About St. John the Baptist · Norwalk, Wisconsin
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, often called St. John the Baptist on Summit Ridge, is a small Roman-Latin rite parish located on the crest of Summit Ridge about five miles northwest of Norwalk in Monroe County, Wisconsin. Founded in 1878 by predominantly German settlers (with some Irish and Polish families), the parish is now part of the Diocese of La Crosse (Tomah Deanery) and is clustered with neighboring parishes sharing pastoral care from the Sparta Catholic community. Today it is served by Fr. Eric Berns (pastor), with Deacon David Allen as parish administrator, and offers a Saturday Vigil Mass together with monthly Eucharistic Adoration on First Saturdays.
- Established
- 1878
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Fr. Eric R. Berns
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Tomah Deanery)
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist on Summit Ridge offers a quiet, ridge-top setting for traditional Catholic worship in rural Monroe County, where a small faith community gathers each Saturday evening for the Vigil Mass. The parish's enduring ministries — most notably its 130+ year membership in the Confraternity of Christian Mothers, a lay women's spirituality and service group — give families a way to grow in faith alongside neighbors. Being clustered with St. Patrick, Sparta, and neighboring parishes means worshippers also benefit from shared pastoral care, faith-formation opportunities, and a clergy team led by Fr. Eric Berns with Deacon David Allen.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Saturday: First Saturdays only, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
History of St. John the Baptist on Summit Ridge
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at Summit was built in 1878 on the very top of Summit Ridge, overlooking the fertile farmland of the surrounding community about five miles northwest of Norwalk, Wisconsin. According to excerpts from the parish's Centennial Book (1878–1978), the majority of early settlers were German, with some Irish and Polish families among them. Before the church was built, these pioneers walked roughly seven miles to attend Mass at St. Mary's Ridge.
- First baptism: Joh Herman Dott, November 21, 1877
- First funeral: George Kuderer, June 21, 1878
- First marriage: Henry Kuderer and Rose Brieske, January 13, 1879
- Land donated by John Muehlenkamp, who compensated original owner Mike Haas with wild land on the south end of the Muehlenkamp farm
- Bells donated by Joseph Bellerman and John Muehlenkamp
- Named for St. John the Baptist because 'John' was the most common name among the organizers and the founding priest's first name was also John
Clergy and Staff
St. John the Baptist is currently served by Pastor Fr. Eric R. Berns, with Deacon David Allen serving as Parish Administrator, and associate pastors Fr. Juan Pedro and Fr. Fernando Lara Hernández. Fr. Berns was appointed pastor by Bishop William Patrick Callahan effective October 31, 2018, and resides at St. Patrick Parish rectory in Sparta. The parish is part of the Diocese of La Crosse's Tomah Deanery.
- Pastor: Fr. Eric R. Berns
- Parish Administrator: Deacon David Allen
- Associate Pastor: Fr. Juan Pedro
- Associate Pastor: Fr. Fernando Lara Hernández
- Diocese: La Crosse (Tomah Deanery)
Confraternity of Christian Mothers
St. John the Baptist on Summit Ridge has been a member of the Confraternity of Christian Mothers since November 12, 1895. The parish's original director was Rev. Henry F. Flock. On January 2, 1995, Monsignor Roger Scheckel received the parish's 100-year anniversary certificate, and the parish marked its 131st anniversary of membership under Fr. Eric Berns.
- Enrolled: November 12, 1895
- Original director: Rev. Henry F. Flock
- 100-year certificate received Jan. 2, 1995 by Msgr. Roger Scheckel
- Current director: Fr. Eric Berns
Cluster Parishes and Pastoral Care
Over the decades St. John the Baptist has been clustered with several neighboring parishes in the Diocese of La Crosse to share pastoral care. It began as a mission of St. Patrick's in Sparta, later became a mission of St. Augustine's in Norwalk, and was at various times grouped into a Tri-Parish with St. Augustine and St. Mary's (St. Mary's Ridge), and into a Quad-Parish adding Sacred Heart of Cashton. It is currently clustered with St. Patrick Parish, Sparta.
- Mission of St. Patrick's, Sparta (early period)
- Mission of St. Augustine, Norwalk
- Tri-Parish: St. Augustine (Norwalk), St. Mary's (St. Mary's Ridge), St. John the Baptist (Summit Ridge)
- Quad-Parish: above + Sacred Heart, Cashton
- Current cluster: St. Patrick Parish, Sparta
Visit and Contact
St. John the Baptist sits on the top of Summit Ridge and is reached by heading north from Norwalk on State Highway 71, then turning right on Khaki Road, left on Kayak Road, and right on Kellogg Avenue. The parish phone is shared with the Sparta cluster, and the mailing address is the St. Patrick's Sparta rectory.
- Physical Address: 16585 Kellogg Avenue, Norwalk, WI 54648
- Mailing Address: 319 W Main St, Sparta, WI 54656-2143
- Phone: (608) 269-2655
- Directions: From Norwalk north on Hwy 71, right on Khaki Rd, left on Kayak Rd, right on Kellogg Ave
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Metzler1877
Earliest priest associated with the founding of the parish.
- Rev. Joseph Wicker1878-1879
First resident pastor after the church was built.
- Fr. Joseph M. Baur / Fr. Joseph Wiedmann1879-1881
- Rev. Theophile Beau1881-1887
- Rev. Henry F. Flock1887-1898
Original director of the parish's Confraternity of Christian Mothers (joined Nov. 12, 1895).
- Rev. James Hofer1898-1902
- Rev. Henry J. Wirtz1902-1905
- Rev. Joh Neises1905-1909
- Rev. Charles A. Fries1909-1922
- Fr. John H. Stromberg1922-1925
- Rev. Henry Voussen1925-1926
- Rev. Anthony Wartman1926-1927
- Rev. Edward Mechler1927-1947
Long-serving pastor; served with Sr. Laura Schreck and Sr. Rosine Gorst.
- Fr. Francis Knopp1947-1956
- Fr. Louis Clarke1956-1959
- Fr. Robert Connelly1959-1965
- Fr. Roman Kirin1965-1969
- Fr. Jacob Burgraff1969-1972
- Fr. Rudolph Urbic1972-1977
- Fr. Donald Theisen1977
- Fr. Michael Deaneen
Assisted alongside other priests in the late 1970s/1980s.
- Fr. Roger Scheckel (Monsignor)
Received the parish's 100-year Confraternity anniversary certificate on Jan. 2, 1995; later clustered the parish with St. Augustine (Norwalk) and St. Mary's (St. Mary's Ridge).
- Fr. Kevin Louis1998
- Fr. Joe Hirsch1998-2002
- Fr. Eric Berns2002-2006
First of two stints; later returned as pastor in 2018.
- Fr. John Steiner2006-2008
Clustered as Quad-Parish with St. Augustine (Norwalk), St. Mary's (St. Mary's Ridge), and Sacred Heart (Cashton).
- Fr. Amalados2008-2009
- Fr. Keith Kitzhaber2009-2011
- Fr. Robert Kunz2011
- Fr. John Selva Manohar2011-2014
Parish clustered with St. Patrick's, Sparta.
- Fr. Jerome Patric2014-2016
- Fr. Keith Kitzhaber2016-2018
Second stint as pastor.
- Fr. Juan Pedro2018-2019
Associate Pastor under Fr. Berns.
- Fr. Eric R. Berns2018-Present
Appointed Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Sparta, and St. John the Baptist Parish, Summit Ridge, effective October 31, 2018 (Diocese of La Crosse announcement).