About St. John · Rubicon, Wisconsin
St. John Catholic Parish is a small, rural, German-heritage Catholic community in the village of Rubicon, Wisconsin, in Dodge County, belonging to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It is currently served as part of a three-parish pastoral unit together with St. Kilian in Hartford and St. Matthew in Neosho, sharing a single pastor since Archdiocese-led restructuring in 2024. Worship is offered in a historic German Gothic-style brick church on Rome Road, where a Sunday morning Mass draws a tight-knit congregation of farm families who have worshipped there for generations.
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- St. John the Evangelist
- Rector
- Fr. Andrew Linn
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. John offers something rare today: a small-town Catholic parish where most members belong to a handful of long-standing farming families, and where the pastor knows the congregation by name. Worship takes place in a beautiful 19th-century German Gothic church with significant stained glass, the parish maintains an active religious education program for children, and the annual September fall festival — featuring handmade pizzas, 'Baskets of the Heart,' and community-wide fellowship — is a beloved tradition. As one longtime parishioner put it, 'it's the only church in town… and it has that sense of community.'
Mass times at St. John
Weekly Mass schedule
History of St. John Parish, Rubicon
St. John traces its roots to 1851, when the first Masses in the area were celebrated in log cabins. A log church (Old St. John's) was built in the Town of Herman in 1863, and on Christmas Day 1869 the young Fr. D.F. Thill announced that the church would be relocated to the village of Rubicon on five acres of donated land. The parish's founding year is recorded as 1870. Key milestones include a new school in 1885, the addition of a tower in 1886, the arrival of the parish's first resident priest Fr. William Pickery in 1902, and a remodel and frescoing of the church to mark the Golden Jubilee in 1918.
- 1851 — first Masses said in log cabins in the area
- 1863 — Old St. John's log church built in Town of Herman
- 1870 — church relocated to Rubicon; founding of St. John parish
- 1885 — new school built
- 1886 — tower added to the church
- 1902 — Fr. William Pickery installed as first resident priest
- 1918 — church remodeled and frescoed for Golden Jubilee
- 2020 — 150th anniversary as a place of worship
The Long Pastorate of Fr. Francis E. Weis (1933–1972)
After an eight-month vacancy in 1933 filled by the Carmelite Fathers of Holy Hill, Fr. Francis E. Weis took over St. John and would remain for 39 years. He focused sharply on Catholic education, and in 1945 the parish built a Catholic high school that produced its first graduating class in 1948 and was the only tuition-free Catholic high school in rural Wisconsin. The high school closed in 1967 due to a shortage of teaching nuns, the elementary school closed in 1969 for the same reason, and the school and convent were demolished in 1978 when Fr. Weis retired.
- 1933 — Carmelite Fathers of Holy Hill fill eight-month vacancy
- 1933–1972 — Fr. Francis E. Weis serves 39 years as pastor
- 1945 — parish builds Catholic high school
- 1948 — first graduating class; only tuition-free Catholic rural high school in Wisconsin at the time
- 1967 — high school closes
- 1969 — elementary school closes
- 1972 — Fr. Weis retires; 1978 school and convent demolished
Architecture of the Church
St. John is a textbook example of German Gothic rural church architecture in Wisconsin. Its exterior is built of Milwaukee cream brick, a tower was added in 1886, and the interior was remodeled and frescoed to mark the Golden Jubilee in 1918. Behind the altar, the stained-glass windows are noted for both their quality and the choice and number of saints depicted — figures popular at the time of the church's building.
- German Gothic style
- Milwaukee cream-brick exterior
- Tower added in 1886
- Interior frescoes added in 1918 for the Golden Jubilee
- Significant stained-glass windows behind the altar
Pastoral Unit & Clergy
As part of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's 2024 restructuring of parishes in Dodge County, St. John was grouped with St. Kilian (Hartford) and St. Matthew (Neosho) under a single pastor. Fr. Britto Suresh Vedam, who had been administrator and then pastor of St. Kilian and St. John, oversaw the launch of the three-parish arrangement. In June 2025 he was reassigned to the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, and Fr. Andrew Linn — previously associate pastor of St. Anthony and St. Mary parishes — was named pastor of all three parishes.
- Pastoral unit formed June 2024: St. Kilian, St. John, St. Matthew
- Each parish retains separate finances; loose/undesignated offerings stay with the church where collected
- Fr. Britto Suresh Vedam — administrator then pastor (to June 2025)
- Fr. Andrew Linn — current pastor (from June 2025)
Faith Formation & Parish Life
The former parish school building, which closed as an elementary school in 1969, now serves as a Catechetical Center for religious education and a parish hall. Christian Formation classes meet during the Monday evening Mass at St. John, and the hall is also rented out for weddings and used for the annual parish festival. The parish is deeply intergenerational, with most members belonging to one of about four long-established farm families of the area.
- Christian Formation (religious education for children, integrated with Monday 7:00 pm Mass)
- Parish hall / Catechetical Center (former school building)
- Weddings and community events held in the parish hall
- Multi-generational parish membership centered on local farm families
Annual Festival & Fund-Raisers
St. John's signature community event is its Fall Festival, held on the fourth Sunday in September. Parishioners produce 'Baskets of the Heart' (around 75 baskets annually, some containing $50) and run semi-annual donut and pizza sales — the latter producing 5,000 to 6,000 handmade pizzas in a single effort. These fund-raisers, along with the Love One Another capital campaign, help sustain both the parish and the wider pastoral unit.
- Annual Fall Festival — fourth Sunday in September
- Baskets of the Heart (approx. 75 baskets each year)
- Semi-annual donut and pizza sales (5,000–6,000 handmade pizzas)
- Participant in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Love One Another campaign
Visiting St. John
St. John is the only Catholic church in the village of Rubicon and is an easy drive from neighboring Hartford and the broader Dodge/Washington County countryside. Visitors and parishioners can reach the church from Hwy 60 by heading north on P for about half a mile, then east on Rome Road. The parish office, shared with St. Kilian, can be reached at 262-673-4831.
- Address: 1108 Rome Road, Rubicon, WI 53078
- Parish office phone: 262-673-4831
- Directions: From Hwy 60, go north on P 1/2 mile to Rome Road, then east to the church
- Website: stkiliancong.org
- Facebook: St. John's Catholic Church, Rubicon, WI
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. D.F. Thill1869
Announced the move of the church from Herman to Rubicon on Christmas Day 1869; only 25 at the time.
- Fr. Michael Beitter1875
First resident pastor of Old St. John's; had emigrated from Bavaria.
- Fr. William Pickery1902
First resident priest of the Rubicon parish.
- Carmelite Fathers of Holy Hill1933 (eight months)
Served the parish during a vacancy before Fr. Weis arrived.
- Fr. Francis E. Weis1933–1972 (39 years)
Longest-serving pastor; championed Catholic education; built the parish high school (1945) and first graduating class (1948).
- Fr. David La Planteapprox. 2008–2020 (12 years)
Served St. John under an archdiocesan cooperative arrangement with St. Kilian in Hartford.
- Fr. Britto Suresh Vedam2020–June 2025
Administrator then Pastor of St. Kilian, St. John, and St. Matthew; led the parishes through 2024 Archdiocese restructuring before being reassigned to the Archdiocese of Portland, OR.
- Fr. Andrew LinnJune 2025–present
Current pastor of the three-parish pastoral unit; previously associate pastor at St. Anthony and St. Mary parishes.