About St. James · Vesper, Wisconsin
St. James Catholic Church is a small, rural Roman Catholic parish in the village of Vesper, Wood County, Wisconsin, belonging to the Diocese of La Crosse (Wisconsin Rapids Deanery). It is clustered with St. Joachim Parish in Pittsville and Holy Rosary as part of the Saint Joachim grouping, sharing pastoral staff and administration. The parish was organized in 1909 by Rev. John Willitzer of Pittsville, with the brick church on Church Avenue dedicated on November 24, 1910 by Bishop Schwebach. Worshippers today gather for an early Sunday Mass at 7:00 a.m., a Saturday Vigil at 4:00 p.m., and weekday Masses on Monday and Tuesday — a quiet, traditional schedule that reflects generations of small-town Wisconsin Catholic life.
- Established
- 1909
- Patron
- St. James the Greater (Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Amalanathan Malaiyappan (Father Nathan)
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Wisconsin Rapids Deanery)
Why belong here
St. James is the kind of parish where everyone knows everyone — a small rural Catholic community in the heart of Wood County with a Mass schedule built around working farm and family life, including a Saturday Vigil at 4:00 p.m., a quiet 7:00 a.m. Sunday Mass, and weekday Masses on Monday and Tuesday. As part of the Saint Joachim cluster it shares a pastor (Fr. Nathan) and faith-formation programming with neighboring parishes, while still preserving its own identity through parish ministries, RCIA/OCIA preparation, youth and young-adult faith formation, and Eucharistic Adoration on the first Tuesday of each month. It is an easy place to plug in, to be remembered by name, and to put down Catholic roots in central Wisconsin.
Mass times at St. James
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM (before the 4:00 PM Vigil Mass)
Adoration times
- Tuesday — First Tuesday of the month, immediately following the 8:45 AM Mass, for one hour
Parish History
St. James was organized in 1909 by Rev. John Willitzer of St. Joachim, Pittsville, who said the first Mass in Adams Hall on October 15 of that year. The brick church on land donated by James Carroll was dedicated by Bishop Schwebach on November 24, 1910. The parish remained a mission of Pittsville until 1919, when Rev. C. W. Gille became the first resident pastor. A church steeple was added during Father Gille's tenure, and the rectory — the former Henry Stahl home on Benson Avenue, purchased in 1919 — was destroyed by fire on April 19, 1926.
- First Mass: Oct. 15, 1909, in Adams Hall
- Church dedicated: Nov. 24, 1910, by Bishop Schwebach
- First resident pastor: Rev. C. W. Gille, appointed Aug. 1, 1919
- Rectory fire: April 19, 1926
Founding Families
Charter members of St. James included Mrs. Mary Adams, Jacob Sternot, the Hladilek, Rokus, and Goldammer families. Early lay leadership included trustees Joseph White and Frank Laddick; the Altar Society was led by Mrs. Henry Treutel (president), Mrs. John Flanagan (secretary), and Mrs. Celia Goldammer (treasurer); and Mrs. Joseph Mras (née Mary Sternot) was the parish's first organist.
- Charter members: Mary Adams, Jacob Sternot, Hladilek, Rokus, and Goldammer families
- First trustees: Joseph White and Frank Laddick
- First Altar Society officers: Mrs. Henry Treutel (president), Mrs. John Flanagan (secretary), Mrs. Celia Goldammer (treasurer)
- First organist: Mrs. Joseph Mras (née Mary Sternot)
Parish Identity & Diocese
St. James is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse, assigned to the Wisconsin Rapids Deanery. Together with St. Joachim in Pittsville and Holy Rosary, it forms part of the Saint Joachim cluster under shared pastoral leadership.
- Diocese: La Crosse
- Deanery: Wisconsin Rapids
- Cluster: Saint Joachim (with St. Joachim, Pittsville, and Holy Rosary)
- Patron: St. James the Greater (feast day July 25)
Clergy & Staff
The parish is currently served by Rev. Amalanathan Malaiyappan — known to parishioners simply as 'Father Nathan' — who pastors the Saint Joachim cluster. Pastoral and administrative support for St. James is coordinated through the shared parish office at the St. Joachim campus in Pittsville.
- Rev. Amalanathan Malaiyappan (Father Nathan) — Pastor
Faith Formation & Religious Education
St. James shares faith-formation programming with the Saint Joachim cluster, providing religious education for the parish's children and youth.
- Faith Formation & Religious Education
- Young Adult Ministry
Becoming Catholic (RCIA / OCIA)
Adults preparing for full reception into the Catholic Church are welcomed through the parish's RCIA / OCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults / Order of Christian Initiation of Adults).
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
Sacraments
St. James celebrates the Eucharist daily per the published schedule, offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturdays, and exposes the Blessed Sacrament for adoration on the first Tuesday of each month. Adults preparing for initiation do so through the cluster's OCIA program.
- Eucharist (see Mass schedule)
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 3:15–3:45 PM
- Eucharistic Adoration — first Tuesdays
- Initiation (OCIA / RCIA)
Contact & Visit
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. James Catholic Church at 6631 Church Avenue in Vesper, Wisconsin. The mailing address routes through the Saint Joachim cluster office in Pittsville. Phone and email are listed below.
- Physical address: 6631 Church Ave, Vesper, WI 54489
- Mailing address: PO Box 69, Pittsville, WI 54466-0069
- Phone: 715-569-3978
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John Willitzer1909–1919
Organizer and founding priest; pastor of St. Joachim, Pittsville; said the first Mass in Adams Hall on Oct. 15, 1909.
- Rev. C. W. Gille1919–
First resident pastor of St. James; oversaw construction of the steeple and acquisition of the rectory; rectory burned April 19, 1926.
- Rev. A. M. Kammer
- Rev. G. Kaiser
- Rev. L. Paquette
- Rev. J. P. Hough
- Rev. Oberwinder
- Rev. C. P. Wolf
- Rev. F. W. Zoll
- Rev. E. J. Kaim
- Rev. P. T. Weller
- Rev. F. Przybylski
- Rev. Rombalski
- Rev. Amalanathan Malaiyappan (Father Nathan)
Current pastor, shared with the Saint Joachim cluster (St. Joachim, Pittsville, and Holy Rosary).