About St. Patrick · Benton, Wisconsin
St. Patrick Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in Benton, Wisconsin, part of the Diocese of Madison and now linked administratively with neighboring St. Rose of Lima in Cuba City under the St. Dominic Pastorate. The parish church, built in 1852 by the pioneering Dominican priest Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, stands at 237 East Main Street and is one of 25 churches Mazzuchelli constructed throughout the Upper Mississippi Valley. Mazzuchelli himself is buried in the adjoining cemetery, declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1993, making the parish a destination of pilgrimage as well as a place of weekly worship for the surrounding rural communities of southwestern Wisconsin's lead-mining region.
- Established
- 1847
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Fr. Greg Ihm (Parochial Administrator of the St. Dominic Pastorate)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Patrick's offers the warmth of a small rural parish combined with a remarkable heritage: weekly Sunday Mass, weekday Mass on Thursday morning, and a historic church built and served by a founder on the path to sainthood. The parish shares clergy and programming with neighboring St. Rose of Lima in Cuba City under the St. Dominic Pastorate, giving parishioners access to a broader Catholic community while keeping worship intimate. For those drawn to Mazzuchelli's story, the gravesite and Rectory Museum on the church grounds make St. Patrick's a parish where faith and history meet.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM at St. Rose of Lima, Cuba City (shared with the pastorate)
Adoration times
- Wednesday 9:00–10:00 AM (St. Rose of Lima, Cuba City)
- Thursday 7:00–8:00 PM (St. Rose of Lima, Cuba City)
Heritage of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli
St. Patrick's is inseparably linked to the life of Father Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli (1806–1864), an Italian-born Dominican missionary who came to America at age 22 and was assigned to the Northwest Territory. Mazzuchelli served the mining communities of southwestern Wisconsin from his base in Galena and periodically visited Benton and New Diggings before permanently settling in Benton in 1849. He designed both the original 1847 frame church and the present 1852 stone church of St. Patrick's, as well as 25 other churches and schools throughout the region. Mazzuchelli is also credited with publishing the first book printed in Wisconsin — a liturgical almanac in the Chippewa language — and with founding the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa in 1847 to teach children in the lead-mining towns.
- Declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1993 — the first step on the path to sainthood
- Buried in the St. Patrick's parish cemetery
- Wore a penance chain under his clothing, now preserved at Sinsinawa Mound
- Pioneer of education in the region: founded Sinsinawa Mound College (1843) and St. Clara Female Academy in Benton (1852)
Parish History
The Catholic community at Benton grew with the Irish lead-mining families who settled the area in the 1830s and 1840s. In 1847, on land donated by Dennis Murphy, Mazzuchelli designed and built the first St. Patrick's Church as a frame structure. By 1852 the congregation had outgrown it: the frame was moved across the street and repurposed as the main building of the new St. Clara Female Academy, while the present stone church was erected in its place. Mazzuchelli served as Benton's pastor for the last fifteen years of his life and died of pneumonia in 1864. The parish has continued to serve the rural community ever since, with a 1922 facade renovation adding the limestone narthex and belfry, a 1975 interior renovation, and the addition of the Sorrowful Mother Chapel at the rear.
- 1847 — first frame church built on land donated by Dennis Murphy
- 1852 — present stone church erected; original frame moved to become St. Clara's Academy
- 1864 — Father Mazzuchelli dies and is buried in the parish cemetery
- 1922 — facade altered with limestone narthex and belfry (original trim reused)
- 1975 — interior renovation
- 1989 — Mazzuchelli's Bean Street rectory relocated to parish grounds and restored as a museum
Worship Schedule & Sacraments
St. Patrick's celebrates Mass on Sundays at 10:00 AM and on Thursdays at 8:30 AM. Because the parish is part of the St. Dominic Pastorate, confession and adoration are shared with St. Rose of Lima in Cuba City: confessions are heard Saturday at 4:30 PM at St. Rose, and adoration is offered Wednesday morning and Thursday evening at St. Rose. Mass Intentions can be booked through the parish office, and a Memorial Rose for Life program lets parishioners honor loved ones.
- Sunday Mass: 10:00 AM
- Thursday Mass: 8:30 AM
- Confession: Saturday 4:30 PM at St. Rose of Lima, Cuba City
- Adoration: Wednesday 9–10 AM and Thursday 7–8 PM at St. Rose
- Mass Intention stipend: $20
Parish Staff & Pastorate
St. Patrick's is served by the clergy of the St. Dominic Pastorate, a multi-site collaboration covering parishes across the tri-state lead-mining region of Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. Fr. Greg Ihm serves as Parochial Administrator, with Fr. David Flanagan as Pastor Emeritus. Parochial Vicars include Fr. Tom Kelley, Fr. Peter Auer, and Fr. Bernard Rott. Three deacons — Bill Bussan, Lee Eggers, and Larry Tranel — assist across the pastorate.
- Parochial Administrator: Fr. Greg Ihm — 608-496-1051, [email protected]
- Pastor Emeritus: Fr. David Flanagan — 608-744-2010
- Parochial Vicars: Fr. Tom Kelley, Fr. Peter Auer, Fr. Bernard Rott
- Deacons: Bill Bussan, Lee Eggers, Larry Tranel
Mazzuchelli Rectory Museum & Gravesite
The Mazzuchelli Gravesite in St. Patrick's Cemetery is open to the public at any time, allowing pilgrims to visit the resting place of the founder declared Venerable in 1993. The small Bean Street house in which Father Mazzuchelli first lived as Benton's pastor was relocated in 1989 to a site on the parish grounds and restored as the Mazzuchelli Rectory Museum. Tours of the museum are available by appointment, and many visitors continue to the Sinsinawa Mound twelve miles west on County Road Z to see the Motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, where Mazzuchelli's archives and personal artifacts — including the penance chain he wore secretly under his clothing — are displayed.
- Gravesite open to the public at any time
- Rectory Museum tours by appointment: contact Danette Brink at 608-759-2892
- Annual Anniversary Mass marking Father Mazzuchelli's death
- Penance chain of Father Mazzuchelli preserved at Sinsinawa Mound
Parish Ministries & Community Life
As a small rural parish, St. Patrick's nurtures community through the Council of Catholic Women (CCW), which meets at the parish rectory, and through shared pastorate programming. The Rose for Life memorial program lets parishioners place a rose on the altar in memory of a loved one, and Mass Intentions can be booked through the parish office. Combined bulletins across the St. Dominic Pastorate parishes keep members connected to the wider Catholic life of the region.
- Council of Catholic Women (CCW) — meets at St. Patrick's Rectory
- Rose for Life memorial rose program
- Mass Intention booking (stipend $20) through Sharon at 608-744-2010 or [email protected]
- Shared pastorate bulletins covering seven parishes
Visiting & Contact
St. Patrick's Catholic Church stands at 237 East Main Street in the village of Benton, Lafayette County, Wisconsin. The parish shares its office and phone line with St. Rose of Lima in Cuba City: 608-744-2010 (parish office) or 608-759-2131 (parish phone). Office hours at St. Rose are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to noon. The parish email is [email protected], and the joint website with St. Rose of Lima is http://strosecubacity.weconnect.com/.
- Address: 237 East Main Street, Benton, WI 53803
- Parish office phone: 608-744-2010
- Parish phone: 608-759-2131
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://strosecubacity.weconnect.com/
- Office hours (St. Rose, Cuba City): Monday–Friday 8:00 AM – noon
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P.1849–1864
Italian-born Dominican missionary and amateur architect; founder of St. Patrick's, designer of both the 1847 frame church and the 1852 stone church; declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1993 and buried in the parish cemetery.