About St. John · South Wayne, Wisconsin
St. John Catholic Church is a small Roman Rite parish serving the village of South Wayne in Lafayette County, southwestern Wisconsin. It is one of five worship sites in the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate (Pastorate 3) of the Diocese of Madison, clustered with the parishes in Belmont, Darlington, Gratiot, and Shullsburg. The parish offers one weekend Mass (a Saturday Vigil) and one weekday Mass, with confession before the Vigil Mass on selected Saturdays. Like many small rural parishes in the Diocese of Madison, it is administered jointly with neighboring Catholic communities under a single pastoral team.
- Patron
- St. John
- Rector
- Rev. William Vernon (parochial administrator / pastor of the merged St. Isidore the Farmer Parish; previously Rev. John Bosco Pudhota served South Wayne, Gratiot, and Shullsburg)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. John is a close-knit rural Catholic community in the heart of Lafayette County's dairy country, where the same familiar faces gather weekly for Mass and the sacraments. As part of the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, parishioners benefit from a larger pastoral team and the wider fellowship of five worship sites across Belmont, Darlington, Gratiot, Shullsburg, and South Wayne, while still enjoying the intimacy of a single small parish church. The parish maintains the traditional Saturday Vigil Mass with confessions beforehand, making it accessible for working farm families across the surrounding countryside.
Mass times at St. John
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 6:00 PM – 6:30 PM (not every Saturday; check parish schedule)
About St. John Catholic Church
St. John Catholic Church is a small Roman Rite parish in the village of South Wayne, Lafayette County, Wisconsin. The parish sits in the rolling farmland of southwestern Wisconsin and is one of five Catholic worship sites that together form the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate within the Diocese of Madison. The parish is dedicated to St. John the Apostle and serves Catholics in South Wayne and the surrounding rural townships. As part of the Diocese of Madison's 'Into the Deep' pastoral plan, the parish is administered jointly with neighboring communities so that Mass, the sacraments, and pastoral care remain accessible across the wider region.
- Patron: St. John (the Apostle)
- Diocese: Diocese of Madison
- Pastorate: St. Isidore the Farmer (Pastorate 3)
- Rite: Roman-Latin
St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate
St. John is one of five parishes clustered in the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate (designated Pastorate 3 in the Diocese of Madison's reorganization). The cluster brings together Catholic communities across Lafayette County so that priests, deacons, and lay staff can serve several small parishes efficiently while preserving a local worship site in each town. The Diocese of Madison announced the formal merger of these parishes into a single St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, naming Fr. William Vernon as pastor and Fr. Michael Chika and Fr. Milot Frederique, SMM, as parochial vicars (Fr. Frederique assisting with Hispanic ministry).
- St. Philomena – Belmont
- Our Lady of Fatima – Darlington / Calamine / Elk Grove / Seymour / Truman (includes Holy Rosary, St. Michael, St. Peter, Our Lady of Hope, Immaculate Conception)
- St. Joseph – Gratiot
- St. Matthew – Shullsburg
- St. John the Apostle – South Wayne
Clergy & Pastoral Leadership
Pastoral care of St. John is shared by the priests of the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate. Most recently, Rev. John Bosco Pudhota served as priest-in-charge of South Wayne, Gratiot, and Shullsburg. Before him, Rev. David Wanish served Gratiot and South Wayne before his transfer to St. Mary Magdalene in Johnson Creek. With the announced merger, Rev. William Vernon serves as pastor of the unified parish, supported by parochial vicars Rev. Michael Chika and Rev. Milot Frederique, SMM.
- Rev. William Vernon – Pastor
- Rev. Michael Chika – Parochial Vicar
- Rev. Milot Frederique, SMM – Parochial Vicar (Hispanic ministry)
Parish History & Heritage
St. John has been a spiritual home for Catholic families in South Wayne for well over a century. A parish history record dated May 22, 1960 (PPHC108), preserved in the University of Notre Dame Archives, documents the parish's story and suggests an anniversary commemorative publication from that era. In the 21st century, the parish has been shaped by the Diocese of Madison's broader pastoral planning, which grouped St. John with neighboring parishes to form the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate and, subsequently, a single merged parish under Fr. William Vernon.
- Parish history record: PPHC108, dated 1960/0522 (Univ. of Notre Dame Archives)
- Grouped into Pastorate 3 (St. Isidore the Farmer) under 'Into the Deep'
- Merger into unified St. Isidore the Farmer Parish announced by the Diocese of Madison
Sacraments
The seven Catholic sacraments are celebrated through the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, with preparation and celebration typically coordinated through the parish office. Confession is regularly available before the Saturday Vigil Mass at St. John; baptisms, marriages, anointing of the sick, and first sacraments are arranged with the pastorate clergy.
- Baptism – arrangements through parish office
- Confirmation – preparation in the pastorate
- Eucharist (First Communion) – preparation in the pastorate
- Penance / Reconciliation – Saturday 6:00–6:30 PM at St. John (not every Saturday)
- Anointing of the Sick – on request
- Holy Orders / Matrimony – by appointment
Visiting & Community Life
St. John is the spiritual home of a small but active rural Catholic community. The parish hall hosts community events such as American Red Cross blood drives and other gatherings that bring together parishioners from across the Lafayette County countryside. As part of the St. Isidore the Farmer Pastorate, the church also benefits from the wider social, service, and faith-formation programming shared across the five worship sites.
- Hosts American Red Cross blood drives at 202 Varnum St.
- Rural Lafayette County parish serving South Wayne and surrounding farms
- Connected to wider pastorate programming in Belmont, Darlington, Gratiot, and Shullsburg
Contact & Location
St. John Catholic Church is located on Varnum Street (with parish records also referencing an E. Pleasant Street address) in the unincorporated village of South Wayne, Lafayette County, Wisconsin. The parish mailing address is 202 Varnum Street, South Wayne, WI 53587. The parish can be reached by telephone at (608) 543-3631. Cluster-wide information has historically been published through http://darlingtoncatholic.org, and the merged pastorate is served online at https://stisidorepastorate.org/.
- Address: 202 Varnum St., South Wayne, WI 53587
- Alternate address reference: 304–306 E. Pleasant St., South Wayne, WI 53587
- Phone: (608) 543-3631
- Cluster site: http://darlingtoncatholic.org
- Pastorate site: https://stisidorepastorate.org/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. David Wanish
Served the parishes of Gratiot and South Wayne before being transferred to St. Mary Magdalene, Johnson Creek.
- Rev. John Bosco Pudhota
Took over care of St. Joseph (Gratiot), St. John (South Wayne), and St. Matthew (Shullsburg) after Fr. Wanish's transfer.
- Rev. William Vernonannounced pastor effective with parish merger
Named pastor of the newly merged St. Isidore the Farmer Parish uniting Belmont, Darlington, Gratiot, Shullsburg, and South Wayne; previously served as parochial administrator of the same cluster.