About St. John Evagelist · Birchwood, Wisconsin
St. John the Evangelist is a small Catholic parish in the village of Birchwood, Wisconsin, founded in 1908 by Father Walter Beaudette for the ten Catholic families who had settled in the area's cut-over timberlands. Today it is part of the "Four Parishes One Faith" cluster (with St. Joseph in Rice Lake, plus Dobie and Haugen) within the Diocese of Superior, sharing clergy and staff with its sister parishes. The Birchwood church is famous for its striking hand-carved birch-wood altar and statuary made by a former pastor, and weekend Masses are often accompanied by a harpist from the choir loft. It is a tight-knit rural parish of about 180 families whose history is interwoven with the surrounding lumber camps, mission churches, and small settlements like Pribram.
- Established
- 1908
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist
- Rector
- Fr. Dan Tracy (Parochial Administrator, effective July 1, 2023)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Superior
Why belong here
St. John the Evangelist is a small, historic Catholic parish in Birchwood whose identity is built on craftsmanship, music, and generational community. Weekend Masses are typically accompanied by a harpist from the balcony, and the interior is a one-of-a-kind work of folk-religious art — the altar, niches, and saints were carved from local birch by a former pastor in the 1950s. Sharing priests and faith-formation staff with the three other parishes in the Four Parishes One Faith cluster (St. Joseph Rice Lake, plus Dobie and Haugen), it offers the warmth and familiarity of a rural parish with the resources and ministries of a larger cluster, including religious education, youth ministry, RCIA, and a parish school at Rice Lake.
Mass times at St. John Evagelist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday after Mass (at St. John the Evangelist, Birchwood)
About St. John the Evangelist, Birchwood
St. John the Evangelist is a small Catholic parish in the village of Birchwood, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Superior. It is part of the Four Parishes One Faith cluster alongside St. Joseph in Rice Lake, plus the Dobie and Haugen churches. The parish was organized in 1908 by Father Walter Beaudette for the ten Catholic families living in Birchwood's cut-over timberlands, and the parish celebrated its centennial in 2008. Today it numbers about 180 families who gather for Sunday and weekday Mass in a church celebrated for its hand-carved birch-wood interior and live harp music.
- Patron: St. John the Evangelist (feast day December 27)
- Diocese: Diocese of Superior
- Cluster: Four Parishes One Faith (St. Joseph Rice Lake, Dobie, Haugen)
- Address: 408 S. Main St., Birchwood, WI 54817
Parish History
The parish was organized in 1908 by Father Walter Beaudette, who came out from Rice Lake to look after ten Catholic families in the new village of Birchwood. A first wooden church was completed in 1909 at a cost of about $1,100, financed largely by a loan from the Catholic Extension Society; Engelbert Kirch, one of the first trustees, is credited with naming it St. John's. The parish grew through the early decades under a succession of priests and added missions at Couderay, Radisson, and Pribram, whose own church was eventually closed and whose bell eventually became the bell of St. John's.
- 1908: parish organized by Fr. Walter Beaudette
- 1909: first church completed (cost ~$1,100)
- 1918: Fr. H. Teuwisse becomes first resident pastor; rectory built 1919
- 1923: missions at Couderay, Radisson, and Pribram added
- 1944: Fr. Gerald Mahon assigned; launches drive for a new church
- 1950: present St. John's completed and dedicated by Bishop Meyer of Superior
- 1953: Fr. Clarence Ludwig arrives and begins the carved-birch interior
- 1999: bell tower built using the salvaged Pribram bell
- 2008: parish celebrates its 100th anniversary
- c. 2010: expansion adds elevator, accessible washrooms, and gathering entrance
The Carved Birch Interior
St. John's is best known for its hand-carved interior, the work of Father Clarence Ludwig (pastor from 1953). With a workshop built near the rectory, he designed and carved the altar, canopy, and statuary almost entirely from dimensional birch wood — an estimated 2,000 hours of work, much of it done in late evenings. The result is a unified composition: a Risen Christ beneath the Cross, with St. Michael the Archangel above, flanked on the left by St. John the Evangelist and St. Maria Goretti and on the right by St. Thérèse of Lisieux ("The Little Flower"). Each niche is built up of many parts glued together.
- Altar and canopy hand-carved from birch by Fr. Clarence Ludwig
- Left statues: St. John the Evangelist and St. Maria Goretti
- Right statue: St. Thérèse of Lisieux (The Little Flower)
- Center: Risen Christ with St. Michael the Archangel above the Cross
The Bell and Bell Tower
The parish bell came from Our Lady of the Mount, the Catholic church in the small settlement of Pribram south of Birchwood that was closed after World War II. It stood in the backyard bushes of St. John's for nearly fifty years before being resurrected in the fall of 1999. A new bell tower was built that autumn, and the bell tolled for the first time before Christmas Eve Mass.
- Bell origin: Our Lady of the Mount, Pribram
- Bell tower completed: fall 1999
- First ringing: Christmas Eve 1999
Music at Mass
Today most weekend Masses at St. John the Evangelist are accompanied by a harpist playing from the balcony. Music and liturgy for the Four Parishes cluster are coordinated through the Director of Worship on the shared parish staff.
- Harp accompaniment at most weekend Masses
- Liturgy coordinated by the Director of Worship (Four Parishes cluster)
Clergy & Staff (Four Parishes Cluster)
St. John the Evangelist is served by the priests and parish staff of the Four Parishes One Faith cluster. Following Bishop Powers' appointments effective July 1, 2023, Fr. Dan Tracy became Parochial Administrator and Fr. Sagar Thomas Kanna (from the Diocese of Guntur, India) joined as Parochial Vicar, replacing Fr. Adam Laski (now pastor in the Iron River cluster) and Fr. Isaiah Schick (now studying canon law at the Catholic University of America).
- Fr. Dan Tracy — Parochial Administrator
- Fr. Sagar Thomas Kanna — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Philip Juza — retired, helping in the diocese
- Deacon Jerry Van Dyke
- Deacon Rod Knight
- Andre Audette — Director of Religious Education
- Roland Flasch — Director of Worship
- Krystal Montgomery — Director of Evangelization and Discipleship
- Stephanie Hurtubise — Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Coordinator
- Stephanie Van Thomme — Youth Minister
- Shannon Wahl — School Principal (St. Joseph School)
- Mike Sweeney — Business Administrator
- Rachael Hartman — Bookkeeper
- Kally Hafstad — Communications Coordinator
- Skye O'Dell — Secretary ([email protected])
Sacraments & Faith Formation
The cluster welcomes those preparing for full initiation into the Catholic Church through the RCIA / OCIA process, and offers ongoing religious education and the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for children. Sacramental preparation for Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist, Marriage, and Anointing of the Sick is coordinated through the parish office. Weddings, funerals, and other sacramental needs are directed to the current Parochial Administrator and Parochial Vicar.
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
- Religious Education
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd
- Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist
- Reconciliation (Thursday after Mass)
- Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
Visiting & Contact
The church sits at 408 S. Main St. in Birchwood, Wisconsin. The shared parish administration office is at 111 W. Marshall St., Rice Lake, WI 54868, and is open Monday–Thursday 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Friday 8:30 am to noon. The around-2010 expansion added an elevator, accessible washrooms, and a new gathering entrance to help all visitors participate fully.
- Church address: 408 S. Main St., Birchwood, WI 54817
- Office address: 111 W. Marshall St., Rice Lake, WI 54868
- Phone: (715) 234-2032
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:30 am–5:00 pm; Fri 8:30 am–12:00 pm
- Accessible entrance, elevator, and washrooms (added c. 2010)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Walter Beaudette1908–1910
Newly ordained priest from Rice Lake; organized the parish, named St. John's, oversaw construction of the first church (completed 1909).
- Fr. Pilon1910–1912
- Fr. Duenn1912–
- Fr. Stromberg1914–1917
- Fr. L. Mortimerc. 1917 (about 6 months)
- Fr. H. Teuwisse1918–
First resident pastor; built the rectory (1919), enlarged the old church and added new Stations of the Cross.
- Fr. John Balcerearly 1920s
Assisted Fr. Teuwisse with the Birchwood-area missions.
- Fr. J. W. Tabencki1923–
Took on missions at Couderay, Radisson, and Pribram; Pribram church later closed and its bell eventually became the bell at Birchwood.
- Fr. Boshold
Led the parish during a stretch with no resident pastor; oversaw the drive for a new church.
- Fr. Lesniak
Provided Sunday Mass during the parish's growth years alongside Fr. Boshold.
- Fr. Gerald MahonSeptember 1944–
Intensified fundraising for the new church; the present St. John's was completed and dedicated by Bishop Meyer of Superior in August 1950.
- Fr. Clarence Ludwig1953–
Hand-carved the birch-wood altar, canopy, and statuary in a workshop near the rectory — an estimated 2,000 hours of work.