About St. Patrick · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
St. Patrick's Parish is a historic Roman Catholic church at 723 W. Washington Street on the near South Side of Milwaukee, in the Walker's Point neighborhood. Founded in 1876 as the first English-speaking parish on Milwaukee's South Side, it grew from Irish immigrant roots and has long served successive waves of newcomers — Germans, Poles, and today Catholics from across Latin America including Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Since 1982 it has been administered by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), and since 2006 it has shared Jesuit clergy with the neighboring Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. St. Patrick's 1893 church building is a Milwaukee city landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Patrick
- Rector
- Fr. Aaron Pierre, SJ
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. Patrick's is the spiritual home of a bilingual, multicultural Catholic community on Milwaukee's near South Side, where English and Spanish Masses are celebrated side by side and worshippers come from across Latin America as well as long-standing Irish, German, and Polish families. As one of two Jesuit parishes on the South Side, it offers the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, daily and Sunday Mass, bilingual confession on Saturday mornings, First Friday Eucharistic Adoration, and a wide network of lay groups — choirs, prayer groups, youth ministers, a Christian women's service association, Las Guadalupanas, and even an Al-Anon family-support meeting. It is a place where immigrant Catholics find both a warm welcome and deep liturgical tradition inside a 1893 landmark church.
Mass times at St. Patrick
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturdays 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at St. Patrick's (Bilingual / Bilingüe)
Adoration times
- First Friday of the month: Eucharistic Adoration at 5:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's, followed by bilingual Mass at 6:30 p.m.
About St. Patrick's Parish
St. Patrick's is a historic Roman Catholic parish at 723 W. Washington Street on Milwaukee's near South Side, in the Walker's Point neighborhood. Founded in 1876 as the first English-speaking parish on the South Side, it has served Irish, German, Polish, and — since the late 1960s — predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrant Catholics. The parish is staffed by the Jesuits (Society of Jesus), sharing clergy and staff with the neighboring Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish since 2006.
- Address: 723 W. Washington St., Milwaukee, WI 53204
- Phone: (414) 645-7624
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.guadalupe-stpatrick.com
- Administered by the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) since 1982
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Milwaukee
History of the Parish
St. Patrick's was organized in 1876 by Irish Catholic immigrants on Milwaukee's South Side. In its first year the community built a two-story combination church and school. By the 1890s the parish was ready for a larger church, and the present 1893–1895 building — designed by Chicago architect James J. Egan — was dedicated at 7th and Washington Streets. The early pastors bore distinctly Irish surnames such as Callahan and O'Neill. On Thanksgiving Day 1969 Mass was celebrated in Spanish for the first time; soon afterwards a pastor with missionary experience in Paraguay was assigned and a weekly Spanish Mass became the norm. The Society of Jesus took over administration of the parish in 1982, and in 2006 St. Patrick's entered a formal joint administration with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
- 1876 — Parish organized; first English-speaking parish on Milwaukee's South Side
- 1893–1895 — Current church building designed by James J. Egan, built at 7th and Washington Streets
- 1969 — First Spanish Mass celebrated on Thanksgiving Day; weekly Spanish Mass begins soon after
- 1973 — Church designated a Milwaukee city landmark
- 1974 — Added to the National Register of Historic Places (December 16)
- 1982 — Administration transferred to the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)
- 2006 — Joint Jesuit administration begun with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish
Jesuit Identity and Mission
St. Patrick's is one of two Jesuit parishes on Milwaukee's near South Side (along with Our Lady of Guadalupe). The Jesuits — the Society of Jesus, 'S.J.', approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 — have about 19,000 members worldwide, roughly 2,400 in the U.S. and about 100 in the Milwaukee area. Their main U.S. ministries include high schools, colleges and universities, retreat houses, parishes, and missions among Native Americans. The parish lives by the Jesuit motto 'Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam' — 'All for the Greater Glory of God' — and draws on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
- Society of Jesus (Jesuits) — founded 1540
- Motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the Greater Glory of God)
- Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
- Two Jesuit parishes on the near South Side: St. Patrick's and Our Lady of Guadalupe
Architecture and Historic Building
Designed by Chicago architect James J. Egan and built between 1893 and 1895, St. Patrick's is a gable-roofed rectangular church about 150 feet long along its east–west axis and 70 feet wide, built of pressed brick trimmed with Bedford limestone. A square tower at the northeast corner, flanked by corner buttresses, rises to a spire topped with a cross 122 feet above the street. Inside, a center-aisle plan leads to an altar in an apse at the west end, beneath a hammer-beam ceiling with dormers and stained-glass clerestory windows imported from Austria. The south altar features a white marble Madonna and Child carved by sculptor Gaetano Trentanove. The building was designated a Milwaukee city landmark in 1973 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 16, 1974.
- Architect: James J. Egan of Chicago
- Built 1893–1895
- Pressed brick with Bedford limestone trim
- Tower spire 122 feet tall
- Hammer-beam ceiling; stained-glass windows imported from Austria
- Marble Madonna and Child by Gaetano Trentanove
- City landmark (1973) and National Register of Historic Places (1974)
Staff and Leadership
The parish is led by a Jesuit pastor and supported by a lay staff, a parish council, and parish trustees for both St. Patrick's and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
- Fr. Aaron Pierre, SJ — Pastor ([email protected], ext. 105)
- Fr. Renzo Rosales, SJ — Associate Pastor ([email protected], ext. 104)
- Amanda Espinosa — Business Manager (ext. 101)
- Silvia Jiménez — Parish Life Director (ext. 102)
- Lorena Badillo — Secretary (ext. 100)
- Ismael Soto — Maintenance
- Maria Estrada (Chayo) — Sacristan and Events support
- Michael Angelo Quiroz — Iskali missionary
- Parish Council: Letzbia Martinez (President), Carlos Esparza (Vice-President), Alejandro Jiménez, Alejandrina Mercado, Karen Vega, Rosaura Orozco
- OLG Parish Trustees: David Sánchez, Fernando García
- SP Parish Trustees: Josephine Gómez, José Avila
Parish Groups and Ministries
St. Patrick's supports a wide network of lay-led groups spanning music, prayer, family support, and outreach — many offered in both English and Spanish.
- Coro de San Patricio / St. Patrick's Choir — Director: Judy Negrón
- Mensajeros de la Paz — children's/teen choir, 5 p.m. Mass; Director: Ricardo Hidalgo
- Youth Choir
- Caminando Con Jesús / Walking With Jesus — Saturday evening prayer group at St. Patrick's; Coordinator: Natalia Zarate
- Luz de Cristo / Light of Christ — Monday evening prayer group at OLG; Coordinator: Nicolasa Martínez
- The Christian Women — service association at OLG; President: Carmen Reyes
- Las Guadalupanas
- Al-Anon — 12-Step support for families of alcoholics, Saturday mornings at St. Patrick's; Coordinator: Lucy Beltrán
- Iskali missionary outreach — Michael Angelo Quiroz
Sacraments and Faith Life
The parish celebrates the sacraments in both English and Spanish, including regular Reconciliation on Saturday mornings and seasonal celebrations of Confirmation and First Eucharist. Sacramental preparation is coordinated through the parish office and the Parish Life Director.
- Reconciliation (bilingual) — Saturdays at St. Patrick's
- First Eucharist and Confirmation preparation and celebration
- Baptism, Marriage, and other sacraments by arrangement through the parish office
Community Life and Outreach
The parish describes itself as a community of hard-working, faithful, and generous immigrant Catholics. Recent parish-wide events have included a 50th anniversary celebration of Father Rick Abert's priesthood, Confirmation ceremonies, Ash Wednesday distribution of ashes, and seasonal blessings for students, administrators, and ministry leaders.
- Father Rick Abert, SJ — 50th anniversary of priesthood celebration
- School Blessing Masses for students and administrators
- Confirmation and First Eucharist celebrations
- Outreach to those who are 'food insecure'
- Front-desk volunteer opportunities for parishioners
Visit and Contact
St. Patrick's Church is located at 723 W. Washington Street in Milwaukee's Walker's Point neighborhood, where it shares staff and ministries with Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 605 S. 4th Street.
- St. Patrick's Church — 723 W. Washington St., Milwaukee, WI 53204
- Our Lady of Guadalupe Church — 605 S. 4th St., Milwaukee, WI 53204
- Phone: (414) 645-7624
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.guadalupe-stpatrick.com
- Facebook: fb.me/GuadalupeStPatrick
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Callahan
Among the first several pastors of St. Patrick's in the late 19th century (Irish surname noted in parish history).
- Fr. O'Neill
Among the first several pastors of St. Patrick's in the late 19th century (Irish surname noted in parish history).
- Diocesan priest with missionary experience in Paraguay
Assigned as pastor in the years after the first Spanish Mass (Thanksgiving 1969); began regular weekly Mass in Spanish.
- Fr. Rick Abert, SJ
Longtime Jesuit pastor of St. Patrick's; the parish community celebrated his 50th anniversary of priesthood.
- Fr. Aaron Pierre, SJ
Current pastor; ordained 2023 (USA Midwest Province); previously a deacon at St. Mark's Parish in Richmond, California.