About St. Mary of the Lake · Lakewood, Wisconsin
St. Mary's of the Lake Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish serving Lakewood, Wisconsin and the surrounding Northwoods of Oconto County, within the Diocese of Green Bay. The parish's main church sits at 15232 County Highway F in Lakewood, and it also operates Crooked Lake Chapel at 15478 Whispering Pines Lane as a summer mission station for vacationers and year-round residents on Crooked Lake. Its current pastor and parish administrator is Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti, a priest from the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, India, who was assigned in September 2022. The parish's diocesan sacramental records date from 1905 (baptisms), reflecting more than a century of Catholic life in this logging-country community on the edge of the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest.
- Established
- 1905
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (parish name 'St. Mary of the Lake')
- Rector
- Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Mary's of the Lake is a tight-knit Catholic community in the heart of Wisconsin's Northwoods where parishioners know one another by name. It offers a full schedule of weekend and weekday Masses, weekly rosary prayer (Wednesdays for the sick, Fridays for peace), first-Friday and first-Wednesday holy hours, and a Religious Education program for grades 7–12. Its Social Concerns ministries reach out to the homebound and bereaved, provide local transportation, and run hospitality Sundays with coffee and donuts after Mass — making it a parish where both year-round residents and seasonal visitors can find welcome, worship, and service.
Mass times at St. Mary of the Lake
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays: 3:30 PM (Lakewood)
- First Friday: 3:30 PM (Lakewood)
- First Wednesday: 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
- Wednesday evenings: 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM (during Religious Education)
Adoration times
- First Friday: 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM (Holy Hour)
- First Wednesday: 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM (Holy Hour)
Welcome & Identity
The parish's mission statement reads: 'We the members of St. Mary's of the Lake are called by Jesus to be the light of the world, through the mission and ministry of His Catholic Church; to discover Him, follow Him, worship Him and share His love.' It identifies itself both as Lakewood's parish church and as the mother parish of the Crooked Lake Chapel mission station, and is listed by the Diocese of Green Bay as a parish church (Rite: Roman Rite) under the Diocese of Green Bay.
- Parish mission statement (parish website and Lakewood Area Chamber listing)
- Part of the Diocese of Green Bay
- Rite: Roman Rite; primary language: English
Crooked Lake Chapel (Mission Station)
Crooked Lake Chapel, at 15478 Whispering Pines Lane, Crooked Lake, WI 54149, operates as a mission station of St. Mary's of the Lake Parish. It shares the same pastor, parish staff, and pastoral councils as the Lakewood church. A single early Sunday Mass at 7:00 AM is offered each week, making the chapel a convenient spiritual stop for summer visitors to the Crooked Lake area before the day begins and a quiet place of worship for the lakeside community throughout the year.
- Sunday Mass — 7:00 AM
- 15478 Whispering Pines Lane, Crooked Lake, WI 54149
- Operated as a mission of St. Mary's of the Lake Parish
St. Mary's Social Concerns (Parish Outreach)
The parish's umbrella outreach is St. Mary's Social Concerns, which organizes lay ministry to the sick, the homebound, and the bereaved, and to neighbors with practical needs. The ministries operate as concrete service arms of the parish, not just prayer groups.
- Ministry of the Homebound & Sick — visits and brings Communion to those unable to attend Mass; also runs Bingo at a local Assisted Living facility.
- Ministry of Local Needs — provides transportation for medical appointments, shopping errands, and other local needs.
- Ministry of Hospitality — sponsors a hospitality Sunday on the first Sunday of the month after the 8:30 AM Mass, with coffee, donuts, and fellowship.
- Ministry of Prayer — coordinates the Wednesday rosary for the sick and the Friday rosary for peace.
- Ministry of Compassion & Bereavement — prays for the recently bereaved and sends cards and care notes to those who have had a recent loss.
Religious Education (Faith Formation)
The parish's Religious Education program serves students in grades 7 through 12. Classes meet on Wednesday evenings at St. Mary's in Lakewood from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Registered students are mailed a letter, schedule, and registration form at the start of the year; families wishing to enroll children are asked to contact the parish office at 715-276-7364. The Wednesday-evening slot also doubles as a Reconciliation opportunity for students and parents.
- Grades 7–12
- Wednesday evenings, 6:00 – 7:30 PM, at the Lakewood church
- First Reconciliation and Confirmation preparation included
- Contact parish office (715-276-7364) to register
Parish Staff, Councils & Committees
The parish is led by its pastor and supported by a parish administrator, an administrative assistant, and a network of councils and committees. The Pastoral Council provides pastoral leadership, the Finance Council handles temporal affairs, and the Buildings & Grounds and Cemetery committees care for parish property and the parish cemetery.
- Pastor / Parish Administrator: Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar Pamisetti (since September 2022)
- Administrative Assistant: Kendra Yingling
- Pastoral Council Chairman (Lakewood): John Lampereur
- Secretary / Trustee (Lakewood): Alyce Sauer
- Treasurer / Trustee: Joan Sackett
- Trustees / Council Members (Lakewood): David Zuleger, Joe Kampf, Todd Yingling, Mike Carney, Mary Delaski
- Crooked Lake Representatives: Larry Engebos, Mary DeGreef, Cassie Zittlow, Les Kostrova, Sara DeGreef (7:00 AM Mass contact)
- Buildings & Grounds Committee: Todd Yingling, Mike Carney
- Cemetery Committee Chairman (Lakewood): Sally Landwehr
Sacraments & Records
St. Mary's of the Lake maintains sacramental records in accordance with the Diocese of Green Bay archives, with baptisms on file from 1905, marriages from 1912, and funerals from 1917. Sacramental life is centered on the weekend Mass schedule, weekday Masses, the First-Friday and First-Wednesday holy hours, and the regular confession times. Communion to the Homebound is provided by the parish's Ministry of the Homebound & Sick, and funeral Masses continue to be celebrated at the church with burial at St. Mary's Cemetery, Lakewood.
- Baptism records from 1905 (Diocese of Green Bay archive)
- Marriage records from 1912 (Diocese of Green Bay archive)
- Funeral records from 1917 (Diocese of Green Bay archive)
- Funeral Masses at parish church with burial at St. Mary's Cemetery, Lakewood
- Communion to the Homebound through Ministry of the Homebound & Sick
St. Mary's Cemetery
Parish burials take place at St. Mary's Cemetery in Lakewood. The Cemetery Committee, chaired by Sally Landwehr, oversees the grounds and arrangements.
- St. Mary's Cemetery, Lakewood
- Cemetery Committee Chairman: Sally Landwehr
Diocese of Green Bay
St. Mary's of the Lake is one of the parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, which covers much of northeastern Wisconsin and is headquartered in Green Bay. The diocese lists the parish on its 'Find a Confessor' directory with confession available on Saturdays and First Fridays at 3:30 PM. The diocese's archives document St. Mary of the Lakes' sacramental records back to 1905.
- Diocese of Green Bay (https://www.gbdioc.org)
- Parish listed in diocesan parish directory and Find-a-Confessor tool
- Parish records held in diocesan archives since 1905
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Gerald (Schmidt)late 1990s (and earlier)
Officiated funerals at St. Mary's of the Lake in the late 1990s, including that of Gustave F. Gloede in October 1999; he is identified as the celebrant at the church at that time.
- Rev. Fr. Praveen Kumar PamisettiSeptember 2022–present
Priest of the Archdiocese of Hyderabad, India (born June 1, 1981; ordained May 11, 2011). Assigned as pastor/parish administrator of St. Mary's of the Lake, Lakewood; also serves Crooked Lake Chapel and St. Ambrose Parish, Wabeno.