About St. Peter · Middleton, Wisconsin
St. Peter Catholic Parish is a small Roman Catholic parish in the unincorporated farming community of Ashton, Wisconsin (Dane County), with its address on County Road K in Middleton. Founded in 1861 by German Catholic immigrants from Bavaria, Cologne, and Alsace-Lorraine, it is now one of five worship sites of Holy Cross Catholic Parish in the Middleton–Cross Plains area. The parish is in the Diocese of Madison and is best known for its striking 1901 native-limestone Neogothic church (on the National Register of Historic Places) and its historic Catholic grade school that served the community for 158 years.
- Established
- 1861
- Patron
- St. Peter (the Apostle)
- Rector
- Rev. Scott Jablonski (pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Parish, the multi-site pastorate that includes St. Peter)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Madison
Why belong here
St. Peter's offers a tight-knit rural Catholic community anchored by one of the most architecturally distinguished small churches in the Diocese of Madison — a 1901 native-limestone Neogothic landmark still crowned by its original slate roof. Parishioners gather for Sunday Mass at 9:30 AM and a Friday morning Mass, with Friday-morning Confession and Eucharistic Adoration (including a long First Friday holy hour). As part of Holy Cross Catholic Parish, St. Peter's also opens up broader sacramental life, faith-formation, and school-age catechesis across five Middleton-area worship sites, while keeping the small-town, farming-heritage character of Ashton alive.
Mass times at St. Peter
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 8:00 AM – 8:20 AM (before the 8:30 AM Friday Mass at St. Peter)
Adoration times
- Friday 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM (following the Friday Mass at St. Peter)
- First Friday 9:00 AM – 8:00 PM (extended holy hour at St. Peter)
Parish Identity and Location
St. Peter Catholic Parish is the Catholic community of Ashton, a small farming village in the Town of Springfield, Dane County, Wisconsin. Although its mailing address is in Middleton, the parish is rooted in Ashton, about ten miles northwest of Madison. Its identifying address is 7121 County Road K (also signed County Highway K or County Trunk K), Middleton, WI 53562. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Madison and, since its merger with neighboring parishes, is administered as one of the five worship sites of Holy Cross Catholic Parish.
- Patron: St. Peter the Apostle
- Diocese: Diocese of Madison
- Pastoral grouping: Holy Cross Catholic Parish (with St. Bernard, St. Francis Xavier, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Mary)
- Address: 7121 County Road K, Middleton, WI 53562-3912
- Parish phone: (608) 831-4843
- Email: [email protected]
History of St. Peter Parish
German-Catholic immigrants settled the Ashton area beginning in 1848, when Joseph Spahn, Sr., arrived from Bavaria. More families followed from Cologne and Alsace-Lorraine, and in 1861 they organized St. Peter as a mission church of Cross Plains and Martinsville. The first church was built that same year; a Catholic school followed in 1866–1867, opposite the church. By 1901 the original structure was no longer large enough, and the present native-limestone Neogothic church was designed by Anton Dohman of Milwaukee and built by J. H. Owens of Mazomanie for $22,646. The parish grew steadily, reaching more than 300 registered families in the early 21st century and celebrating its 150th anniversary in November 2011 with Bishop Robert C. Morlino.
- 1848: First Bavarian settler, Joseph Spahn, Sr., arrives in the area
- 1861: Parish founded by 20 German-Catholic families; first church built
- 1866–1867: St. Peter's School opens across from the church
- 1901: Current native-limestone Neogothic church built
- 1905: Convent built; Franciscan Sisters of Manitowoc arrive to teach
- 1906: Queen Anne-style rectory built
- 1920: Public school opens in Ashton, ending St. Peter's monopoly on local schooling
- 1980: Church listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- November 2011: 150th anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert C. Morlino
- Multi-site configuration with Holy Cross Catholic Parish
The Church Building
The 1901 church is widely regarded as one of the finest small Catholic churches in southern Wisconsin. Distinguished by its coursed blue-limestone walls quarried on local farms and its original slate-shingle roof, the building presents a textbook Neogothic exterior: a tall centered steeple, rose window, three lancet windows, a louvered belfry, and an octagonal spire topped by a cross, with limestone buttresses and projecting apses. Inside, two rows of oak pews lead to a pinnacled altar in the south apse beneath a delicately-toned mural of Christ and his disciples, with a carved wood pulpit and lecterns. One side apse serves as a baptistery and the other as a grotto.
- Style: Neogothic
- Architect: Anton Dohman, Milwaukee
- Mason contractor: J. H. Owens, Mazomanie
- Carpentry: Paul Oppermann, Milwaukee
- Sanctuary furnishings: E. Hackner, La Crosse (butternut altars, pulpit, rail)
- Walls: coursed blue limestone from local quarries
- Roof: original slate shingles still in place
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1980
St. Peter Catholic School
St. Peter Catholic School opened in 1866/1867 opposite the church and for more than half a century was the only school in Ashton, teaching reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion in both German and English. The Franciscan Sisters of Manitowoc moved into the parish convent in 1905 and taught there until the late 1980s; a modern four-classroom school building was constructed in 1966 and remains on the parish grounds. After 158 years, St. Peter Catholic School closed in 2024 as parish enrollment and tuition support fell in the wake of COVID-19. Its alumni reunion in 2016 drew more than 400 people to the rural campus, and the building is now rented to Divine Mercy Academy, a Catholic Montessori program.
- Founded: 1866/1867
- Modern school building: 1966 (four classrooms)
- Religious order taught there: Franciscan Sisters of Manitowoc (from 1905)
- Closed as a parish school: 2024 after 158 years
- Current tenant: Divine Mercy Academy (Catholic Montessori)
Holy Cross Catholic Parish — Multi-Site Pastorate
St. Peter's sacramental and pastoral life is now coordinated through Holy Cross Catholic Parish, a single pastorate uniting five historic worship sites in the Middleton–Cross Plains area: St. Bernard (Middleton), St. Francis Xavier (Cross Plains), St. Martin of Tours (Martinsville), St. Mary (Pine Bluff), and St. Peter (Ashton). The combined parish office is staffed at St. Bernard (2015 Parmenter St., Middleton) and is led by a pastor and parochial vicars who rotate through the worship sites.
- Worship sites: St. Bernard, St. Francis Xavier, St. Martin of Tours, St. Mary, St. Peter
- Pastor: Rev. Scott Jablonski
- Parochial Vicars: Rev. Brian Dulli (Spanish-language proficiency), Rev. Michael Wanta
- Vicar General / Priest in Residence: Rev. Tait Schroeder
- Priests: Rev. Grant Thies, Rev. Brad Grobbel
- Combined office: 2015 Parmenter St., Middleton, WI 53562 — (608) 831-6531
Diocese and Wider Catholic Community
St. Peter Parish is part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, which covers the eleven counties of south-central and southwestern Wisconsin. Within the diocese, St. Peter's sits in the Middleton deanery, sharing sacramental life with nearby Holy Cross Parish sites as well as parishes in Cross Plains, Mount Horeb, Waunakee, and other Dane County communities. The parish has hosted diocesan milestones, including Bishop Robert C. Morlino's celebration of the 150th anniversary Mass in 2011.
- Diocese: Diocese of Madison
- Deanery: Middleton / Dane County
- 2011 anniversary Mass celebrated by Bishop Robert C. Morlino
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (1980)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Brian Dulliat least 2011 (150th anniversary Mass)
Pastor of St. Peter's at the 150th anniversary in November 2011; now Parochial Vicar of the Holy Cross pastorate
- Rev. Christopher E. Gernetzkelisted 2020
Pastor of St. Peter Parish, Ashton, and St. Martin of Tours Parish, Martinsville (Diocese of Madison handbook)