About St. Joseph · Markesan, Wisconsin
St. Joseph Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish located at 41 St. Joseph Street in Markesan, Wisconsin, and is the only Catholic church in the city. It belongs to the Diocese of Madison and, since early 2025, is one of the six worship sites of Mater Dei Parish — a combined Green Lake County parish established by Bishop Donald J. Hying on March 1, 2025. Before that, St. Joseph was paired with St. Mary in Kingston as Holy Family Parish, and the cluster of rural churches was known as Pastorate 10 (formed July 2023). The parish community gathers weekly for a Saturday Vigil Mass, weekly confession, and Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, sustaining Catholic life across this part of rural Green Lake County.
- Established
- 1946
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Msgr. James L. Gunn
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers a faithful Catholic presence in the heart of rural Markesan — the only Catholic church in the city — with a regular Saturday Vigil Mass, weekly Thursday Eucharistic Adoration, and confession offered twice a week. As part of the new Mater Dei Parish (established 2025), the Markesan church is served by a pastor, two parochial vicars, and a deacon, and is connected to a wider family of six Green Lake County churches and All Saints School in Berlin, giving parishioners a strong sense of community and tradition in the Diocese of Madison.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 3:55 PM
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
About St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph Catholic Church sits at 41 St. Joseph Street in Markesan, Wisconsin, and is the only Catholic church in the city. It belongs to the Diocese of Madison and is currently served as part of Mater Dei Parish, a six-church Catholic family that Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison established on March 1, 2025. The Markesan church community gathers each Saturday evening for the Vigil Mass, with confession offered twice a week and Eucharistic Adoration on Thursday evenings.
History of the Parish
Catholic life in the Markesan area is documented as far back as the mid-1940s, when the Holy Family Congregation received its IRS ruling date of March 1946. The St. Joseph church building itself is recorded as founded around 1950. For many years the parish was paired with St. Mary in Kingston under the name Holy Family Parish.
- 1946: Holy Family Congregation receives tax-exempt status (March 1946).
- c. 1950: St. Joseph church building established in Markesan.
- Pre-2023: Paired with St. Mary, Kingston as Holy Family Parish.
- July 1, 2023: Pastorate 10 formed by Bishop Donald J. Hying with Fr. John Silva as parochial administrator.
- August 2024: Msgr. James L. Gunn appointed parochial administrator of Pastorate 10.
- March 1, 2025: Mater Dei Parish formally erected; Msgr. Gunn installed as first pastor.
Mater Dei Parish (2025)
On March 1, 2025, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison established Mater Dei Parish, uniting six rural churches in Green Lake County into a single Catholic parish family. St. Joseph Church in Markesan is one of its six worship sites. All Saints School in Berlin is also part of Mater Dei Parish.
- All Saints — Berlin
- Our Lady of the Lake — Green Lake
- St. Mary — Kingston
- St. Joseph — Markesan
- St. James — Neshkoro
- St. John the Baptist — Princeton
- All Saints School — Berlin
Clergy & Staff
Mater Dei Parish, which includes St. Joseph in Markesan, is led by Monsignor James L. Gunn, who also serves as Vicar Forane of the Green Lake Vicariate. He is assisted by two parochial vicars and a deacon.
- Rev. Msgr. James L. Gunn — Pastor (ordained 1977)
- Fr. Eric Nielsen — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Anthony (Tony) Thirumalareddy — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Terry Larbes
Diocese & Vicariate
St. Joseph is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, which covers the south-central part of Wisconsin. Within the diocese it belongs to the Green Lake Vicariate. Msgr. James L. Gunn, pastor of Mater Dei Parish, also serves as Vicar Forane of the Green Lake Vicariate.
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the St. Joseph worship site in Markesan at 41 St. Joseph Street, Markesan, WI 53946. The published parish phone is (920) 398-3146. The pastorate maintains an online presence at pastorate10.com.
- Address: 41 St. Joseph Street, Markesan, WI 53946
- Phone: (920) 398-3146
- Website: http://www.pastorate10.com
- Email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. John Silva2023–2024
Parochial administrator of Pastorate 10 from July 1, 2023.
- Rev. Msgr. James L. Gunn2024–present
Parochial administrator from August 2024; installed as first pastor of Mater Dei Parish on March 1, 2025.