About St. John the Baptist · Wilton, Wisconsin
St. John the Baptist is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Wilton, Monroe County, Wisconsin, in the heart of the Kickapoo Valley. It belongs to the Diocese of La Crosse (Tomah Deanery) and is currently clustered as a tri-parish (often referred to as 'KWE') with St. Joseph Parish in Kendall and St. Patrick Parish in Elroy, sharing pastoral staff and a mailing address. The parish celebrates Sunday Mass at 11:00 a.m. and one weekday Mass on Tuesday afternoon, and is served from the Kendall rectory.
- Established
- 1875
- Patron
- St. John the Baptist
- Rector
- Rev. Balraj Thotta Saminathan (Parochial Administrator, appointed effective July 1, 2026; succeeds Rev. John Ofori Domah, who had served as Pastor of the tri-parish)
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Tomah Deanery)
Why belong here
St. John the Baptist offers the rhythms of classic small-town Catholic life in the Kickapoo Valley: a single weekly Sunday Mass at 11:00 a.m. and a Tuesday afternoon Mass, served by a pastor who also shepherds the neighboring parishes of Kendall and Elroy. The parish has gathered Catholics in Wilton continuously since 1875, and its long-shared ministry with the KWE tri-parish makes it easy to know your neighbors, your priest, and your fellow worshippers. It is a faithful, walkable community — the church sits one block north of State Highway 71 — ideal for Catholics seeking a quiet, traditional rural parish in Monroe County.
Mass times at St. John the Baptist
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish Identity and Location
St. John the Baptist Catholic Church sits at 504 Enderby Street in the village of Wilton, Monroe County, Wisconsin — one block north of State Highway 71. It is a parish of the Diocese of La Crosse, in the Tomah Deanery, and is grouped with two neighboring parishes (St. Joseph in Kendall and St. Patrick in Elroy) into a single pastoral cluster often called the KWE tri-parish. The shared office and mailing address for the cluster is 307 Spring Street, PO Box 155, Kendall, WI 54638-0155, and the cluster phone is (608) 463-7120.
- Address: 504 Enderby St, Wilton, WI 54670
- Mailing address (shared): 307 Spring St, PO Box 155, Kendall, WI 54638-0155
- Phone: (608) 463-7120
- Deanery: Tomah
- Located one block north of State Highway 71
History of the Parish
Catholic life in the Wilton area traces back to about 1852, when Anton Tomah settled seven miles north of the present village. For years these pioneers attended Mass monthly at Tomah, eighteen miles away. A nearby church was erected at Ridgeville in 1865 under Father Quigley of Mauston, and by 1875 about thirty Catholic families around Wilton prompted the bishop to formally organize a Wilton mission with its own small church. Through the late 1800s the parish was shepherded by Fathers Durward, Metzler, Keller, Herman, Campbell, Burns, and Manning. The original church was struck by lightning and burned in August 1896; under Father J. D. Manning the cornerstone of the rebuilt church was laid on October 7, 1896, and Bishop Schwebach blessed the new building on January 14, 1897.
- First known Catholic settler: Anton Tomah, c. 1852
- Wilton mission organized: 1875
- First church in the area (Ridgeville) erected: 1865
- Original Wilton church destroyed by lightning: August 1896
- Cornerstone of rebuilt church: October 7, 1896 (Bishop Schwebach)
- Rebuilt church blessed: January 14, 1897
Tri-Parish (KWE) Collaboration
St. John the Baptist Wilton shares its pastor and parish office with two neighboring parishes in the Kickapoo Valley — St. Joseph in Kendall and St. Patrick in Elroy. The three together form the 'KWE' tri-parish in the Tomah Deanery of the Diocese of La Crosse. All three parishes share the same mailing address (Kendall), phone number, and website, and parishioners benefit from combined religious-education and parish-ministry programming.
- St. Joseph Parish — Kendall, WI
- St. Patrick Parish — Elroy, WI
- St. John the Baptist Parish — Wilton, WI
- Shared phone: (608) 463-7120
- Shared website on ParishesOnline
Mass and Sacramental Schedule
St. John the Baptist Wilton currently celebrates Mass twice a week: Sunday at 11:00 a.m. and Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. The parish does not publish confession, adoration, or other devotional times on its diocesan or third-party listings; for the sacrament of Reconciliation or other liturgical needs, parishioners are encouraged to contact the shared parish office at (608) 463-7120 or the email listed above.
- Sunday Mass — 11:00 AM (English)
- Tuesday Mass — 4:00 PM (English)
Religious Education and Parish Ministry
Religious education and parish ministry at St. John the Baptist have historically been carried out in collaboration with the KWE tri-parish and supported by religious sisters of the region. Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration from La Crosse have served the parish over the decades, including as Director of Religious Education and parish minister. For current faith-formation programming, families are directed to the shared tri-parish office in Kendall.
- Tri-parish shared faith formation with St. Joseph (Kendall) and St. Patrick (Elroy)
- Historical ministry by Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, including Sister Patricia Sheridan as DRE and parish minister
Contact, Office, and Visiting
Parishioners and visitors can reach St. John the Baptist through the shared KWE tri-parish office at 307 Spring Street, PO Box 155, Kendall, WI 54638-0155, by phone at (608) 463-7120, or by email at [email protected]. The combined parish website — hosted on ParishesOnline — carries announcements, bulletins, and contact information for all three parishes. The Wilton church itself is at 504 Enderby Street, one block north of State Highway 71.
- Parish office: 307 Spring St, PO Box 155, Kendall, WI 54638-0155
- Phone: (608) 463-7120
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: ParishesOnline — St. Joseph Kendall / St. John the Baptist Wilton / St. Patrick Elroy
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Noyescirca 1852–early 1850s
Resident priest at Mauston who said Mass monthly at Tomah for the earliest Catholic settlers north of Wilton.
- Father Quigley1865 onward
Resident priest at Mauston who attended the first Catholic church in the area (Ridgeville).
- Father Durwardafter Quigley, into the 1880s
Resided at Tomah and attended the Wilton mission for eight years.
- Father Metzlerafter Durward
Succeeded Durward but objected to assuming the Wilton charge and passed it on.
- Father Kellerlate 1880s
Pastor of Union Centre; attended Wilton as a mission for two years.
- Father Hermanafter Keller
Succeeded Keller; oversaw improvements to the Wilton church, which was then struck by lightning.
- Father Campbell1892
Pastor of Elroy; given charge of the Wilton mission.
- Father Burnscirca 1890–1892
Assistant to Father Campbell; attended Wilton for about two years.
- Rev. J. D. ManningJuly 25, 1895 – February 1900
Ordained at St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, June 1893; rebuilt the church after it was destroyed by lightning in August 1896; cornerstone of new church laid by Bishop Schwebach on October 7, 1896 and building blessed January 14, 1897.
- Rev. John C. McAteerJanuary/February 1900 – at least 1910
Born 1858 at Loretto, Pennsylvania; ordained by Bishop Flasch at St. Joseph's Cathedral, La Crosse, June 29, 1885; found church and parsonage in need of repair on arrival and renovated both; celebrated silver jubilee of priesthood at Wilton on June 29, 1910; lived at Wilton and served Kendall on alternate Sundays.
- Rev. John Ofori Domahuntil June 30, 2026
Pastor of the tri-parish of St. Joseph (Kendall), St. Patrick (Elroy), and St. John the Baptist (Wilton); released effective July 1, 2026.
- Rev. Balraj Thotta Saminathaneffective July 1, 2026
Previously Associate Pastor of St. Therese (Schofield) and St. Mark (Rothschild); appointed Parochial Administrator of the KWE tri-parish with residence at St. Joseph rectory, Kendall.