Mass
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration: Sunday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Monday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Tuesday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Thursday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Friday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration: Saturday 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM
History of St. Francis of Assisi Parish
St. Francis of Assisi in Necedah traces its beginnings to the Irish immigrant families who came to the Yellow River in the late 1800s to work in three local sawmills. They were first served by a circuit priest from Mauston, and the parish's first church — a mission church — burned in 1876. A new church was built in 1878 and dedicated in 1881, and in 1887 the mission became a parish with its own resident priest, who also served surrounding missions in New Lisbon, Camp Douglas, Adams County and (from 1926) Marion. In 1956 the original complex burned; Mass was celebrated in the Necedah High School gym and then in the parish hall while the parish looked toward a new home. Ground was broken for the present church in June 2002 under pastor Fr. James Lesczynski, and Bishop Raymond Leo Burke dedicated the new building on May 25, 2003.
- First mission church: served from Mauston (pre-1876)
- Fire destroys original mission church: 1876
- New church built: 1878; dedicated 1881
- Assigned first resident priest: 1887
- Parish hall fires / loss: spring 1956
- New church groundbreaking: June 2002
- Rite of Dedication by Bishop Raymond Leo Burke: May 25, 2003
Pastoral Staff & Religious Education Office
The parish is led by its pastor and supported by two deacons and two lay coordinators who handle faith formation and the OCIA process. Fr. Wesley Janowski serves as pastor of both St. Francis of Assisi and Our Lady of the Lake Parish on Castle Rock Lake.
- Rev. Wesley Janowski — Pastor
- Deacon Glen Heinzl — OCIA / Prison Ministry
- Deacon Paul Arbanas — DRE / OCIA
- Therese McNally — CRE / CCD Coordinator
- Matthew McNally — Marian Catechist Coordinator / OCIA
Faith Formation & OCIA
Religious education for children and youth is coordinated through the parish CCD program, while adults preparing for Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion are served through OCIA (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, the current name for the RCIA process). The parish is also a center for the Marian Catechist Apostolate, a lay formation program.
- Religious Education / CCD (Coordinator: Therese McNally)
- OCIA (Coordinator roles: Deacon Glen Heinzl, Deacon Paul Arbanas, Matthew McNally)
- Marian Catechist Apostolate (Coordinator: Matthew McNally)
- DRE — Deacon Paul Arbanas
Parish Outreach: Prison Ministry
Deacon Glen Heinzl coordinates the parish's Prison Ministry, bringing the sacraments and the Gospel to those incarcerated in the area. This outreach is a concrete expression of the parish's mission to 'help connect people to faith' beyond the church walls.
- Prison Ministry led by Deacon Glen Heinzl
Visiting & Becoming a Member
The parish warmly welcomes visitors and encourages those without a parish home to register. Anyone wishing to join St. Francis of Assisi is invited to contact the parish office, where staff can walk new families through registration, sacramental preparation and ways to get involved.
- Contact the parish office to register as a member
- Office phone: (608) 565-2488
- Email: [email protected]
Contact & Location
St. Francis of Assisi Parish is located on South Main Street in the village of Necedah, Juneau County, Wisconsin. The parish office is open during the week by phone or email; the Diocese of La Crosse also lists the parish in the Tomah Deanery.
- Address: 2001 S. Main Street, Necedah, WI 54646
- Mailing: 2001 S. Main St., Necedah, WI 54646-8273
- Phone: (608) 565-2488
- Fax: (608) 565-6722
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocese: Diocese of La Crosse (Tomah Deanery)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. James Lesczynski1992–
Led the effort to build the current church; groundbreaking June 2002, dedication by Bishop Burke May 25, 2003.