About St. Stephen · Stevens Point, Wisconsin
St. Stephen Parish is the parent Catholic church of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, founded in 1853 — making it one of the oldest parishes in the Diocese of La Crosse. Located at 1401 Clark Street, the parish today operates in a formal pastoral partnership with neighboring St. Joseph Parish under the slogan 'Two Parishes Working Together for Christ's One Mission,' sharing clergy, staff, religious education, and youth ministry. The parish runs the Pacelli Catholic Elementary School–St. Stephen campus on Clark Street (K–4) and continues the legacy of Catholic education in Portage County that began with a four-room schoolhouse on the parish grounds in 1874.
- Established
- 1853
- Patron
- St. Stephen (the parish's patron, after whom the church is named)
- Rector
- Rev. Jeffrey W. Hennes
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse
Why belong here
St. Stephen is the original Catholic church of Stevens Point — a 170-year-old faith community whose beautiful English Tudor Gothic sanctuary houses the relics of Sts. Cosmas and Damian and a ceiling shaped like an inverted ark. As a partner parish with St. Joseph under one pastor and one staff, it offers accessible Mass schedules (Saturday Vigil, Sunday morning, plus two weekday Masses), weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and a strong Religious Education and youth ministry program led by a full-time Director of Religious Education. Families also benefit from the parish's connection to Pacelli Catholic Elementary School–St. Stephen on Clark Street, giving children a faith-based K–4 education on the parish grounds.
Mass times at St. Stephen
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday — following the 6:00 p.m. Vigil Mass (approximately 7:00–7:15 p.m.)
Adoration times
- Friday Holy Hour / Eucharistic Adoration: 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
About St. Stephen Parish
St. Stephen Parish is the parent Catholic church of Stevens Point, Wisconsin, founded in 1853 and part of the Diocese of La Crosse. Today it operates in a shared-parish partnership with neighboring St. Joseph Parish — both parishes share one pastor, one associate pastor, one deacon, and a single office team under the banner Point Catholic Faith. The parish's mission statement reads: 'St. Stephen Parish, a faith-filled Catholic Community, is committed to sharing our gifts of time, talent, and treasure within our parish, community, and the Kingdom of God.'
- Parent Catholic church of Stevens Point (founded 1853)
- Diocese of La Crosse, Deanery of Stevens Point
- Shared-parish partnership with St. Joseph Parish
- Pastoral team led by Rev. Jeffrey W. Hennes
History of St. Stephen
The first Mass for the Catholics of Stevens Point was celebrated in May 1853 in a schoolhouse on Clark Street. As the largely Irish Catholic community grew, land at Clark and Cross Streets was deeded to Archbishop Henni of Milwaukee in 1856 and a church was built; Fr. McGee became the first resident pastor. A wood-frame church was erected on the current Clark & Pine site in the 1880s, a parochial school opened in 1874 under the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and a new school was built in 1902. On November 6, 1919, the frame church was completely destroyed by fire; the cornerstone of the present English Tudor Gothic church was laid on October 17, 1920, under Fr. James C. Hogan. In 1933 a stone school with nine classrooms, library, and gym was finished under Fr. George Casey; during Msgr. John R. McGinley's long pastorate (1939–1968) a stone convent, a school addition, and the stained-glass windows were added. The 1990s saw a complete renovation of the church and grounds under Fr. Dennis Lynch, producing the building worshippers use today.
- 1853 — First Mass celebrated in a schoolhouse on Clark Street
- 1856 — Land at Clark & Cross deeded to Archbishop Henni; Fr. McGee first resident pastor
- 1874 — Parish school opens under the School Sisters of Notre Dame
- 1919 — Frame church destroyed by fire (November 6)
- 1920 — Cornerstone of present English Tudor Gothic church laid (October 17)
- 1933 — Stone school with nine classrooms, library, and gym completed
- 1950s — Stone convent, school addition, and stained-glass windows added
- 1990s — Complete church and grounds renovation under Fr. Dennis Lynch
Architecture & Sanctuary
The present St. Stephen church, built 1920–1927 after the 1919 fire, is designed in the English Tudor Gothic style. Its altar is of Italian marble and contains the relics of Sts. Cosmas and Damian, and the ceiling is shaped like an inverted boat or ark. The stained-glass windows were installed during Msgr. John R. McGinley's pastorate in the 1950s, and the interior and grounds were completely renovated in the 1990s under Fr. Dennis J. Lynch.
- Style: English Tudor Gothic
- Altar: Italian marble with relics of Sts. Cosmas and Damian
- Ceiling: shaped like an inverted boat / ark
- Stained-glass windows installed in the 1950s
- Renovated in the 1990s under Fr. Dennis Lynch
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is staffed by a shared team serving both St. Stephen and St. Joseph Parishes. Rev. Jeffrey W. Hennes is the pastor, with Rev. Daniel Williams serving as associate pastor and Deacon Mike Horgan assisting. The office is managed by Kristi Vuorinen, with Christine Sommers as Director of Religious Education and Kris Hansen as Pastoral Minister.
- Rev. Jeffrey W. Hennes — Pastor (ext. 103; [email protected])
- Rev. Daniel Williams — Associate Pastor (ext. 106; [email protected])
- Deacon Mike Horgan
- Kristi Vuorinen — Office Manager (ext. 101; [email protected])
- Kris Hansen — Pastoral Minister (ext. 102; [email protected])
- Christine Sommers — Director of Religious Education (ext. 104; [email protected])
- Wendy Voss — Reception (ext. 105; [email protected])
- Walter Belsha — Custodial (St. Joseph)
- Jeffrey House — Maintenance & Custodial (St. Stephen; [email protected])
- Kaylin Horsfall — Custodial (St. Stephen)
- Seth Kuszewski — Custodial (St. Stephen)
Religious Education & Faith Formation
Religious Education at St. Stephen & St. Joseph is directed by Christine Sommers (DRE). The program serves public-school students in grades 1–11, with a separate Confirmation track for Pacelli Catholic Schools families. The parish uses Flocknote as its main communication channel for Rel. Ed. families, and parents are asked to complete Safe Environment Training.
- Public-school Rel. Ed.: grades 1–11
- Confirmation preparation (Pacelli and public-school students)
- Comprehensive Release & Medical Form required
- Communication via Flocknote
- Parent Safe Environment Training required
Youth Ministry
Youth Ministry at Point Catholic Faith welcomes all ages and is led by Christine Sommers, Director of Religious Education. Activities have included the annual Chalk event and St. Joseph's Walk, with a calendar of additional youth-focused events posted on the parish website.
- Chalk (youth event)
- St. Joseph's Walk
- Open to all ages
- Contact: Christine Sommers, 715-341-1617 ext. 104, [email protected]
Pacelli Catholic Elementary School – St. Stephen
St. Stephen Parish is home to Pacelli Catholic Elementary School–St. Stephen, located at 1335 Clark Street. The school is part of the Pacelli Catholic Schools system (formerly Stevens Point Area Catholic Schools, renamed Pacelli in 2015). After a 2017–2018 restructuring it serves grades K–4 on the St. Stephen campus, with grades 5–8 at Pacelli Catholic Middle School and 3K–4 at Pacelli Catholic Elementary School–St. Bronislava. Catholic education in Portage County has roots going back more than 150 years, and a Home & School Association supports the St. Stephen campus.
- Grades served: K–4
- Address: 1335 Clark Street, Stevens Point, WI 54481
- Phone: 715-344-3751
- Part of Pacelli Catholic Schools system
- Home & School Association for parent engagement
Parish Council & Commissions
The St. Joseph / St. Stephen Parish Council serves as a consultative body reflecting the pulse of the local church and creating a vision for the partnership. Three commissions carry out its work: Education (fostering the educational elements in the People of God), Family Life (building the family connection between God, self, and church), and Sacred Worship (evaluating the overall spiritual life and quality of liturgies and coordinating liturgical ministers).
- Education Commission (members include Rick Giese and Christine Sommers from St. Stephen)
- Family Life Commission (SJFL)
- Sacred Worship Commission
Visiting & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach the parish by phone at 715-341-1617, by email at [email protected], or via the contact form at pointcatholicfaith.org. The St. Stephen parish office is open Wednesday and Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Tuesday and Thursday office hours are at the St. Joseph Parish office). Bulletin submissions are due by Monday at 12:00 p.m. for the following weekend and may be sent to [email protected].
- Phone: 715-341-1617
- Email: [email protected]
- Office hours at St. Stephen: Wed & Fri, 8:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.
- Bulletin submissions: [email protected] (due Mon 12 p.m.)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. John J. McGee1856–1857
First resident pastor of St. Stephen Parish.
- Rev. John Stehle1857–1858
- Rev. Nicholas Stehle1858–1860
- Rev. John Polak1860–1862
- Rev. Maurice Hens1862–1863
- Rev. L. Lux1863–1864
- Rev. Matthias Schwebach1866–1869
Built the wood-frame church, 39 × 78 feet, on the Clark & Pine site.
- Rev. William Mahany1869–1870
- Rev. John Gleeson1869–1870
- Rev. L. Cornelius1871–1873
Built the first parochial schoolhouse (four rooms plus sisters' residence).
- Rev. Ferdinand Tangauy1873–1874
Opened the parish school in 1874 in the care of the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
- Rev. Nicholas July1874–1887
- Rev. C. J. Alton1888–1889
- Rev. Michael J. O'Brien1889–1890 (listed) / 1890–1893 (listed separately)
- Rev. Edward P. Lorigan1889–1890
- Rev. William J. Rice1893–1919
- Rev. James C. Hogan1919–1927
Laid the cornerstone of the present English Tudor Gothic church on October 17, 1920, after the 1919 fire.
- Rev. George A. Casey1927–1939
Completed the 1933 stone school with nine classrooms, library, and gymnasium.
- Msgr. John R. McGinley1939–1968
Built the stone convent, a school addition, and the church's stained-glass windows in the 1950s.
- Rev. Thomas E. Mullen1968–1987
- Rev. Dennis J. Lynch1987–1999
Directed the complete renovation of the church and grounds in the 1990s.
- Rev. John A. Potaczek1999–2003
- Rev. Daniel E. Kozlowski2003–2011
- Rev. Jerzy Rebacz2011–2019
- Rev. Jeffrey W. Hennes2019–present
Current pastor; leads St. Stephen & St. Joseph as a shared-parish partnership.