About St. Mary · Kingston, Wisconsin
St. Mary Church in Kingston, Wisconsin is a small Catholic mission church located in Green Lake County on the west side of the Fox River. Built in 1876–1877 by contractor Patrick Regan of Princeton and founded by roughly 30 Irish and 10 German families, it was long paired with St. Joseph in Markesan as the former Holy Family Parish of Pastorate 10 in the Diocese of Madison. On March 1, 2025, Bishop Donald J. Hying merged it with five other Green Lake County churches — All Saints (Berlin), Our Lady of the Lake (Green Lake), St. Mary (Kingston), St. Joseph (Markesan), St. James (Neshkoro), and St. John the Baptist (Princeton) — into the new Mater Dei Parish, with Msgr. James Gunn installed as pastor alongside parochial vicars Fr. Eric Nielsen and Fr. Anthony Thirumalareddy and Deacon Terry Larbes.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Mary (the church was originally dedicated Immaculate Conception of Mary)
- Rector
- Msgr. James Gunn (installed as first pastor of Mater Dei Parish on March 1, 2025; previously parochial administrator of Pastorate 10 since August 2024)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the small-parish warmth of a rural Fox River valley congregation, with a Saturday vigil Mass and weekday Masses celebrated in a tight-knit farming community in Green Lake County. As one of the six worship sites of Mater Dei Parish, it shares the priestly ministry of Msgr. James Gunn and two parochial vicars alongside faith formation, RCIA/OCIA, Eucharistic Adoration (multiple times weekly), and a St. Vincent de Paul outreach ministry. For Catholics in the Kingston area it remains a quiet, traditional anchor of weekly worship and neighborly Catholic life.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Tuesday 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM
- Saturday 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Adoration times
- Monday 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Tuesday 6:30 AM – 8:00 AM
- Friday ~9:30 AM – 10:30 AM (after the 9 AM Mass)
Parish Identity & Location
St. Mary Church is a small Catholic worship site in the Village of Kingston, Green Lake County, Wisconsin, situated one block off Highway 44 in a rural stretch of the Fox River valley. The mailing/physical address is 177 W Pearl Street, Kingston, WI 53939, and the parish office can be reached at (920) 398-3146. The mailing ZIP is also given as 53926 by GCatholic. As of March 1, 2025, St. Mary is one of six worship sites of Mater Dei Parish in the Diocese of Madison.
A Brief History of St. Mary, Kingston
Catholic life in the Kingston area stretches back to the early 1850s, when missionaries based in Green Bay and at Fort Winnebago — including Rev. Louis Dael and Rev. Anthony Godfert — listed Kingston, Montello, Marcellon, Princeton and McIntyre's Settlement as regular visiting stations. The brick mission church of St. Mary by the Fountain (Sancta Maria ad Fontem) at the vanished town of St. Marie, just downriver, served the region from the mid-1850s until Bishop John Henni closed it around 1874–1875. After that closure, the English-speaking Catholics west of the Fox River organized a new parish under St. Patrick in Princeton, while Irish and German Catholic families around Kingston built their own frame church. According to historian Roger Krentz's 'The Catholic Church in Green Lake County, WI,' the Immaculate Conception of Mary church in Kingston was erected in 1876 by contractor Patrick Regan of Princeton and dedicated in 1877. The founding flock numbered about 30 Irish families and 10 German families.
- 1850s: Kingston served as a mission station for Green Bay / Fort Winnebago missionaries, including Rev. Anthony Godfert.
- c. 1856: Brick St. Mary by the Fountain completed at the neighboring town of St. Marie.
- 1874–1875: Bishop Henni closes the St. Marie brick church; Catholics reorganize in Princeton and Kingston.
- 1876: Patrick Regan of Princeton builds the Kingston church.
- 1877: The Immaculate Conception of Mary church in Kingston is dedicated.
- March 1, 2025: Bishop Donald J. Hying unites six Green Lake County churches into Mater Dei Parish.
Mater Dei Parish (formed March 1, 2025)
On March 1, 2025, Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison erected Mater Dei Parish, a single canonical parish uniting six historic Green Lake County churches that had previously been grouped as Pastorate 10. At an Installation Mass, Msgr. James Gunn — who had been serving the cluster as parochial administrator since August 2024 — was installed as the first pastor. Joining him are parochial vicars Fr. Eric Nielsen and Fr. Anthony (Tony) Thirumalareddy, with Deacon Terry Larbes assisting. Mater Dei also includes All Saints School in Berlin.
- All Saints Church — Berlin
- Our Lady of the Lake Church — Green Lake
- St. Mary Church — Kingston
- St. Joseph Church — Markesan (formerly Holy Family)
- St. James Church — Neshkoro
- St. John the Baptist Church — Princeton
- All Saints School — Berlin
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation for children and families is a core ministry of the parish, including a Religious Education program that seeks to bring 'the Children of God into a closer, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and his Church.' The parish also offers Family & Kids programming and resources for ongoing catechesis rooted in the Eucharist.
- Religious Education Program
- Family & Kids programming
- RCIA / OCIA (Becoming Catholic)
- Worship Fully and homily resources
RCIA / OCIA — Becoming Catholic
The parish runs the standard RCIA (now OCIA) process for adults seeking to become Catholic, including unbaptized catechumens and baptized Christians preparing for reception into full communion. Inquiries are welcomed through the parish office.
Outreach & Service
The parish supports a local St. Vincent de Paul conference for direct service to neighbors in need, and lists volunteer opportunities through its pastorate portal. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion bring the Eucharist to the homebound and the sick.
- St. Vincent de Paul
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Volunteer Opportunities (general)
Sacraments
Beyond the Eucharist and Reconciliation scheduled above, the parish prepares Catholics for the sacraments of Christian initiation and life events. Couples should contact the parish office early in their engagement to begin marriage preparation, and families should arrange baptism preparation through the parish. The Anointing of the Sick is available upon request, especially before surgery or in serious illness.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- Marriage — contact parish office to begin preparation
- Anointing of the Sick — contact parish office
- RCIA / OCIA — for adults becoming Catholic