St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Waldo

About St. Francis of Assisi Parish

St. Francis of Assisi Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Green Bay that serves the entire city of Manitowoc, Wisconsin from three historic worship sites: the Grand Avenue site, the Marshall Street site, and the Waldo Boulevard site. Formed on July 1, 2005 by merging the city's six former Catholic parishes, it has grown to more than 3,000 families and 9,500-plus active members. The parish proclaims: 'The Manitowoc Catholic community exists as a sacramental body of Christ, to love as Christ loved, by boldly proclaiming our faith, teaching our youth, spreading the Good News of Jesus, and serving one another and others in an ever-changing community.'

History

Before 2005, six separate Catholic parishes served the city of Manitowoc. At midnight on July 1, 2005, church bells rang out to announce the creation of one unified parish — St. Francis of Assisi Parish — under the Diocese of Green Bay. The new parish took its name from the beloved Italian saint and continued to celebrate Mass at the former parish churches, which became known as the Grand site, the Marshall site, and the Waldo site. The Waldo site has its own deep roots: it is the former Holy Innocents Church (locally 'HI'), built in 1951 and designed by the Green Bay firm Foeller, Schober, Berners, Safford and Jahn in what the architect called 'Modernized Gothic.' It was dedicated by Bishop Bona in November 1951 and grew from Sacred Heart Parish as Manitowoc's north side expanded. Its stone walls, copper-topped tower, Conrad Schmidt Studios stained glass, and outdoor Fatima shrine remain defining features today. In 2025 the parish marked its 20th anniversary with the '20-20-20 Parish Anniversary Celebration' — more than 20 events in 20 days — capped by a July 4 celebration. At the same time it broke ground on a new gathering center and launched major renovations across its worship sites.

• 1850s: First Catholic parish established in Manitowoc.
• 1951: Holy Innocents Church dedicated on N. 14th St.
• July 1, 2005: Six Manitowoc parishes merged into St. Francis of Assisi Parish.
• June 15 – July 4, 2025: 20-20-20 Parish Anniversary Celebration.
• June 17, 2025: Groundbreaking for the new Grand Avenue gathering center.

Clergy & Staff

The parish is led by Pastor Father Doug LeCaptain, with three associate priests serving alongside him. Father LeCaptain has guided the parish's recent focus on discipleship, hospitality, and Hispanic ministry, and wrote an April 13, 2025 letter to parishioners announcing the new gathering center project. Father Michael Warden is a staff priest whose email is listed on the parish website.

• Father Doug LeCaptain — Pastor
• Father Michael Warden — Staff Priest
• Father Matthew Colle — Associate
• Father Jason Blahnik — Associate
• Elizabeth Gruenke — Coordinator of Youth Ministry / 20-20-20 anniversary planning team

Faith Formation & Youth Ministry

The parish operates a full family ministry that includes programs for children, youth, and parents. A summer newsletter and calendar list upcoming family, youth, and children's events, with online sign-ups. The high-school youth ministry takes teens on a Steubenville Rochester Catholic Youth Conference trip each summer.

• Children's Ministry
• Youth Ministry / High School Faith Formation
• Family Ministry
• Vacation Bible School — 'Scuba' (July 29 – August 2)
• Summer 2024 High School Faith Formation Mini Courses
• Steubenville Rochester trip (July 11–15, 2025)

Hispanic Ministry

Hispanic Ministry is one of three strategic priorities the parish has emphasized under Father LeCaptain's leadership, alongside discipleship and hospitality. The parish celebrates a weekly Spanish Mass at noon on Sundays at the Waldo site and is creating dedicated space for Spanish-language faith formation at the renovated Waldo rectory and Emmaus House (the former Life Teen house).

• Sunday Spanish Mass: 12:00 PM, Waldo Site
• Faith formation in Spanish
• Waldo rectory renovation for Hispanic ministry
• Emmaus House renovation for Hispanic ministry and faith formation

Parish Ministries & Outreach

Beyond worship and formation, the parish runs several outreach and community ministries. The Respect Life Ministry meets monthly to support a Culture of Life from fertilization through natural death and partners with Hope House. Prayer Shawl Ministry, a grief-support group called 'A New Day,' and the parish Raffle Calendar fundraiser round out parish life.

• Respect Life Ministry — 4th Tuesday, 5:40 PM, Parish Gathering Center, Grand Site; email [email protected]
• Prayer Shawl Ministry — monthly meetings
• A New Day – Grief Ministry Group — bi-weekly
• Parish Raffle Calendar — weekly winners posted on Facebook and in the bulletin
• Hope House partnership

The Rebuild My Church Campaign

The parish's 'Rebuild My Church' capital campaign funds a major building program across its three sites. The centerpiece is a 14,000-square-foot, one-story gathering center at the Grand Avenue site, which will house a gathering space, meeting rooms, and the parish office; it will be connected to the existing church by two handicap-accessible hallways and was expected to be completed by the end of January 2026. At the Waldo site, the rectory and the Emmaus House (former Life Teen House) are being renovated to support the Discipleship Mission and Hispanic ministry.

• New 14,000-sq-ft gathering center at Grand Avenue site — groundbreaking June 17, 2025
• Waldo Rectory renovation for Discipleship Mission
• Emmaus House renovation for faith formation
• Handicap-accessible hallways linking new building to existing church
• Funded through Rebuild My Church + one by One diocesan campaign

The 'one by One' Regional Campaign

St. Francis of Assisi is one of three Manitowoc-area parishes partnering with Roncalli Catholic Schools and the Diocese of Green Bay on the 'one by One' capital campaign. The $20 million regional effort centers on building a new Catholic school to serve elementary and middle-school students. The parish's local share of the campaign — $2.5 million — also funds expanded staff for Discipleship, Hospitality, and Hispanic Ministry, plus the Grand Avenue transformation.

• Partner parishes: St. Francis of Assisi, St. Peter the Fisherman, St. Thomas the Apostle
• Partner school: Roncalli Catholic Schools
• Total regional cost: $20 million (new elementary/middle school)
• Local parish share: $2.5 million (staff + Grand site + Waldo rectory/Emmaus House)

Architecture & Heritage of the Waldo Site

The Waldo worship site — the former Holy Innocents Church — is a 1951 stone-clad church on N. 14th Street whose architect, the Green Bay firm Foeller, Schober, Berners, Safford and Jahn, called its style 'Modernized Gothic.' The Wisconsin Historical Society's inventory describes it as having 'the deliberately sparse ornamentation' and 'Art Deco-style window surrounds' on its prominent tower. The complex (church, rectory, school, convent, tunnel, and shrine) is a recorded Wisconsin historic property.

• Built 1951; cornerstone laid 1950; dedicated November 1951 by Bishop Bona
• Architects: Foeller, Schober, Berners, Safford and Jahn (Green Bay)
• General contractor: Hamman Construction (Manitowoc)
• Approximate cost: $335,000
• Exterior: random-laid ashlar gray Brown County stone; slate roof; copper-roofed tower
• Stained glass by Conrad Schmidt Studios, Milwaukee
• Green-marble sanctuary steps; coffered ceilings; terrazzo under fixed pews
• Outdoor Fatima shrine with blue electric rosary, statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, praying children, and lambs