About St. Norbert College · De Pere, Wisconsin
St. Norbert College Parish is the Catholic parish serving St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and is a ministry of the Norbertine (Premonstratensian) Fathers of St. Norbert Abbey. Liturgically centered in Old St. Joseph Church — affectionately known as 'Old St. Joe's' — on the college campus along the Fox River, the parish is described as the 'Catholic heart' of the only Norbertine college in the world. It exists to bring students, faculty, staff, and area parishioners into an encounter with Jesus Christ through liturgical, communal, catechetical, and ministerial life, rooted in the Norbertine ideal of communio — 'one mind and one heart on the way to God.'
- Established
- 1870
- Patron
- St. Norbert of Xanten (parish patron); St. Joseph (church patron)
- Rector
- Fr. Michael "Mike" Brennan, O. Praem.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Norbert College Parish offers a vibrant Catholic worship life anchored in the historic Old St. Joseph Church, with daily noon Mass, two Sunday Masses, weekly Eucharistic adoration, and a longstanding Wednesday novena to St. Joseph. As the only Norbertine college parish in the world, it is rooted in the Premonstratensian charism of communio — a spirit of welcome, hospitality, and shared journey toward God — and provides daily and Sunday Mass, reconciliation, faith formation, RCIA, music ministry, Bible studies, retreats, and service opportunities that draw students, faculty, staff, and approximately 415 year-round households into a single caring community.
Mass times at St. Norbert College
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday: 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
- Sunday: 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM
- Monday: 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM
- By appointment: call 920-403-3010
Adoration times
- Monday: 12:30 PM – 8:00 PM (Shrine 12:00–7:00 PM and Church 7:00–8:00 PM during academic year)
About St. Norbert College Parish
St. Norbert College Parish is the Catholic parish serving St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin. It is a ministry of the Norbertine (Premonstratensian) Fathers of St. Norbert Abbey, and its liturgical home is Old St. Joseph Church — known affectionately as 'Old St. Joe's' — set on the bluff above the Fox River in the heart of the campus. The parish community exists to bring students, faculty, staff, and area Catholics into an encounter with Jesus Christ through its liturgical, communal, catechetical, and ministerial life, opening itself to the Holy Spirit in the Norbertine spirit of communio — 'one mind and one heart on the way to God.'
- Diocese of Green Bay
- Ministry of St. Norbert Abbey / Norbertine Fathers (O. Praem.)
- Worship centered in Old St. Joseph Church, 100 Grant Street, De Pere
- Approximately 415 year-round households plus the ~2,700 students, faculty, and staff of the college
History of Old St. Joseph Church
Catholic worship on this site stretches back nearly 350 years. A small mission chapel built by Father Charles Albane in 1676 served early settlers; an 1870 parish church — the 'French Church' established by Bishop Joseph Melcher — replaced it. After a lightning strike destroyed the wooden building in 1889, the current brick church was dedicated in September 1890. Father Joseph Durin's 1888 devotions gave rise to what is now the National Shrine of St. Joseph, whose statue was crowned by papal bull of Pope Leo XIII in 1891. In 1898 the Norbertine Fathers acquired the church and used it as the seedbed for St. Norbert High School and St. Norbert College. The building was designated 'Church at Saint Norbert College' in 1969 — the first college parish in the United States — and renamed 'Old St. Joseph Church' in 1976 when a new St. Joseph Church was built on Lourdes Avenue. Renovations in 1969 and 1998 modernized the interior, and the parish is now part of the St. Norbert College Historic District (National Register of Historic Places, 2018).
- 1676: Father Charles Albane's mission chapel erected on the site
- 1870: Bishop Melcher establishes the parish (the 'French Church')
- 1888: Father Durin founds the Association of Saint Joseph; devotions and statue installed
- 1889: Original church destroyed by lightning; St. Joseph statue survives
- 1890: Current brick church dedicated in September
- 1891: Statue of St. Joseph crowned by papal bull of Pope Leo XIII
- 1898: Norbertine Fathers (O. Praem.) acquire the church; St. Norbert High School and College founded
- 1969: Designated 'Church at Saint Norbert College' — first college parish in the U.S.
- 1976: Renamed 'Old St. Joseph Church' (October 10)
- 1998: Major renovation adds bathrooms, gathering area, lounge, oratory chapel, sacristy, basement
- 2015: National Shrine of St. Joseph returns to its original rotunda location at Old St. Joe's
- 2017: St. Norbert College Historic District placed on the State Register of Historic Places
- 2018: District placed on the National Register of Historic Places
Liturgical Schedule
The parish gathers for Mass in Old St. Joseph Church throughout the week. Daily Mass is celebrated at noon Monday through Friday; Sunday Masses are celebrated at 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM (the 7:00 PM Mass is suspended during winter break, approximately December 14 – January 18). A student 'Knight Mass' is offered on Wednesdays at 8:00 PM in the Burke Hall Chapel. The 12:00 PM Wednesday Mass is followed by the parish's signature weekly novena to St. Joseph, continuing a tradition begun in 1888.
- Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM (English)
- Weekday Mass: 12:00 PM Monday–Friday
- Knight Mass: Wednesday 8:00 PM, Burke Hall Chapel (students only)
- Novena to St. Joseph: Wednesdays after the 12:00 PM Mass
Other Devotions and Prayer Services
Beyond the Mass and confession schedule, the parish sustains a robust calendar of devotional prayer that draws on its Norbertine and St. Joseph heritage. The Wednesday St. Joseph Novena continues a tradition begun in 1888, while Taizé Prayer and Monday Morning Prayer extend the rhythm of daily prayer across the campus.
- Novena to St. Joseph: Wednesdays after the 12:00 PM Mass (weekly Perpetual Novena since 1888)
- Solemn Novena to St. Joseph: every March, concluding on the Solemnity of St. Joseph
- Knight Mass: Wednesdays at 8:00 PM, Burke Hall Chapel (students only)
- Monday Morning Prayer: 8:05 AM
- Taizé Prayer: typically the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM
Our Staff
The parish is pastorally led by a Norbertine priest-pastor and supported by a small lay staff working out of the St. Joseph Priory. Their offices are located in St. Joseph Priory on the college campus.
- Fr. Michael 'Mike' Brennan, O. Praem. — Pastor (St. Joseph Priory, Office N209; 920-403-3012)
- Brian Fogarty — Director of Worship and Liturgy (St. Joseph Priory, Office N218; 920-403-3474)
- Jeff Koss — Parish Life Administrator (St. Joseph Priory, Office N222; 920-403-3988)
- Jennifer Rapavi — Program Coordinator of Faith Formation (St. Joseph Priory, Office N216; 920-403-3924)
Faith Formation and Generations of Faith
The parish's Generations of Faith program gathers families and parishioners for catechesis and dinner roughly twice a month during the academic year, running from September through May. The Program Coordinator of Faith Formation shapes the year's curriculum and events, supported by Norbertine volunteers.
- Generations of Faith: typically two Wednesdays per month, 5:30 dinner and 6:15–7:30 programming, September–May
- Opportunity to serve as a catechist
- Bible studies, retreats, small and large group formation
- Discernment and social justice groups
RCIA — Becoming Catholic
The parish's Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) welcomes adults exploring the Catholic faith, those preparing to receive the sacraments, and those who need to complete them. In recent years the program has been coordinated with help from Norbertine formation candidates, including members of the apostolic novitiate year.
- Open to inquirers, catechumens, and candidates completing sacraments
- Contact parish office: 920-403-3010 or [email protected]
Music Ministry
Music is central to the life of Old St. Joe's. The Director of Worship and Liturgy coordinates a robust parish music program that draws student and resident musicians from across the college, alongside the Abbey Singers (an auditioned ensemble that sings at St. Norbert Abbey Sunday Masses) and other St. Norbert College ensembles such as the Concert Choir and Chamber Singers.
- Sacred Music Ensemble / Old St. Joe's Parish Music Ministry (Director: Brian Fogarty)
- Abbey Singers — auditioned, paid ensemble for St. Norbert Abbey Sunday Masses
- Concert Choir — open to all students, no audition
- Chamber Singers — auditioned mixed-voice ensemble
- Opportunities for instrumentalists and vocalists at Sunday Mass (10 AM or 7 PM), Wednesday noon Mass and St. Joseph Novena, Monday Adoration, Monday Morning Prayer, and Knight Mass
National Shrine of St. Joseph
Adjacent to Old St. Joseph Church is the National Shrine of St. Joseph, a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey whose origins trace to Father Joseph Durin's 1888 devotions. The shrine's statue of St. Joseph holding the Christ Child received a canonical coronation by papal bull of Pope Leo XIII in 1891. The shrine returned to its original rotunda location connected to Old St. Joe's in 2015 and continues to host a weekly Perpetual Novena every Wednesday and a Solemn Novena each March.
- Weekly Perpetual Novena to St. Joseph — every Wednesday since 1888
- Solemn Novena — every March, concluding on the Solemnity of St. Joseph
- Statue crowned by papal bull of Pope Leo XIII, 1891
- Shrine office: 920-337-4350
- Visit norbertines.org/joseph for more information
Norbertine Identity and the College of Chaplains
As a ministry of St. Norbert Abbey, the parish is shaped by the Norbertine charism of communio — community, hospitality, and shared spiritual journey. The College of Chaplains, reestablished in late 2016, restores a strong visible Norbertine priestly presence on the campus, with multiple ordained Norbertines participating in liturgical and pastoral life alongside the parish staff.
- St. Norbert Abbey — Premonstratensian (Norbertine) community
- College of Chaplains reestablished 2016
- Multiple Norbertine priests assist with parish Masses, RCIA, vocation ministry, and campus chaplaincy
Visiting, Contact, and Hours
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish by phone, email, or in person. SNC Parish Offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Old St. Joseph Church is open daily from 6:00 AM to 11:00 PM, and the Catholic Student Center is open daily from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, making the church an inviting space for prayer throughout the day.
- Address: 100 Grant Street, De Pere, WI 54115
- Phone: (920) 403-3010
- Email: [email protected]
- Parish Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
- St. Joseph Church open daily 6:00 AM – 11:00 PM
- Catholic Student Center open daily 7:00 AM – 11:00 PM
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Michael "Mike" Brennan, O. Praem.Summer 2022 – present
Named pastor in summer 2022; previously St. Norbert College Chaplain, Vocation Director at St. Norbert Abbey, and Chaplain for the National Shrine of St. Joseph; St. Norbert College Class of 1999.
- Deacon Kevin DeCleeneFall 2016 – c. 2022
Named full-time pastoral leader of St. Norbert College Parish in fall 2016; reported to Fr. Jay Fostner as priest moderator. Coordinated the participation of multiple Norbertines in parish life.
- Fr. Jay Fostner, O. Praem., Ph.D.Prior to 2017
Served as priest moderator in 2016–2017; vice president for mission and student affairs at SNC; led reestablishment of the College of Chaplains in late 2016.