St. John the Evangelist

About St. John the Evangelist, Patch Grove

St. John the Evangelist is a small Catholic mission church serving the village of Patch Grove in Grant County, Wisconsin. Though modest in size, it carries a deep heritage – its roots go back to 1841, when Father Ravoux of Prairie du Chien celebrated the first Mass on the Lawless farm, and the present church was built in 1850. Today the mission belongs to Pastorate 1 – St. Joseph the Worker of the Diocese of Madison and shares pastoral and administrative resources with neighboring parishes in Bloomington, Cassville, Glen Haven, Lancaster and Potosi/Tennyson.

Clergy and Staff

St. John is served by the priests and deacon of St. Joseph the Worker Pastorate. The parochial administrator leads the pastorate, with two parochial vicars assisting, and a deacon providing pastoral ministry across the parishes. The parish office is shared with St. Mary, Bloomington.

• Rev. Stephen Brunner – Parochial Administrator ([email protected])
• Rev. Mark Miller – Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
• Rev. Sudhakar Reddy Devarapu – Parochial Vicar ([email protected])
• Deacon Roger Scholbrock – Pastoral Minister ([email protected])
• Mrs. Julie M. Jentz – Administrative Assistant, St. Mary & St. John parish office

Faith Formation and Religious Education

Children's religious education is offered through Family Faith Formation, a pastorate-wide program. Grades K–6 meet for a shared meal followed by lessons, with the priests taking active roles – Fr. Mark teaches parents, Fr. Sudhakar prepares 2nd graders for First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, and Fr. Steve teaches 7th and 8th graders with a separate curriculum. Classes are hosted in rotation by St. Mary's Bloomington, St. Clement Lancaster, Ss. Andrew & Thomas and St. Charles.

• Family Faith Formation for grades K–6
• 2nd-grade sacramental prep (First Reconciliation / First Communion) with Fr. Sudhakar
• 7th–8th grade religious education with Fr. Steve
• Monthly faith-formation evenings with a shared meal at 6:00–6:30 PM and class from 6:30–7:30 PM

History of the Mission

St. John's Mission, Patch Grove, is documented as one of the earliest Catholic outposts in southwestern Wisconsin. Father Ravoux celebrated Mass on the Lawless farm in 1841, the first log church followed in 1850, and for years the community was an outlying mission of St. Gabriel's, Prairie du Chien. In 1860 it passed to Cassville and was eventually served from Bloomington, a relationship continued under today's pastorate model.

• 1841 – First Mass offered on the Lawless farm by Father Ravoux
• 1850 – First church built at the mission site
• Until 1860 – Served from Prairie du Chien (St. Gabriel's)
• 1860 onward – Became a mission of Cassville
• Later 19th/20th century – Served from Bloomington
• Today – Mission within Pastorate 1, St. Joseph the Worker (Diocese of Madison)

St. Joseph the Worker Pastorate

St. John is one of six parishes that make up Pastorate 1 – St. Joseph the Worker, a collaborative grouping in the Diocese of Madison. Sharing priests, deacons and staff across multiple small rural parishes allows regular weekly liturgy and sacramental care to continue in communities like Patch Grove that could not sustain a full-time resident priest on their own.

• Bloomington – St. Mary
• Cassville – St. Charles Borromeo
• Glen Haven – St. Mary Help of Christians
• Lancaster – St. Clement
• Patch Grove – St. John
• Tennyson/Potosi – Ss. Andrew & Thomas
• Parish schools: St. Mary Bloomington, St. Charles Cassville, St. Clement Lancaster, Ss. Andrew & Thomas Potosi