About St. John the Baptist · Montello, Wisconsin
St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish in Montello, Wisconsin, founded in 1876 and now part of Saint John Henry Newman Parish in the Diocese of Madison. The church sits at 277 East Montello Street and serves the Catholic community of Marquette County alongside its sister parish, Good Shepherd in Westfield. The parish celebrates Mass in English, with weekend Masses on Saturday at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 10:00 AM, and weekday Masses on Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 AM. On August 16, 2024, it was canonically merged with five other Marquette-area parishes into the new Saint John Henry Newman Parish under Bishop Donald J. Hying, with Fr. Randy Timmerman installed as pastor on September 14, 2024.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Randy Timmerman (Pastor of Saint John Henry Newman Parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers a warm, traditional Catholic community rooted in Montello since 1876, with English-language Mass six times a week and Confession on Friday and Saturday. The parish runs faith formation for children, youth Confirmation preparation (with Bishop Hying confirming students on-site at Montello), and a parish cemetery for local Catholic families. As part of the new Saint John Henry Newman Pastorate, it now shares resources — including livestreamed Sunday Mass — with five neighboring parishes and one parish school, while keeping the close-knit Marquette County feel of its original mission.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 9:15 AM – 10:15 AM (1st Friday)
- Saturday 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
About St. John the Baptist Parish, Montello
St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic parish in Montello, Wisconsin, founded in 1876 and now part of the Saint John Henry Newman Pastorate in the Diocese of Madison. The parish serves the Catholic community of Marquette County alongside its sister church, Good Shepherd in Westfield. English-language Mass is celebrated six times per week, and the church at 277 East Montello Street remains the spiritual center of the local Catholic community.
- Founded 1876 under Father Lamer
- Part of the new Saint John Henry Newman Parish (merged August 2024)
- Diocese of Madison
- Address: 277 E. Montello Street, Montello, WI 53949
History
Built in 1876 under Father Lamer, St. John the Baptist was already a thriving parish of about 800 souls when the Montello Granite Company began its quarry work. The original church property was sold to the Granite Company at the turn of the 20th century; the present church was built on the current Montello Street site in 1904 under Father Tully. The parish has continued to serve Montello through two World Wars, the rise and fall of the granite industry, and into the 21st century, when it joined a six-parish merger into the Saint John Henry Newman Pastorate in 2024.
- 1876 – Original church built under Father Lamer
- c. 1900 – Original property sold to Granite Company
- 1904 – Present church built under Father Tully at 277 E. Montello St.
- 2024 – Merged into Saint John Henry Newman Parish under Bishop Donald J. Hying
Staff
Parish staff at St. John the Baptist and its sister church Good Shepherd are coordinated through the Saint John Henry Newman Pastorate office in Portage.
- Fr. Savio Yerasani – Parochial Administrator (Marquette County)
- Steve Zoulek – Business Manager / Director of Liturgy
- Lucy Williams – Parish Secretary
- Marianne Biedrzycki – Faith Formation Assistant (St. John the Baptist)
- Annette LaVia – Faith Formation Assistant (Good Shepherd)
- Gaylene Wasson – Maintenance
Faith Formation and Religious Education
St. John the Baptist runs a Faith Formation program for parish children, with Marianne Biedrzycki serving as Faith Formation Assistant. The parish's program centers faith in the home — the "domestic church" — and supports lifelong catechesis. Confirmation preparation runs for 8th and 9th graders jointly with Good Shepherd, with the bishop coming on-site to Montello for the celebration of the sacrament.
- Faith Formation for children
- Confirmation prep for 8th–9th graders (joint with Good Shepherd)
- Faith-formation-first approach centered on the family
- Registration forms available on parish website
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist, and Matrimony, and ministers Anointing of the Sick, Reconciliation, and Funeral Masses. Baptism and Faith Formation registration forms are downloadable from the parish website.
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- First Holy Communion
- Reconciliation (Confession)
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick
- Funeral Masses
Community Life and Pastoral Care
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, St. John the Baptist supports a parish choir, pastoral and finance councils, bereavement ministry, and care for the parish cemetery. The parish has long served as the spiritual gathering place for Montello Catholics in life events — from generations of baptisms to recent funeral Masses like that of longtime choir member Vincent Metcalf in 2022.
- Parish Choir
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- Bereavement / Funeral ministry
- Parish Cemetery
Saint John Henry Newman Pastorate
On August 16, 2024, Bishop Donald J. Hying canonically merged six Catholic communities of Marquette and Columbia counties into the new Saint John Henry Newman Parish. St. John the Baptist of Montello is one of the six worship sites, alongside St. Mary Help of Christians in Briggsville, St. Andrew in Buffalo Township, St. Mary of the Most Holy Rosary in Pardeeville, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Portage, and Good Shepherd in Westfield. The pastorate is also home to one parish school (St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Portage) and one National Shrine, with Fr. Randy Timmerman installed as pastor on September 14, 2024.
- St. Mary Help of Christians – Briggsville
- St. Andrew – Buffalo Township
- St. John the Baptist – Montello
- St. Mary of the Most Holy Rosary – Pardeeville
- St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception – Portage
- Good Shepherd – Westfield
- Pastorate school: St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
- Installed pastor: Fr. Randy Timmerman
Contact and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish office by phone or in person at 277 East Montello Street. Online giving, the weekly bulletin, registration forms, and the Sunday livestream are all available through the parish website.
- Phone: (608) 297-7423
- Address: 277 E. Montello St., Montello, WI 53949
- Website: saintjohnhenrynewman.org
- Online Giving available
- Parish Bulletin available online
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Lamer1876–
First pastor; oversaw construction of the original church in 1876
- Father Tullyc. 1904
Pastor when the new church was built on the present site at 277 E. Montello St.
- Father James McNamee
Officiated funeral Masses at the parish in recent years