About St. Paul · Combined Locks, Wisconsin
St. Paul Parish is a Roman Catholic parish in Combined Locks, Wisconsin, belonging to the Diocese of Green Bay. Founded in 1923 as St. Henry Parish and later renamed for early benefactor Paul Smith, it has served the Fox River Valley village for over a century with weekend and daily Mass, faith formation for grades 1-11, and a wide range of liturgical and parish ministries. Current pastor Father Bob Stegmann (Fr. Robert Stegmann) and Deacon Greg Mohr lead a staff that includes a coordinator of sacred music, parish business administrator, and maintenance personnel.
- Established
- 1923
- Patron
- St. Paul (the Apostle) — named in honor of early parishioner Paul Smith rather than directly after the biblical Apostle
- Rector
- Father Bob (Robert) Stegmann
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
St. Paul Parish is a century-old Catholic community in the heart of Combined Locks where families are intentionally formed in faith together. With three weekend Masses, daily Mass Tuesday through Friday, Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays and Wednesdays, a dynamic FLOCK faith-formation program (Flock for grades 1-5, Summit for middle school, and Cor for high school, including Confirmation prep), and a robust roster of parish events from Brat Fest to Trunk or Treat to a Live Nativity, there are many ways for every member of the family to belong, serve, and grow in the Catholic faith.
Mass times at St. Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00–3:30 p.m.
- First Saturday after 8:30 a.m. Mass
- By appointment: call (920) 788-4553 or email [email protected]
Adoration times
- First Friday after 8:00 a.m. Mass until 3:00 p.m.
- Wednesday 6:00–7:00 p.m. (led by Deacon Greg on 2nd Wednesdays as part of Pizza & Prayer with Parents Night)
Welcome to St. Paul Parish
St. Paul Parish is a Catholic community of more than 450 families in the Fox River Valley village of Combined Locks, Wisconsin. The parish serves its members through daily and weekend Mass, the Sacraments, faith formation for every grade level, and a year-round calendar of parish-wide events designed to build up families as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Parish History
In November 1923 four women of Combined Locks met with Bishop Paul Rhode of the Diocese of Green Bay to ask permission to start a new parish. Permission was granted, the congregation was incorporated on December 9, 1923, and the first Mass was celebrated that same day by the parish's founding pastor, Fr. Henry Halinde (1923–1926). Originally named St. Henry, the parish was renamed St. Paul within weeks in honor of parishioner Paul Smith for his significant gifts of time, labor, and money. The first worship space was a fire-damaged one-room schoolhouse remodeled with a new belfry and adjacent rectory on land donated by the Combined Locks Paper Company; the first Mass in that space was Christmas Eve 1923. A parish cemetery was begun in January 1925. Ground was broken for the present Wallace Street church in 1963, with first Mass there on March 15, 1964, and dedication by Bishop Stanislaus Bona on June 21, 1964. The parish observed its 100th anniversary on December 9, 2023 with a Mass celebrated by Bishop David Ricken.
- Founded December 9, 1923
- Original name: St. Henry (later renamed St. Paul)
- First pastor: Fr. Henry Halinde (1923–1926)
- First worship space: remodeled one-room schoolhouse
- Land donated by Combined Locks Paper Company
- Cemetery land purchased January 1925
- Present Wallace Street church built 1963–1964
- Dedicated by Bishop Stanislaus Bona on June 21, 1964
FLOCK Faith Formation
FLOCK — Families Living Our Catholic K — is the parish's umbrella faith-formation program built around four priorities: Mass, Bible, Prayer, and Service. Its vision is that parishioners are Catholic disciples who follow Jesus and share Him with others, and its mission is devoted to cultivating families of well-formed disciples who know, love, serve, and share Jesus Christ and His holy Church. Three age-specific ministries meet weekly during the school year.
- Flock — Elementary Ministry (grades 1-5), Wednesdays 6:00–7:15 p.m.
- Summit — Middle School Ministry (grades 6-8), Wednesdays 6:00–7:15 p.m.
- Cor — High School Ministry (grades 9-11), Sundays 6:30–8:00 p.m.
- Five Family Faith Nights per year with shared meal and activities
- Monthly Pizza & Prayer with Parents (P3) Nights
Sacraments for Children
Sacramental preparation is woven into the FLOCK program. Second graders prepare for First Reconciliation and First Eucharist through grade 2 classroom sessions plus a family home visit and a family study book for each sacrament, and 11th graders (juniors) prepare for Confirmation with monthly Sunday morning sessions with their sponsor, in addition to Cor high-school ministry on Sunday evenings. Confirmation is conferred in the fall of senior year.
- First Reconciliation — late January (Wednesday evening) for grade 2
- First Communion — late April at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass for grade 2
- Confirmation — junior-year preparation; fall of senior-year celebration
Family Service and Parish Events
Faith at St. Paul is designed to be lived together as a family. Family Service Saturdays bring grades 3-6 (and all ages) into local hands-on service three times a year, and a packed calendar of parish-wide events gives families regular, fun on-ramps to church life beyond Sunday Mass.
- Family Service Saturdays (3×/year, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.) — service + fellowship
- Brat Fest (September)
- Trunk or Treat (October)
- Veterans' Day Mass & Celebration (November)
- Mom's Revival Day (November)
- Live Nativity (December 5–6)
- Grilled Cheese Please! — Lenten parish fellowship meal (March)
Liturgical Volunteers
The parish's liturgy depends on lay volunteers who serve at every Mass. Liturgical ministry is open to any registered parishioner (or any child who has received First Holy Communion, in the case of altar servers). Volunteers serve under the pastor and the Coordinator of Sacred Music.
- Altar Servers
- Lectors
- Ushers
- Welcomers / Greeters
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
- Liturgical Musicians (choir members, accompanists, cantors)
Prayer Ministry
The St. Paul Prayer Team brings parishioners' intentions before God through an active prayer chain. Anyone can submit prayer intentions for parishioners and their loved ones, and anyone can join the team to storm heaven in intercession for the parish community.
- St. Paul Prayer Team / Prayer Chain
- Open to new members and new prayer requests via the parish office
Parish Staff
The parish is served by a small staff led by the pastor and assisted by a deacon, pastoral and parish staff, and a maintenance team. Contact for any role is through the parish office at (920) 788-4553.
- Father Bob (Robert) Stegmann — Pastor
- Deacon Greg Mohr — Deacon
- Deb Runnoe — Pastoral Associate
- William Stevens — Coordinator of Sacred Music
- Willie Ambrosius — Parish Maintenance
- Cheri Ver Voort — Parish Business Administrator
- Maggie Melchior — Parish Secretary (and faith-formation contact)
Visit, Watch, and Connect
Parishioners and visitors can attend Mass in person at 410 Wallace Street in Combined Locks, watch the Saturday 4:00 p.m. Mass live on Facebook, or view the recording on the parish YouTube channel (available all week). The parish bulletin, faith-formation calendar, and additional contact details are posted at stpaulcl.com.
- In-person worship: 410 Wallace St, Combined Locks, WI 54113
- Saturday 4:00 p.m. Mass live-streamed on Facebook; recording posted to YouTube/website by Sunday 8:00 a.m.
- Office phone: (920) 788-4553
- Faith formation email: [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Henry Halinde1923–1926
Native of Germany; first pastor; celebrated the parish's first Mass on Dec. 9, 1923.