About St. Joseph Ridge · La Crosse, Wisconsin
St. Joseph Parish of St. Joseph Ridge is a small, rural Catholic parish in the rolling ridges of Greenfield Township, just outside La Crosse, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse. Settled largely by German Catholic immigrants from Luxembourg, Rhine-Prussia, Baden, Bavaria, Bohemia, and Württemberg, the community traces its sacramental life to 1866, when the first church was built and the parish records begin. The present brick Gothic church on State Road 33 was dedicated in 1901 after the original 1866 structure burned, and it still serves roughly one hundred farm-and-ridge families today. The parish shares staff and programming with neighboring St. Peter Parish in Middle Ridge and is pastored by Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam (Fr. Sen).
- Established
- 1866
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam (Fr. Sen)
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (La Crosse Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Joseph Ridge is the kind of small, family-oriented rural parish where members know each other by name and pitch in together — the bulletin is full of parishioners serving on the Pastoral Council, Finance Council, PCCW, music ministry, religious education, and cemetery care. Worship centers on a historic 1901 Gothic brick church with traditional Masses (Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 8:00 AM, plus Tuesday evening and Thursday morning weekday Masses), weekly Tuesday Eucharistic Adoration, and a welcoming Communion-to-the-Homebound ministry that visits eight or nine shut-ins each week. The parish also runs a CCD program for grades 1–10, supports Catholic Charities, the Hunger Taskforce, La Crosse County Jail Ministry, and the Salvation Army through regular food and donation drives, and maintains its own active Catholic cemetery — making it a true community of faith for the ridge.
Mass times at St. Joseph Ridge
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- 3:30–3:45 PM before Saturday 4:00 PM Mass
- First Saturday after the 8:00 AM Mass
- By appointment (call Fr. Sen at 715-615-1774)
Adoration times
- Tuesday 5:00 PM (until 5:30 PM Mass)
History of St. Joseph Parish
St. Joseph's Ridge was settled in the 1850s by German and Austrian Catholic immigrants — from Luxembourg, Rhine-Prussia, Baden, Bavaria, Bohemia, and Württemberg — who pre-empted land along Mormon Creek and the surrounding ridges under the 1841 Preemption Act at $1.25 an acre. Catholic priest Father William Trappert was already celebrating Mass on the ridge by 1855, ministering to these scattered farm families. By 1866 the community was large enough to formally establish St. Joseph's Parish on a forty-acre government land grant; the first church was built that same year and sacramental records begin in 1866. The Diocese of La Crosse notes that the La Crosse Deanery's rural parishes along State Highway 33 — including St. Joseph Ridge — have been "preserved by the families who lived there and cared for them for decades."
- 1855 — Father William Trappert celebrates the earliest Masses for German Catholic settlers on the ridge
- 1866 — Parish formally established; first church built; sacramental records begin
- Original 1866 church later burns
- 1901 — Present brick Gothic church dedicated, built to serve about 100 farm families
- Today — parish shares ministry with St. Peter Parish, Middle Ridge
The 1901 Church Building
The church that the parish worships in today is a brick Gothic Revival structure dedicated in 1901 after the original 1866 wood-frame church was destroyed by fire. It was built to serve roughly one hundred farm families on the ridge and remains the focal point of parish life, with a neighboring four-and-a-half-acre Catholic cemetery still in active use.
- Style: brick Gothic Revival
- Built: 1901
- Capacity/congregation: about 100 families
- Adjacent: active 4.6-acre St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery
Pastor and Parish Staff
The parish is currently pastored by Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam, affectionately known as "Fr. Sen," who also serves neighboring St. Peter Parish in Middle Ridge. The parish office is staffed by Administrative Assistant Paula Silha and Bookkeeper Barb Mikshowsky. Office hours vary; visitors are asked to call 608-788-1646 in advance.
- Pastor — Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam (Fr. Sen), (715) 615-1774, [email protected]
- Administrative Assistant — Paula Silha
- Bookkeeper — Barb Mikshowsky
- Director of Religious Education — Lorie Liss
- Music Coordinator — Stacy Burns, (608) 769-8828, [email protected]
- Accompanists — Leland Gregorich, LuAnne Gregorich, Mary Beth Smith
- Sacristan — Sally Miller
- Cemetery Sexton & Buildings & Grounds — Dave Brown, (608) 792-1006
Pastoral and Finance Councils
Parishioners serve the parish through elected Pastoral and Finance Councils that shepherd its spiritual and temporal life.
- Parish Pastoral Council members: Dave Brown (Cemetery Rep), Teresa Brown, Lori Clements (PCCW Rep), Stan Clements, Ann Degenhardt, Terry Dickman (Finance Council Rep), Bob Kotek, Bill Weber (Secretary), Stacy Burns, Lorie Liss (DRE)
- Parish Finance Council members: Mary Jo Hess (Secretary), Terry Dickman, Dave Brown (Bldg & Grnds and Cemetery Rep), Barb Braun, Dan Steiger
Parish Council of Catholic Women (PCCW)
The PCCW is the women's lay organization of the parish, sponsoring fellowship events such as the Coffee-and-Conversation muffins after the 8:00 AM Sunday Mass and providing funeral-prep support.
- President — Lori Clements
- Treasurer — Mary Jo Hess
- Secretary — Vacant (as of March 2026)
- Funeral Prep — Polly Hilby
- Annual dues — $13.00
Lenten and Holy Week Devotions
During Lent, the parish offers a full slate of traditional devotions, small-group formation, and outreach.
- Stations of the Cross — Wednesdays at 5:30 PM (confirmation students lead at 7:00 PM some weeks)
- Parish Book Study — weekly Lenten sessions (e.g., Tuesdays in March), coordinated by Lisa Meyer
- Daily video reflections via the Ascension app and Hallow prayer app
- Parish Food Drive for the Hunger Taskforce
- Confirmation Lenten Retreat at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Religious Education (CCD)
Children of the parish are formed in the faith through a Wednesday-evening CCD program that serves students from Grade 1 through Grade 10. Confirmation is normally received in the spring of the high-school years.
- Director of Religious Education — Lorie Liss
- Grades 1–5: Wednesdays, 6:00–7:05 PM
- Grades 6–10: Wednesdays, 6:55–8:15 PM
- Confirmation students participate in an annual Lenten retreat at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
- Spanish-language confirmation support coordinated by teacher Ruben Mendoza Medrano
Music and Liturgical Ministries
Music and liturgical service ministries are coordinated by parishioner Stacy Burns and supported by a team of accompanists and a dedicated sacristan.
- Music Coordinator — Stacy Burns, (608) 769-8828, [email protected]
- Accompanists — Leland Gregorich, LuAnne Gregorich, Mary Beth Smith
- Sacristan — Sally Miller
- Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Servers and Ushers — all volunteer parishioners
Sacraments
Parishioners are asked to contact the parish office to make arrangements for the sacraments; the pastor also visits the homebound with Holy Communion each week.
- Baptism — contact the parish office
- Marriage — contact the parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — after the 1st Saturday Mass, or by appointment (call Fr. Sen at 715-615-1774)
- First Communion — through the CCD program
- Confirmation — through the grades 6–10 program, typically confirmed in April
- Communion to the Homebound — weekly visits by Fr. Sen and Sally Miller to ~8–9 parishioners
Outreach and Charity
The parish supports a range of local and diocesan charitable works, including regular food drives, the Diocesan Annual Appeal, and partnerships with area ministries.
- Parish Food Drive for the Hunger Taskforce (e.g., 25 lbs collected in February 2026)
- Catholic Charities
- La Crosse County Jail Ministry
- Salvation Army
- Diocesan Annual Appeal (parish goal and rebate program)
- Communion to the Homebound ministry
Cemetery
St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery is a 4.6-acre burial ground on Highway 33 in Section 12, immediately adjacent to the church, and remains an active parish cemetery. Sexton duties and grounds upkeep are coordinated through the parish office.
- Size: 4.6 acres on Highway 33 (Section 12)
- Status: active parish cemetery
- Sexton: Dave Brown, (608) 792-1006, [email protected]
Getting Involved
Because this is a small rural parish, the bulletin regularly lists ways to pitch in — from teaching a CCD class to baking muffins for Coffee-and-Conversation, to leading a decade of the Rosary, to helping with the cemetery or buildings and grounds.
- Volunteer to teach or co-teach a CCD grade (open call for a 3rd-grade catechist)
- Sign up as a Prayer Partner for a CCD class
- Volunteer as Usher, Lector, or Eucharistic Minister
- Join the PCCW (dues $13/year; secretary position currently open)
- Serve on the Pastoral Council, Finance Council, or Cemetery/Buildings & Grounds committee
- Support the monthly Parish Food Drive
Contact and Visiting
The parish office is at the church address on State Road 33. Office hours vary and are typically posted on the parish/school hall door; the bulletin notes that in March 2026 office staffing was Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
- Address — W2601 State Road 33, La Crosse, WI 54601
- Parish phone — (608) 788-1646
- Email — [email protected]
- Pastor cell — Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam (Fr. Sen), (715) 615-1774
- Website — http://www.saintjosephridgeparish.com/
- Facebook — facebook.com/saintjosephridgeparish
- TV Mass for the homebound — La Crosse Channel 19, Sundays at 9:30 AM
Sister Parish: St. Peter, Middle Ridge
St. Joseph Ridge is paired with St. Peter Parish in Middle Ridge, sharing its pastor and a combined bulletin. St. Peter's has its own Saturday-evening and Sunday-morning Mass schedule, plus a Wednesday evening Holy Hour with Benediction.
- St. Peter Parish phone — (608) 452-4680
- Saturday Vigil — 8:00 PM
- Sunday — 10:00 AM
- Weekday Masses — Wednesday 8:00 AM and Friday 8:00 AM
- Adoration with Benediction — Wednesdays at 7:00 PM (Benediction at 8:05 PM)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Timothy J. Wellesthrough July 2019
Reassigned by the Bishop to pastor St. Joseph parishes in Elk Mound and Rock Falls effective July 2, 2019.
- Fr. Jerzy Rebaczfrom July 2, 2019
Appointed Parochial Administrator of St. Joseph Ridge and St. Peter, Middle Ridge, while also serving as Judicial Vicar of the Matrimonial Tribunal; resided at Holy Cross Diocesan Center.
- Fr. Biju Chennala Kunjukutty, MSFSapprox. 2021–2024
Pastored the parish through the early/mid 2020s; his contact number was 715-495-2338.
- Fr. Sengole Vethanayagam (Fr. Sen)current (as of March 2026)
Current pastor; cell (715) 615-1774, [email protected].