About St. Mary · Cross Plains, Wisconsin
St. Mary of Pine Bluff is a small Roman Catholic parish church located in the unincorporated community of Pine Bluff within the Town of Cross Plains, Dane County, Wisconsin. Originally founded on March 17, 1854 as an independent parish serving German Catholic farming families, since February 2, 2025 it has been united with four other historic Catholic churches in the area into Holy Cross Parish under the Diocese of Madison. St. Mary's Pine Bluff is the second-oldest of the five Holy Cross worship sites (after St. Francis Xavier, est. 1852) and today shares pastoral leadership and faith-formation programming with St. Bernard (Middleton), St. Francis Xavier (Cross Plains), St. Martin of Tours (Martinsville), and St. Peter (Ashton). Visitors come to Pine Bluff for its traditional Sunday liturgy — including a Traditional Latin Mass at 8:00 AM and the Ordinary Form at 10:00 AM — and to experience its 1889 stone Gothic Revival church set in the rolling Dane County countryside west of Madison.
- Established
- 1854
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (parish name: St. Mary of Pine Bluff)
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Scott Jablonski (Pastor of Holy Cross Parish, which includes St. Mary of Pine Bluff)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Mary of Pine Bluff offers something rare in the Diocese of Madison: a small rural parish where the same farming families have worshipped for 170+ years, set in a beautiful 1889 Gothic Revival stone church in the Dane County countryside. It is one of the few places in the area that celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass every Sunday at 8:00 AM alongside the Ordinary Form at 10:00 AM, with a priest available for confession before each Sunday Mass. As a member church of the new Holy Cross Parish (created February 2025), St. Mary's members now share in a wider community that includes family faith formation (Emmaus: A Family of Faith), the St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, and the ministries and outreach of all five worship sites. If you are looking for a reverent, traditional, family-friendly Catholic parish rooted in deep local history, St. Mary's Pine Bluff is well worth a visit.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:30–9:45 AM
- Wednesday 7:45–8:05 AM
- Thursday 7:45–8:05 AM
- First Saturday 7:30–8:00 AM
- By appointment at St. Mary
Parish History — From 1854 Pine Bluff Settlers to Holy Cross Parish
St. Mary of Pine Bluff was founded on March 17, 1854 by German Catholic settlers, many of them from the Colonge region in Europe, who had come to the Cross Plains area in the mid-1800s seeking farmland and a Catholic community. The first pastor was Rev. Lorenz Conrad (1854–1887). Under his successor Rev. Ignatius A. Klein the present Gothic Revival stone church was begun in 1888 and dedicated November 27, 1889; stained-glass windows were added in 1890, and a much-needed narthex and restrooms were added in 1989–1990 (largely funded by parishioners Jim and Joyce Kalscheur). For most of its history St. Mary's was an independent rural parish; on February 2, 2025 Bishop Donald J. Hying united it with four neighboring Catholic churches into Holy Cross Parish, but St. Mary's 1854 founding and identity as a worship site are preserved.
- Founded March 17, 1854 — one of the oldest Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Madison territory
- First pastor: Rev. Lorenz Conrad (1854–1887)
- Second pastor: Rev. Ignatius A. Klein (1887–)
- Present stone church dedicated November 27, 1889 (cost $10,728; contractors Marty and Stark)
- Sixteen stained-glass windows installed by subscription in 1890
- Kalscheur-funded narthex and restrooms dedicated June 10, 1990
- United into Holy Cross Parish by Bishop Donald J. Hying on February 2, 2025
Worship and Liturgical Life
St. Mary's is unusual in the Diocese of Madison for its regular weekly celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass in addition to the Ordinary Form. Liturgical life is supported by parish liturgical ministers and a hospitality team at St. Mary, plus parish-wide Art & Environment volunteers who care for the sanctuary.
- Weekly Traditional Latin Mass (Sunday 8:00 AM)
- Novus Ordo Sunday Mass in English (10:00 AM)
- St. Mary Liturgical Ministers
- St. Mary Hospitality team
- Parish-wide Art & Environment team
Sacraments
The seven sacraments are celebrated through the Holy Cross Parish offices, with the worship site of St. Mary of Pine Bluff available for many of them. Reconciliation is offered on a published weekly schedule, Anointing of the Sick and pastoral care are available by appointment, and preparation for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage is coordinated across the parish.
- Reconciliation — see weekly Confession schedule
- Eucharist — see Mass Times schedule
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, Marriage — preparation through Holy Cross Parish
Faith Formation — Emmaus: A Family of Faith
Children and families of St. Mary's Pine Bluff take part in the parish-wide family-based religious education program Emmaus: A Family of Faith. Designed to support parents as the primary educators of their children in the Catholic faith, Emmaus runs from 3K through high school. Families gather twice a month (Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings, both at St. Bernard in Middleton), plus a monthly 'Pizza & Prayer' gathering at St. Francis Xavier. At-home lessons use provided materials. The annual theme for 2025/2026 is the Profession of Faith.
- Designed for 3K through 12th grade and their parents
- Wednesday evening and Sunday morning sessions at St. Bernard, Middleton
- Monthly 'Pizza & Prayer' at St. Francis Xavier, Cross Plains
- Annual kick-off (September) and wrap-up (May) at St. Francis Xavier
- Two-year cycle currently exploring the Profession of Faith
Parish Ministries and Outreach
As part of Holy Cross Parish, St. Mary's parishioners participate in — and benefit from — a wide range of ministries spanning liturgy, faith formation, fellowship, and outreach. The parish maintains dedicated liturgical and hospitality teams for St. Mary specifically, and parish-wide ministries include youth catechesis, St. Vincent de Paul, Knights of Columbus, prayer ministries (including the Living Rosary), and various commissions for buildings, human needs, and art & environment.
- St. Mary Hospitality
- St. Mary Liturgical Ministers
- Parish-wide Youth Catechesis
- St. Vincent de Paul (Holy Cross)
- Knights of Columbus (Holy Cross)
- Living Rosary and other Prayer Ministries
- Buildings & Grounds commission
- Human Needs / outreach commission
- Art & Environment commission
School — St. Francis Xavier Catholic School
Parish children attend St. Francis Xavier Catholic School, the parish school serving all of Holy Cross Parish from its Cross Plains campus. The school is part of the long SFX parish-school tradition that traces back to a one-room parish school started at St. Francis Xavier in 1857.
- St. Francis Xavier Catholic School (sfxcrossplains.org)
- Historically traces its origin to the parish school founded at St. Francis Xavier in 1857
Worship Site and Architecture
The worship site at 3673 County Highway P is the parish's chief material inheritance. The Wisconsin Historical Society documents it as an Early Gothic Revival stone house of worship built in 1889, with pointed-arched windows and doors. Sixteen stained-glass windows were added by subscription in 1890, and a modern entrance vestibule / narthex with restrooms was added in 1989 and dedicated on June 10, 1990 — underwritten largely by parishioners Jim and Joyce Kalscheur. Stone from the previous church was reused in the present walls, and many of the earlier interior furnishings were carried over into the 1889 building.
- Early Gothic Revival style, 1889 (Wisconsin Historical Society record HI4797)
- Construction began 1888; dedicated November 27, 1889
- Cost $10,728; contractors Marty and Stark
- Recycled stone from the previous church; older interior furnishings reused
- Sixteen stained-glass windows installed 1890 (parishioner subscriptions)
- 1989 vestibule / narthex addition dedicated June 10, 1990 (Kalscheur family gift)
Holy Cross Parish — The Five Worship Sites
St. Mary of Pine Bluff is one of five historically independent parishes that, on February 2, 2025, were united by Bishop Donald J. Hying into Holy Cross Parish. Together they preserve a continuous Catholic presence in the Cross Plains area going back to the 1850s. St. Mary's, established 1854, is the second-oldest of the five after St. Francis Xavier (1852). The other sites are St. Peter, Ashton (est. 1853), St. Bernard, Middleton (est. 1889), and St. Martin of Tours, Martinsville (est. 1861).
- St. Francis Xavier, Cross Plains — est. 1852
- St. Mary, Pine Bluff — est. 1854
- St. Peter, Ashton — est. 1853
- St. Martin of Tours, Martinsville — est. 1861
- St. Bernard, Middleton — est. 1889
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Lorenz Conrad1854–1887
First recorded pastor of St. Mary's of Pine Bluff; served from the parish's founding on March 17, 1854 until 1887.
- Rev. Ignatius A. Klein1887–
Succeeded Fr. Conrad as pastor in 1887; under his leadership the present (third) stone church was begun in 1888 and dedicated November 27, 1889.