About St. John the Baptist · Malone, Wisconsin
St. John the Baptist is the historic Catholic parish of Johnsburg in the Holyland region of northeastern Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, now served as one of five worship sites of the merged Our Lady of the Holyland Parish in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Founded in 1841 by German pioneer families from the Rhine (Trier and Koblenz) and led from 1845 on by the missionary Father Caspar Rehrl, OFM Capuchin, it is the oldest Catholic faith community north of Milwaukee still operating with regular services. The current limestone church, completed and consecrated on the parish's patron feast day, June 24, 1857, by Bishop John Martin Henni, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and remains the spiritual home of families in the rural Malone, Wisconsin, area. Mass is celebrated on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m. under the pastoral care of Fr. Paul Koenig, OFM Capuchin.
- Established
- 1841
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Paul Koenig, OFM Capuchin
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist is more than a historic limestone church in the Holyland — it is the spiritual heart of a small, multigenerational farming community in northeastern Fond du Lac County where families have worshipped since 1841. Today the parish joins four neighboring churches as Our Lady of the Holyland, sharing Capuchin Franciscan priests and a single faith-formation program, and the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at St. John typically includes the children of Holyland Catholic School. The parish also runs the Human Concerns Committee (supply drives for House of Peace and St. Paul's UCC) and an active Religious Education / Whole Family Catechesis program, making it a place where Catholic tradition, rural life, and service to the wider community meet.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays at 3:45 p.m. at Holy Cross (cluster-wide; consult the parish for St. John site)
Adoration times
- Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is offered across the cluster; consult the parish Adoration schedule at ourladyoftheholyland.org/religiousEd.php for current St. John times.
Parish Identity & Heritage
St. John the Baptist is the historic Catholic parish of Johnsburg, Wisconsin, founded in 1841 by German pioneer families from the Rhine and now one of five worship sites of Our Lady of the Holyland Parish in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Its patron is St. John the Baptist, and the parish feast is celebrated on June 24, the date in 1857 when Bishop John Martin Henni consecrated the present limestone church.
- Founded 1841; first resident pastor Fr. Caspar Rehrl (Sept. 1845)
- Patron: St. John the Baptist — feast day June 24
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Oct. 29, 1980
- Oldest Catholic church north of Milwaukee still operating with daily services
The Historic Church Building
The current church is built of very hard limestone quarried locally and took more than two years to complete (1855–1857) without an architect or contractor. It sits on a five-acre tract near the Manitowoc River, about a mile and a quarter south of the original log church. A two-story school was erected next to it in 1856, replaced in 1923 by a four-classroom building with living quarters for teaching nuns, expanded in 1963.
- Limestone, locally quarried; no architect or contractor
- Cornerstone laid mid-1855 by Bishop John Martin Henni
- Consecrated June 24, 1857 (parish feast day)
- Two-story school built 1856; rebuilt 1923; expanded 1963
- Listed on National Register of Historic Places Oct. 29, 1980
Capuchin Franciscan Heritage
Since 1857, the parish has been served by Capuchin Franciscan friars of the Province of St. Joseph. Today the Capuchins staff the merged Our Lady of the Holyland Parish across its five sites, including St. John the Baptist. The current pastor is Fr. Paul Koenig, OFM Capuchin, with Fr. Baudry Metangmo, OFM Capuchin, as weekend assistant / sacramental minister.
- Capuchin service to the parish since 1857
- Current pastor: Fr. Paul Koenig, OFM Capuchin
- Weekend assistant: Fr. Baudry Metangmo, OFM Capuchin
- Sacramental ministers: Fr. Larry Abler, Fr. Oliver Bambenek
- Pastoral Care: Sr. Stephen Bloesl, SSCK
Our Lady of the Holyland Parish Family
In the late 2010s St. John the Baptist joined four neighboring parishes — St. Mary, Holy Cross, St. Joseph and St. Cloud — to form Our Lady of the Holyland Parish. The five churches work together as a single community of faith, sharing clergy, religious education, school, and parish staff while preserving each site's own Mass schedule and identity. St. John the Baptist's Mass times within the cluster are Sunday at 10:30 a.m. and Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
- St. Mary — Sunday 9:00 a.m.; Monday 8:00 a.m.
- Holy Cross — Saturday 4:30 p.m.; Friday 8:00 a.m.
- St. Cloud — Sunday 7:30 a.m.; Tuesday 8:00 a.m.
- St. John the Baptist — Sunday 10:30 a.m.; Wednesday 8:30 a.m.
- St. Joe — Thursday 8:00 a.m.
Faith Formation & School
The cluster runs a coordinated Religious Education / Whole Family Catechesis program serving families across all five worship sites, with the Director of Religious Education coordinating registration, calendars, and a Family Service & Pilgrimage component. Holyland Catholic School, a PK-8 school housed in the former St. John the Baptist school building since 2015, integrates with parish life — its children typically attend the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass during the academic year.
- Director of Religious Education: Sheila Skiff ([email protected])
- Whole Family Catechesis program with parent-talk videos and FAQ
- Religious Education Google Calendar and printable schedule
- Family Service & Pilgrimage
- Holyland Catholic School (PK-8) — principal John Wertschnig; secretary Julie Petrie ([email protected], 920-795-4222)
- Children's Liturgy of the Word
Parish Life, Councils & Outreach
Lay leadership across the merged parish is organized through a Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Prayer & Worship Committee, Human Concerns Committee, and Endowment Committee, all of which publish annual meeting calendars (e.g., 1st Monday Prayer & Worship; 2nd Tuesday Pastoral Council; quarterly Finance / Endowment). The Christian Women organization also meets regularly and posts minutes on the parish website.
- Pastoral Council — 2nd Tuesday, Sept.–June
- Prayer & Worship Committee — 1st Monday, Sept.–June
- Finance Council — quarterly in the Holy Cross Meeting Room
- Human Concerns Committee — annual drives (Aug. school supplies, Nov. HOP boxes, Dec. Christmas gifts)
- Christian Women organization
- Parish Festival & Annual Raffle (parish pavilion)
Sacraments, Devotions & Music
In addition to regular Mass and Confession, the parish publishes a Catholic Wedding Help page, Wedding Guidelines, Funeral Planning Guide, and a Children's Liturgy of the Word program. The 'An Act of Spiritual Communion' prayer is regularly featured in parish bulletins, and liturgical music is coordinated by cluster ministers of sacred music.
- Catholic Wedding help & Wedding Guidelines
- Funeral Planning Guide
- An Act of Spiritual Communion prayer
- Ministers of Sacred Music: Ellie Gavin, Marilyn Lisowe, Lynn Schmitz
- Children's Liturgy of the Word
- Cemetery rules published on parish site
Visiting the Parish
St. John the Baptist is located in the hamlet of Johnsburg at N9288 County Road W (Hwy. W), Malone, WI 53049, with the Johnsburg parish office at the same address. Visitors are asked to call the parish office (920-795-4316) to register or to ask about sacraments, and new parishioners are welcomed by phone at either parish office (920-753-3311 Mt. Calvary or 920-795-4316 Johnsburg).
- Address: N9288 County Road W, Malone, WI 53049
- Phone: 920-795-4316
- Parish email: [email protected]
- Mt. Calvary parish office: 308 S. County W, Mt. Calvary, WI 53057 — 920-753-3311
- Surrounded by farmland in the rural Holyland; well-marked on Hwy. W / County W
- Ample on-site parking; parish pavilion for festivals & raffle drawing
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Theodore Van den Broek1842–
Missionary who first held services in settler's cabins and helped build the first log church in 1843.
- Father Pete Carabin1843
First permanent pastor; did not reside at the parish.
- Father Caspar Rehrl, OFM Capuchin1845–
First resident pastor from September 1845; called the 'Apostle to the Holyland'; organized 15+ parishes and founded the Sisters of St. Agnes (1858).
- Father Fabian Bermadinger1847–
Arrived from Austria with three Brothers to assist Rehrl.
- Father Leo Susanc. 1850–1851
Approximately one-year pastorate.
- Father John Obermueller1851–October 1853
Resigned during the parish split over the new church location.
- Father Michael DeisenriederAugust 1854–mid-1857
Built the present limestone church, consecrated June 24, 1857; later had post office established (town originally named Heinzburg in his honor).
- Father Maximilian Muellermid-1857–July 12, 1858
Died of illness at age 33.
- Father F.X. Pfaller1861–May 1862
Named full-time pastor by Bishop Henni; first in a long series of short-term pastors.
- Father Aloys Kieser1866–1873
Longest of the late 19th-century pastorates.
- Fr. Gary Wegner, OFM Capuchinpastor through at least 2020
Listed as Pastor in the July 2020 parish bulletin.
- Fr. Paul Koenig, OFM Capuchinpresent
Current pastor of Our Lady of the Holyland Parish.