About St. Luke · Plain, Wisconsin
St. Luke Catholic Church is a rural parish of the Diocese of Madison located at 1240 Nachreiner Avenue in the Village of Plain, Sauk County, Wisconsin. Founded by German Catholic immigrant families in the 1850s and 1860s, it is the heart of a small but active faith community that today shares priests, faith formation staff, and a parish school with neighboring St. John the Evangelist in Spring Green through the Saints Joachim & Anne Pastorate (Pastorate 6). Weekend Masses are celebrated Saturday evening and Sunday morning, daily Mass is offered several days a week, and the parish also operates St. Luke Catholic School, a 3K–8 grade school serving about 65 students since 1876.
- Established
- 1861
- Patron
- St. Luke the Evangelist
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Luke Syse (Parochial Administrator)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Luke is a faithful, long-standing rural parish where generations of Plain-area Catholic families have worshipped since 1861 and educated their children since 1876. Members enjoy weekend and daily Mass, regular confession and adoration, an active parish school, K–12 faith formation, and the spiritual treasures of St. Anne's Shrine above town — all within a tight-knit community that the Diocese of Madison has repeatedly praised for its generosity and deep faith.
Mass times at St. Luke
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday: 3:15 PM – 4:00 PM (St. Luke)
- Sunday: 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM (St. Luke)
- Thursday: 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM (St. Luke)
Adoration times
- Thursday: 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM (St. Luke)
History of St. Luke Parish, Plain
Catholic life in Plain traces back to September 21, 1857, when missionary Rev. Maximilian Gaertner celebrated Mass in the Neuheisel log home. The first St. Luke's church was built in 1861 as a stone structure at the south end of St. Lukes Avenue; a second, larger stone church followed in 1884. A brick Romanesque-style church built in 1903 was destroyed in the May 1918 tornado that also killed pastor Rev. George Pesch.
The 1918 Cyclone and Rebuilding
For two years after the 1918 storm the parish worshipped in Cramer's Hall (Bettinger's Hall) on Main Street. In 1920, a new Catholic school was dedicated on Nachreiner Avenue and contained a chapel that served as the fourth church from 1920 to 1940. The fifth and present church — designed by Hugo Logemann and built by Edward Kraemer & Sons — was begun in 1938 and dedicated in 1940 as a Bavarian-style stone edifice with double steeples.
St. Anne's Shrine & Chapel on Council Bluff
On July 26, 1923, pastor Rev. Charles Surges, with Msgr. M.M. Gerend and Fr. Philip J. Klein, laid a cross atop Council Bluff as the seed of St. Anne's Shrine. Volunteers hauled fieldstone and sand up the steep hill, and the chapel was dedicated on July 26, 1928, with the Lourdes Grotto built 1928–29 by the Dischler family. A Stations of the Cross trail begins at the end of Oak Street and climbs 3/8 mile to the shrine.
- Cornerstone stone from the Neuheisel log home of the First Mass (1857)
- Stations of the Cross donated by the Carmelites of Holy Hill
- Stained glass windows from Trier, Germany, and the Bishop of La Crosse
- Relic of St. Anne and a relic of the True Cross from the Holy Sepulchre
St. Luke Catholic School
Founded in 1876, St. Luke Catholic School is a 3K–8 parish school of about 65 students, accredited through WRISA and part of the Diocese of Madison. Its mission is to nurture each child spiritually, academically, and socially. Principal Diane Mueller and her staff oversee a small but vibrant program that includes an After-School program and 'Little Luke' daycare.
- Grades served: 3K through 8
- Enrollment: ~65 students
- Accreditation: WRISA (Wisconsin Religious and Independent School Accreditation)
- Programs: After-School care, Little Luke daycare, Catholic Schools Week participation
- Principal: Diane Mueller
Faith Formation & Youth
The pastorate offers parish-based faith formation for school-age children, middle-schoolers, and high-schoolers, as well as Confirmation preparation. Youth ministry is anchored each summer by the Totus Tuus youth camp, hosted at St. Luke.
- K–5 Faith Formation: Amanda Olson
- Middle School & High School Faith Formation / Confirmation: Kami Clary
- Totus Tuus summer youth camp (hosted at St. Luke)
Clergy & Staff of the Saints Joachim & Anne Pastorate
St. Luke's priests serve the wider Pastorate 6 alongside lay staff in school, faith formation, and parish offices.
- Parochial Administrator: Rev. Fr. Luke Syse
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Kumud Chand Nayak
- Parish Office Administrator: Caitlin Opatik
- Parish Administrative Assistant: Heather Faber
- St. John's Office Assistant: Barb Ferguson
- Principal, St. Luke School: Diane Mueller
- Principal, St. John's School: Allison Stroud
Sacraments & Pastoral Services
The parish prepares members for and celebrates the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Marriage, and assists families with Funeral services. Faith formation staff Kami Clary and Amanda Olson support First Communion and Confirmation preparation, while Fr. Syse and Fr. Kumud are available for anointing and sacramental ministry.
- Baptism
- Marriage preparation
- Funeral services
- First Communion & Confirmation (via faith formation)
Visiting & Contact
St. Luke Catholic Church is at 1240 Nachreiner Ave., Plain, WI 53577, phone (608) 546-2482, fax (608) 546-2616. Parish office contact is Caitlin Opatik ([email protected]); the school office reaches Principal Diane Mueller at [email protected]. The church is part of the larger Saints Joachim & Anne Pastorate website at pastorate6.org / saintsja.org.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Maximilian Gaertner
Missionary priest based in Sauk City who celebrated the first known Catholic Mass in Plain on September 21, 1857 at the Neuheisel log home.
- Rev. Franz Weinhardt
Succeeded Fr. Gaertner in celebrating Mass in area homes; helped establish the early parish.
- Rev. George Pesch
Pastor killed in the May 1918 tornado, which destroyed the third church, rectory, and other parish buildings; eight people died in the storm.
- Rev. Charles Surges
Pastor who led rebuilding after the 1918 cyclone and who, on July 26, 1923, initiated the building of St. Anne's Shrine on Council Bluff.
- Rev. Fr. Luke Syse2023–present
Appointed parochial administrator of St. Luke Parish, Plain, and St. John the Evangelist, Spring Green, in 2023 (Pastorate #6) from Our Lady of Fatima, Darlington.