About St. Patrick · Greenleaf, Wisconsin
St. Patrick is a Roman Catholic church in the Askeaton neighborhood of Greenleaf, Wisconsin, and is one of three worship sites that together form Saint Clare Parish in the Diocese of Green Bay. The parish community traces its roots to Irish immigrants from County Limerick who began gathering for Mass in 1856, and the present red-brick church was dedicated in 1908. In 2009, St. Patrick joined with St. Mary (Greenleaf) and St. Paul (Wrightstown) to create St. Clare Parish — a single canonical parish covering roughly 105 square miles of rural Brown County and serving more than 1,000 families, while all three historic church buildings remain active worship sites. Today the Askeaton campus hosts Saturday evening and Wednesday morning Masses, weekly adoration with confession, and serves as a quiet country parish rooted in more than 165 years of faith.
- Established
- 1856 (first Mass celebrated in settlers' homes); 1858 (first log-church built); 1866 (second church dedicated); 1908 (present church dedicated); 2009 (merged into St. Clare Parish)
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Fr. Santy Turiano
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Patrick offers a rare thing in Wisconsin: a small, close-knit rural Catholic parish whose identity is still rooted in its 1856 Irish immigrant founders. Members enjoy a real community where, in the words of one parishioner, 'you know the people,' and where the original cemetery, narthex donor monument and 1908 brick church make every Sunday Mass a connection to 165 years of faith. As part of St. Clare Parish, St. Patrick members also benefit from three worship sites, a K-8 Catholic school, weekly adoration with confession, faith formation for all ages, and the sacramental and pastoral strength of Fr. Santy Turiano and three deacons.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Wednesdays: 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM at the Askeaton (St. Patrick) site
- Thursdays: 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM at Wrightstown (St. Paul)
- Fridays: 11:00 AM – Noon at Greenleaf (St. Mary), with confessions 11:30 AM – Noon
Adoration times
- Wednesdays: 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM at the Askeaton (St. Patrick) site (Adoration with Confession)
- Thursdays: 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM at Wrightstown (St. Paul) (Adoration with Confession)
- Fridays: 11:00 AM – Noon at Greenleaf (St. Mary) (Adoration with Confession)
- Holy Hour every 4th Thursday of the month (except November), rotating among Greenleaf, Askeaton and Wrightstown
Saint Clare Parish — Three Churches, One Family
Since the July 1, 2009 merger, St. Patrick (Askeaton), St. Mary (Greenleaf) and St. Paul (Wrightstown) have operated as a single canonical parish — Saint Clare Parish Corporation — under the Diocese of Green Bay. The unified parish covers 105 square miles of rural Brown County and serves more than 1,000 families, while continuing to celebrate Mass and the sacraments at all three historic church buildings.
- St. Patrick Askeaton campus — 7815 St. Pat's Church Rd., Greenleaf, WI 54126
- St. Mary Greenleaf campus — 2218 Day Street, Greenleaf, WI 54126 (also Parish Office)
- St. Paul Wrightstown campus — 425 Main Street, Wrightstown, WI 54180
- Five cemeteries across the parish
- St. Clare Catholic School (3K–8), 425 Main Street, Wrightstown
Parish History — From Irish Log Cabin to St. Clare Parish
The St. Patrick community traces its origins to 1856, when Irish immigrants from County Limerick opened their homes for the celebration of Mass. Within two years they had built a 40-by-60-foot log cabin church on the site of today's cemetery; a second church was dedicated in 1866; and the present red-brick church was completed in 1908, funded largely by the hard-won savings of Irish-American farm families.
- 1856 — first Masses celebrated in homes of Maurice Summers and Maurice Meehan
- 1858 — first log-cabin church built on present cemetery site
- 1866 — second church dedicated August 15 by Very Rev. Father Daems, with Father McGinnity as pastor
- 1908 — present red-brick church dedicated; marble narthex monument lists founding donors
- 2006 — 150th anniversary celebrated with two-day festival and parish booyah
- 2009 — St. Patrick merges with St. Mary and St. Paul to form Saint Clare Parish Corporation
Parish Staff & Clergy
Saint Clare Parish is led by a pastor supported by three senior deacons, a sacramental-assistance priest, and a team of lay and school staff.
- Pastor: Fr. Santy Turiano ([email protected])
- Sacramental Assistance: Fr. Carl Meulemans, MM
- Senior Deacon Mike Madden ([email protected])
- Senior Deacon Ken Kabat ([email protected])
- Deacon Mike Zebroski ([email protected])
- Coordinator of Disciple Formation: Anne Stemper ([email protected])
- Parish Secretary: Elaina Koltz ([email protected])
- Bookkeeper: Kelly Bamke ([email protected])
- Operations Manager: Kyle Strebel ([email protected])
- Facilities Caretaker: Pete Rotzenberg
- Cemetery Sexton: Lisa Kohlman ([email protected])
Faith Formation & Catholic School
Saint Clare Parish operates a K-8 Catholic school in Wrightstown and a multi-track faith-formation program for parish children and youth, plus adult initiation and confirmation tracks. The education page quotes St. Pope John Paul II on Catholic education 'as a question of communicating Christ.'
- St. Clare Catholic School (3K–8), 425 Main Street, Wrightstown — Principal Kate Iversen ([email protected])
- Disciple Formation (Religious Education) for Grades 1–12
- Catechesis of the Good Shepherd for ages 3 through Grade 3
- Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA/RCIA) for non-baptized adults — contact Fr. Santy
- Adult Confirmation program: 6 sessions plus half-day Saturday retreat, with the Confirmation Mass celebrated by the Bishop at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Green Bay
- School Advisory Board and Tuition Assistance available
Parish Leadership & Governance
Saint Clare Parish was incorporated in July 2009 under Wisconsin Statute 187 as a non-stock, religious corporation. As with every parish in the Diocese of Green Bay, the Bishop serves as president, the pastor as vice-president, and two elected lay trustees complete the five-member board of directors. The parish also maintains a Pastoral Council, Finance Council and School Advisory Board.
- Saint Clare Parish Corporation — incorporated July 2009
- Board of Trustees: diocesan Bishop, Vicar General, Pastor, and two elected Lay Trustees
- Pastoral Council
- Finance Council
- School Advisory Board
Cemeteries & Facilities
Saint Clare Parish oversees five cemeteries across its three campuses, with the historic St. Patrick Cemetery in Askeaton — the original 1858 log-cabin church site — still active across the road from the present 1908 church. Cemetery inquiries are handled by the parish sexton.
- Cemetery Sexton: Lisa Kohlman — [email protected]
- St. Patrick Cemetery, Askeaton — on the original 1858 log-cabin church site, across from the present church
- Operations Manager: Kyle Strebel — [email protected]
- Facilities Caretaker: Pete Rotzenberg
Contact, Office & Getting Involved
The unified Parish Office serves all three campuses and is the gateway for sacramental preparation, Mass intentions, registrations, and parish registration. The parish invites new members to register through the website.
- Parish Office: 2218 Day Street, Greenleaf, WI 54126
- Phone: (920) 864-2550
- Email: [email protected]
- Pastor: [email protected]
- School: [email protected]
- Website: stclareagw.org
- Parish Registration available through the parish website
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father J. Van Luytelaar1856
Celebrated first Masses in the homes of Maurice Summers and Maurice Meehan that spring
- Father Bonaventure De Goey (Capuchin)c. 1856–1858
Succeeded Father Van Luytelaar, traveling from Hollandtown to offer Mass
- Father McGinnityc. 1866
Pastor when the second (post–log-cabin) church was dedicated by Very Rev. Father Daems on August 15, 1866
- Rev. M. J. O'Brien1893–1908 (approx.)
Built the present red-brick church, dedicated in 1908
- Rev. Al Geiserserved through 2006 anniversary
Presided at the parish's 150th anniversary Mass in 2006; described by parishioners as 'a cornerstone of the parish'