About St. Mary · Omro, Wisconsin
St. Mary Parish is a Roman Catholic community located at 730 Madison Avenue in Omro, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of Green Bay. It serves as one half of the 'St. Mary Churches' cluster that also includes the historic St. Mary site in neighboring Winneconne, sharing staff, faith formation programs, and weekend Mass rotations between the two worship sites. Worship is offered in the Roman Rite, with weekday Communion services, a weekly Saturday/Sunday Mass schedule that shifts seasonally, and a regular Reconciliation schedule. The parish is led by a deacon as Pastoral Coordinator with a lay pastoral associate, several faith formation staff, and receives sacramental ministry from priests of nearby St. Raphael Catholic Parish in Oshkosh.
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary
- Rector
- Priests from St. Raphael Catholic Parish (Oshkosh) serve as sacramental ministers; pastoral leadership is provided by Deacon Paul Vidmar as Pastoral Coordinator.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Mary offers the warmth of a small-town Catholic parish with the resources of a larger cluster: weekday Communion services, seasonal weekend Masses, regular Reconciliation, and a children's Liturgy of the Word offered monthly during Mass. Families can enroll children in parish faith formation and sacramental preparation for First Communion and Confirmation, and adults have a dedicated adult faith formation program with study opportunities offered in both Omro and Winneconne. A shared pastoral team of deacon, pastoral associate, faith formation coordinators, and sacramental priests from St. Raphael in Oshkosh keeps the parish well-cared-for, while the cluster's identity as 'St. Mary Churches' gives Omro Catholics a built-in connection to their sister parish community just down the road in Winneconne.
Mass times at St. Mary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 3:30 p.m. (with the weekend Mass schedule)
- 2nd & 4th Wednesday of the month, 4:30–5:30 p.m.
About St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish in Omro, Wisconsin is a Roman Catholic community within the Diocese of Green Bay, sharing pastoral staff and sacramental ministry with its sister site, St. Mary in Winneconne, under the cluster name 'St. Mary Churches.' The parish is located at 730 Madison Avenue in Omro and offers seasonal weekend Masses, weekday Liturgy of the Word with Communion, and a regular schedule of Reconciliation. Sacramental ministry is provided by priests from neighboring St. Raphael Catholic Parish in Oshkosh; day-to-day pastoral leadership is provided on-site by Deacon Paul Vidmar (Pastoral Coordinator) and Rose Unser (Pastoral Associate).
History of the St. Mary Parishes (Omro and Winneconne)
The Omro and Winneconne St. Mary parishes have been served from the larger Oshkosh parishes for many years because of their smaller size and rural character. The arrangement was formalized in 2007 when Sister Pamela Biehl — who had served St. Raphael Catholic Parish in Oshkosh for thirteen years — was appointed Parish Director of the St. Mary Parishes in Omro and Winneconne, and priests from St. Raphael began celebrating the liturgies at both sites.
- 2007: Sr. Pamela Biehl appointed Parish Director; priests from St. Raphael begin serving the cluster.
- 2008: Fr. Jason Blahnik (newly ordained) assigned to the parishes.
- 2011: Fr. Luke Ferris assigned.
- 2013: Fr. Michael Warden assigned.
- 2015: Fr. Edward Looney assigned.
- 2017: Deacon Paul Vidmar ordained at St. Raphael.
- 2021: Deacon Paul Vidmar reassigned to the Omro/Winneconne cluster as Pastoral Coordinator.
Parish Staff and Pastoral Leadership
Day-to-day pastoral leadership is provided by Deacon Paul Vidmar as Pastoral Coordinator and Rose Unser as Pastoral Associate. Sacramental ministry is provided by priests from neighboring St. Raphael Catholic Parish in Oshkosh. A small team of lay staff handles faith formation, business, and office operations across the Omro and Winneconne sites.
- Deacon Paul Vidmar — Pastoral Coordinator (920-379-8068)
- Rose Unser — Pastoral Associate
- Cammy Miller — Office Manager (Omro)
- Pat Samolinski — Business Manager
- Heidi Seaman — Faith Formation Coordinator
- Lyn Zahorik — Director for Spiritual Engagement
- Patty Volp — Adult Faith Formation Coordinator
- Jolene Johnson — Adult Faith Formation Assistant
Faith Formation for Children
The St. Mary Omro Faith Formation Program, led by Faith Formation Coordinator Heidi Seaman, provides religious education for parish children, including a published 2025–2026 schedule. The program also includes sacramental preparation for First Communion (2nd-grade track) and Confirmation, with separate calendars maintained for each. VIRTUS safe-environment training is offered as part of the formation program.
- Faith Formation Coordinator: Heidi Seaman (920-685-2258)
- Faith Formation 2025–2026 schedule
- Sacramental Preparation (2nd Grade) calendar 2025–2026
- Confirmation calendar 2025–2026
- VIRTUS training available
Adult Faith Formation
Adult faith formation opportunities are available in both Omro and Winneconne, coordinated by Patty Volp (Coordinator) and Jolene Johnson (Assistant), under the oversight of Lyn Zahorik, Director for Spiritual Engagement. The parish invites adults to register for the program's offerings.
- Adult Faith Formation Coordinator: Patty Volp
- Adult Faith Formation Assistant: Jolene Johnson
- Director for Spiritual Engagement: Lyn Zahorik
- Offerings available in Omro and Winneconne
Sacraments
St. Mary prepares parishioners for the sacraments of the Church through its faith formation programs. First Communion is prepared through the 2nd-grade sacramental track; Confirmation has its own multi-year preparation process; Reconciliation is heard at the regular Saturday and Wednesday times listed above. Families seeking Baptism, Marriage, or Anointing of the Sick are invited to contact the parish office at (920) 685-2258.
- Baptism — contact parish office
- First Communion (2nd-grade track)
- Confirmation preparation
- Reconciliation (see schedule)
- Marriage — contact parish office
- Anointing of the Sick — contact parish office
Contact, Office Hours, and Directions
The St. Mary Omro parish office is located at 730 Madison Avenue, Omro, WI 54963, and is open Monday through Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to Noon and 12:30 to 4:00 p.m.; the office is closed Friday through Sunday. The general phone number is (920) 685-2258 and the general email is [email protected]. A directions page is available on the parish website.
- Address: 730 Madison Avenue, Omro, WI 54963
- Phone: (920) 685-2258
- Email: [email protected]
- Deacon Paul Vidmar direct line: (920) 379-8068
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8:00 a.m.–Noon and 12:30–4:00 p.m.; closed Fri–Sun
- Directions page: stmarychurches.org/directions.html
The St. Mary Churches Cluster (Omro and Winneconne)
St. Mary in Omro is one of two parishes that together form the 'St. Mary Churches' pastoral cluster. The sister parish is St. Mary in Winneconne, which has its own office hours (Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. and 12:30–6:00 p.m., closed Friday through Sunday), phone line (920-582-7712), and email ([email protected]). Adult faith formation offerings, business operations, and faith formation staff are shared between the two sites, reflecting the cluster model used widely across the Diocese of Green Bay for smaller parishes.
- Sister site: St. Mary, Winneconne
- Winneconne office phone: (920) 582-7712
- Winneconne office email: [email protected]
- Shared faith formation and adult faith formation staff across both sites
- Pastoral Coordinator: Deacon Paul Vidmar
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Sr. Pamela Biehl2007–
Appointed Parish Director of the St. Mary Parishes in Omro and Winneconne after 13 years at St. Raphael in Oshkosh; priests from St. Raphael then began serving as celebrants at both sites.
- Fr. Jason Blahnik2008
Newly ordained priest assigned to the cluster.
- Fr. Luke Ferris2011
Served a multi-year assignment at the parishes.
- Fr. Michael Warden2013
Served a multi-year assignment at the parishes.
- Fr. Edward Looney2015
Served a multi-year assignment at the parishes.
- Deacon Paul Vidmar2021–
Ordained a permanent deacon in 2017 at St. Raphael; reassigned to the Omro/Winneconne parishes four years later as Pastoral Coordinator.