About St. Joseph · Avoca, Wisconsin
St. Joseph Church is a Roman Catholic church in the small village of Avoca, in Iowa County, southwestern Wisconsin, at 701 East Wisconsin Street. It is one of the worship sites of the Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate in the Diocese of Madison. Originally an independent parish, St. Joseph was a founding member of Corpus Christi Parish on July 1, 2011, alongside St. Malachy (Clyde), St. John the Baptist (Muscoda), and Immaculate Conception (Boscobel); that group then merged in July 2023 with Queen of All Saints Parish as part of the Diocese of Madison's 'Into the Deep' restructuring. Today St. Joseph Avoca continues to host a Saturday Vigil Mass and a Wednesday morning Mass, with reconciliation offered 30 minutes before each Mass.
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Carlos Reinoso, SJS (Parochial Administrator / Pastor of Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate)
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Joseph is a welcoming small-town Catholic church in the village of Avoca where the faithful can worship at a Saturday Vigil Mass (7:00 pm) or a quiet weekday Mass (Wednesday 7:00 am) and go to confession 30 minutes before either Mass or by appointment. As part of the seven-church Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate, the parish is served by Salvatorian priests, a permanent deacon, and lay staff, and it shares faith formation, sacraments, and Hispanic and Latin Mass offerings with its sister churches. For Catholics in Avoca and the surrounding Driftless Area farmland, St. Joseph offers an intimate, historic place to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist and the sacraments close to home.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 30 minutes before each Mass at St. Joseph, Avoca
- Or by appointment
About St. Joseph Catholic Church, Avoca
St. Joseph is a small Roman Catholic church in the village of Avoca, Wisconsin, at 701 East Wisconsin Street. It belongs to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison and is now part of the seven-church Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate, formed in July 2023 from the earlier Corpus Christi Parish and Queen of All Saints Parish. The parish serves the Avoca community with two weekly Masses — Saturday Vigil at 7:00 pm and Wednesday at 7:00 am — and welcomes visitors to confession 30 minutes before Mass or by appointment.
- Parish type: Catholic church (parish site)
- Location: 701 East Wisconsin Street, Avoca, WI 53506
- Diocese: Madison
- Pastoral grouping: Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate
History & Restructuring
Catholic worship in southwestern Wisconsin along the Wisconsin River dates back to the 1830s. St. Joseph, together with St. Malachy in Clyde, St. John the Baptist in Muscoda, and Immaculate Conception in Boscobel, formed Corpus Christi Catholic Parish on July 1, 2011. The Diocese of Madison's 'Into the Deep' restructuring then merged Corpus Christi with Queen of All Saints Parish (Fennimore, Castle Rock, Mount Hope) in July 2023 to create today's Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate, of which St. Joseph remains an active worship site.
- July 1, 2011: Corpus Christi Parish formed from four historic parishes
- Parish office housed at Immaculate Conception, Boscobel
- July 1, 2023: merged into Our Lady of the Most Blessed Sacrament Pastorate
- Part of the Diocese of Madison's 'Into the Deep' pastoral restructuring
Weekend & Weekday Masses at Sister Churches
Beyond St. Joseph itself, parishioners and visitors can attend Mass at any of the seven churches of the pastorate. The full weekend schedule includes Saturday Vigil Masses at Immaculate Conception (Boscobel) and St. Joseph (Avoca); a 4th-Saturday 6:00 pm Mass at St. Malachy (Clyde) in good weather; and Sunday Masses at Immaculate Conception, St. John the Baptist (Muscoda), St. John Nepomucene (Castle Rock), and St. Mary (Fennimore). The pastorate also offers a Sunday Latin Mass in Boscobel and a Sunday Spanish Mass in Muscoda.
- Saturday 4:00 pm — Immaculate Conception, Boscobel
- Saturday 7:00 pm — St. Joseph, Avoca
- Sunday 8:00 am — Immaculate Conception, Boscobel
- Sunday 10:30 am — St. John the Baptist, Muscoda
- Sunday 1:30/2:00 pm (Spanish) — St. John the Baptist, Muscoda
- Sunday Latin Mass — Immaculate Conception, Boscobel
Pastoral Team
The pastorate is staffed by Salvatorian (Society of the Divine Savior, SJS) priests and a permanent deacon, with lay support in religious education, secretarial, bookkeeping, and custodial roles. Fr. Carlos Reinoso, SJS, serves as Parochial Administrator and was installed as pastor on March 1, 2025, by Bishop Donald J. Hying at Immaculate Conception Church in Boscobel.
- Fr. Carlos Reinoso, SJS — Parochial Administrator (608-563-9670)
- Fr. Christopher Padilla, SJS — Parochial Vicar (608-370-9915)
- Fr. Faustino Ruiz, SJS — Parochial Vicar, especially for Muscoda-Avoca-Clyde (608-370-3751)
- Deacon Larry Schmitt — Pastoral Associate
- Donna Hill — Secretary
- Dea Shimpach — Bookkeeper
- Chuck Owens — Custodian
- Peggy Schmitt — Religious Coordinator (Muscoda site)
- Ryanne Vande Hey — Religious Coordinator (Boscobel site)
Parish Office & Contact
The pastorate's parish office is at Immaculate Conception Church in Boscobel and is staffed Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. St. Joseph's address in Avoca is 701 East Wisconsin Street, and the main parish telephone is (608) 375-4257.
- Parish office address: 405 East LeGrand St., Boscobel, WI 53805
- Office hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 am–12:00 pm
- Parish phone: 608-375-4257
- Email: [email protected]
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Religious education for children and youth is organized at the parish level rather than at each individual church, with coordinators serving the Boscobel and Muscoda sites and pastoral support extending across the seven churches of the pastorate, including St. Joseph in Avoca.
- Religious Coordinator (Muscoda): Peggy Schmitt
- Religious Coordinator (Boscobel): Ryanne Vande Hey
- Pastoral support from Deacon Larry Schmitt and the SJS priests
Sacraments
St. Joseph offers the Eucharist at its Saturday Vigil and Wednesday morning Masses, and Reconciliation is heard 30 minutes before each Mass or by appointment. Other pastoral sacraments — including Anointing of the Sick, Marriage preparation, and Baptism — are coordinated through the parish office in Boscobel.
- Eucharist — Saturday 7:00 pm and Wednesday 7:00 am
- Reconciliation — 30 minutes before Mass or by appointment
- Anointing, Baptism, Marriage — contact the parish office
Liturgy in English, Spanish & Latin
While St. Joseph Avoca itself celebrates Mass in English, the wider pastorate extends its liturgical reach with a Sunday Spanish Mass at St. John the Baptist in Muscoda and a Sunday Latin Mass at Immaculate Conception in Boscobel — a notable feature for a rural southwestern Wisconsin pastorate.
- English Masses at St. Joseph, Avoca (and other sites)
- Spanish Mass — Sunday 1:30/2:00 pm at St. John the Baptist, Muscoda
- Latin Mass — Sunday at Immaculate Conception, Boscobel
Getting to St. Joseph, Avoca
St. Joseph is in the village of Avoca along Wisconsin Street. From Highway 133, turn south onto 7th Street to reach the church. On-site parking is available.
- Address: 701 East Wisconsin Street, Avoca, WI 53506
- From Hwy 133, turn south on 7th Street
- On-site parking available