About St. Mary Help of Christians · Briggsville, Wisconsin
St. Mary Help of Christians is a small Roman Catholic parish nestled in the village of Briggsville, Wisconsin, overlooking Lake Mason in Columbia County. The parish was founded in 1851 to serve Irish immigrant settlers and today remains a close-knit, generational faith community of about 132 family units. It is now part of the canonically merged St. John Henry Newman Parish (formed August 16, 2024) within Pastorate 9 of the Diocese of Madison, sharing clergy and staff with St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Portage, St. Andrew in Buffalo Township, St. John the Baptist in Montello, St. Mary of the Most Holy Rosary in Pardeeville, and Good Shepherd in Westfield.
- Established
- 1851
- Patron
- Mary Help of Christians (Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title 'Help of Christians')
- Rector
- Rev. Randy Timmerman (parochial administrator/pastor of St. John Henry Newman Parish, installed September 14, 2024 by Bishop Donald J. Hying)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Mary Help of Christians offers an intimate, generational Catholic community in a peaceful setting overlooking Lake Mason, where about 132 families worship together in a historic 1926 brick church. Belonging here means joining a parish that still lives out its 1851 founding mission of welcoming, formation in the Catholic faith, and outreach to those in need — now strengthened by sharing clergy, faith formation, and school resources with five sister churches as part of St. John Henry Newman Parish.
Mass times at St. Mary Help of Christians
Weekly Mass schedule
Parish History
St. Mary Help of Christians was founded in 1851 by a Green Bay priest to serve a large number of Irish immigrants who had settled in the Briggsville area. The pioneers first gathered for Mass in private homes until Mr. Briggs donated two large lake lots in Briggs' Mill for a church. The first priest to serve the people was Rev. Godhart, a Frenchman who came twice during the autumn of 1851. About six years later, Rev. Doyle built the first church on that site. On a windy Memorial Day in 1924 — long remembered as 'the blackest day' in parish history — the church burned to the ground. The present brick church was erected on the same site and completed by 1926, where it still stands overlooking Lake Mason.
- Founded 1851
- First priest: Rev. Godhart (autumn 1851)
- First church built c. 1857 by Rev. Doyle
- Original church destroyed by fire, Memorial Day 1924
- Current brick church completed 1926
- About 132 family units today
St. John Henry Newman Parish (Merger)
On August 16, 2024, St. Mary Help of Christians was canonically merged with five neighboring faith communities — St. Andrew (Buffalo Township), St. John the Baptist (Montello), St. Mary of the Most Holy Rosary (Pardeeville), St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception (Portage), and Good Shepherd (Westfield) — to form a single new parish: St. John Henry Newman Parish. The new parish is named after St. John Henry Newman, who was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV, and shares one school, St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School in Portage. Bishop Donald J. Hying formally installed Fr. Randy Timmerman as the parish's first pastor on September 14, 2024, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, during Mass at St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Portage.
- Merger date: August 16, 2024
- New patron: St. John Henry Newman
- Pastor installed: September 14, 2024
- Pastorate 9, Diocese of Madison
Clergy and Staff
St. Mary Help of Christians is served by the pastoral team of St. John Henry Newman Parish. Fr. Randy Timmerman serves as pastor/parochial administrator, with two parochial vicars, Fr. Sanctus Ibe and Fr. Savio Yerasani, and Deacon Steve Letourneaux. Parish staff shared across the pastorate include Annette Dolgner (secretary), Gregory V. Rybarczyk (bookkeeper), Lucy Williams (business manager / director of liturgy), and Steve Zoulek (maintenance).
- Fr. Randy Timmerman — Pastor/Parochial Administrator
- Fr. Sanctus Ibe — Parochial Vicar
- Fr. Savio Yerasani — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Steve Letourneaux
- Annette Dolgner — Parish Secretary
- Gregory V. Rybarczyk — Bookkeeper
- Lucy Williams — Business Manager / Director of Liturgy
- Steve Zoulek — Maintenance
Mass and Liturgy
Weekly Mass at St. Mary Help of Christians in Briggsville is celebrated on Sunday morning at 8:00 AM and on Wednesday at 8:15 AM, in English. The sister parish of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Portage offers additional Masses on Saturday at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 10:00 AM, and that Sunday 10:00 AM Mass is live-streamed and recorded for parishioners who cannot attend in person. The two parishes share a single pastoral team and faith community life.
- Sunday Mass — 8:00 AM, Briggsville
- Wednesday Mass — 8:15 AM, Briggsville
- Saturday Mass — 4:00 PM, Portage (St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception)
- Sunday Mass — 10:00 AM, Portage (live-streamed)
- Bulletin and Daily Readings linked on the parish site
Faith Formation and School
Faith formation for the parish's children is provided through the Briggsville Faith Formation program, whose goal is to assist parents as they form their children in the Catholic faith. Registration information is published on the parish website. The merged St. John Henry Newman Parish is also home to one school: St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School in Portage, which serves families from across the pastorate's six worship sites.
- Briggsville Faith Formation program (registration on parish site)
- St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception School, Portage (the pastorate school)
Parish Life and Events
Beyond the Sunday liturgy, the parish community gathers for the BEST FEST, an annual parish festival, and for Vacation Bible School (the 2024 VBS was a recent highlight). Online giving is available through the parish's PushPay platform, making it convenient for busy families to support the parish.
- BEST FEST — annual parish festival
- Vacation Bible School
- PushPay online giving
- Live-streamed and recorded Sunday Mass from Portage
Visit and Contact
St. Mary Help of Christians is located at N565 County Road A, Briggsville, WI 53920 (mailing address: PO Box 127, Briggsville, WI 53920). The parish phone number is 608-981-2282. Travelers coming from I-90 take Hwy 13 east to Hwy 23 east, then Hwy A north into Briggsville. The church sits picturesquely overlooking Lake Mason in the small village of Briggsville.
- Address: N565 County Rd. A, PO Box 127, Briggsville, WI 53920
- Phone: 608-981-2282
- Website: http://www.stmaryoticandhoc.org/ (now part of saintjohnhenrynewman.org)
- Directions: I-90 → Hwy 13 east → Hwy 23 east → Hwy A north
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Godhart1851
A French priest from Green Bay; the first priest to serve the Briggsville Irish immigrant community, coming twice in the autumn of 1851.
- Rev. Doylec. 1857
Built the first church on the two lots donated by Mr. Briggs in Briggs' Mill.