About St. Vincent de Paul · Milwaukee, Wisconsin
St. Vincent de Paul (Polish: Świętego Wincentego a Paulo) is a Roman Catholic parish on Milwaukee's South Side, founded in 1888 as the fourth Polish Catholic parish in the city and an offshoot of St. Hyacinth. Its Romanesque Revival church at 2114 W. Mitchell St. is one of Milwaukee's celebrated 'Polish Cathedrals,' with twin bell towers, four bells, and a richly decorated sanctuary. Today the parish is largely Latino (especially Mexican and Guatemalan) with a small remnant of Polish-American families, served since 2003 by Fr. Erick Cassiano of the Missionary Fraternity of Mary, who also pastors nearby St. Rafael the Archangel and Prince of Peace.
- Established
- 1888
- Patron
- St. Vincent de Paul (Świętego Wincentego a Paulo)
- Rector
- Rev. Erick Vicente Cassiano Amaya, FMM (Missionary Fraternity of Mary)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Milwaukee
Why belong here
St. Vincent de Paul is one of Milwaukee's historic 'Polish Cathedrals,' a Romanesque Revival landmark whose twin towers still welcome worshippers more than 125 years after they were raised by Polish immigrant bricklayers. Today it is a bilingual English-Spanish parish where a largely Mexican and Guatemalan community keeps the building alive with Marian devotions, Spanish-language Masses and youth confirmation classes for three south-side parishes, while a remnant of Polish-American families preserves its immigrant heritage. The 2024 County Landmark designation, the rediscovered statues and the careful restoration work underway make it a living link between Milwaukee's Polish past and its Latino present — a place where visitors are warmly welcomed to share in the Eucharist or simply enjoy the architecture.
Mass times at St. Vincent de Paul
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00 AM – 9:30 AM (Spanish)
- Sunday 1:00 PM (Spanish, near/after noon Mass)
Parish Identity & Patron
St. Vincent de Paul (Świętego Wincentego a Paulo) is a parish in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee dedicated to the 17th-century French priest St. Vincent de Paul, founder of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity and patron saint of charities. His feast day is September 27. The original 1888 dedication was carried out by Archbishop Michael Heiss at the dedication of the first brick building on Mitchell Street.
- Patron: St. Vincent de Paul (1581–1660)
- Polish name: Świętego Wincentego a Paulo
- Feast day: September 27
- Dedicated by Archbishop Michael Heiss in 1888
History
Founded in 1888 as the fourth Polish Catholic parish in Milwaukee and an offshoot of St. Hyacinth, St. Vincent de Paul grew up alongside the great wave of Polish immigration to Milwaukee's south side. A temporary church was built into the second story of a two-story brick school, designed by Bernard (Koł)packi and constructed for $30,000. Within a decade the congregation had outgrown it and raised $85,000 for the present Romanesque Revival church, built c. 1898–1900 under the same architect and constructed by Sylvester Wabiszewski, a parishioner who went on to become a prominent south-side industrialist and was later honored by Pope Pius XII.
- 1888: Parish organized; first Mass celebrated in the school building's upper floor.
- 1894: Smallpox epidemic kills nine parish schoolchildren.
- 1899: Father Lewandowski resigns; Michael J. Domachowski becomes second pastor.
- Jan 1900: Father Lewandowski dies of a heart attack on a Milwaukee streetcar.
- c. 1898–1900: Current Romanesque Revival church built ($84,865); rector built 1898, convent 1899.
- 1908: Major fire destroys main altar, sanctuary and vestments; church rebuilt.
- 1951: Pastor (later Msgr. Studer) elevated to Right Reverend Monsignor.
- 1952: Interior redecorated by Liskowiak Church Decorators.
- 1963: Silver Jubilee — 468 students, 7 teaching sisters, 3 lay teachers.
- Spring 1989: Parish school closed after decades of declining enrollment.
- 2003: Fr. Erick Cassiano, FMM, arrives as pastor.
- Early November 2024: Church designated a Milwaukee County Historical Society County Landmark.
Architecture & Landmark Status
Designed under the direction of Bernard (Koł)packi and built by Sylvester Wabiszewski, St. Vincent de Paul is a textbook example of the Polish Romanesque Revival style that defines Milwaukee's 'Polish Cathedrals.' The exterior is brick, the interior rich with domed apse, side altars and a near life-sized sculpture of Jesus rediscovered high in one of the towers during recent cleaning. The 2024 County Landmark designation — awarded by the Milwaukee County Historical Society — recognized both the building's architecture and its layered Polish and Latino immigrant story.
- Style: Romanesque Revival / Polish Romanesque
- Dimensions: 66 ft wide × 185–186 ft long
- Twin towers: 132 ft and 195 ft
- Four bells; largest 62 in / 5,000 lb
- Architect: Bernard (Koł)packi
- Builder: Sylvester Wabiszewski (parishioner)
- County Landmark designated November 2024
A Bilingual, Immigrant Parish
Once a predominantly Polish-American congregation, St. Vincent de Paul is now a largely Latino parish, drawn especially from Mexican and Guatemalan families. The demographic shift is visible inside the church, which holds a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe brought from Guatemala and another from Mexico alongside the Polish devotions still kept by older parishioners. Fr. Erick has described the parish as 'a pilgrim's church,' where successive waves of immigrants — first Polish, now Latino — have kept the building alive.
- Dominant Latino community (Mexican, Guatemalan)
- Small remaining Polish-American contingent
- Our Lady of Guadalupe statue from Guatemala
- Statue from Mexico
- Polish-language name still inscribed above the entrance
Clergy, Religious & Staffing
Since 2018 the parish has been part of the south-side Milwaukee mission of the Missionary Fraternity of Mary (MFM/FMM), whose priests also serve St. Rafael the Archangel, Prince of Peace, St. Anthony and St. Hyacinth. The pastor's residence and parish offices are operated from the nearby Prince of Peace campus at 1138 S. 25th St. The historic parish school was staffed from 1888 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
- Fr. Erick Vicente Cassiano Amaya, FMM — Pastor (since 2003)
- Pastored jointly with Prince of Peace and St. Rafael the Archangel
- Missionary Fraternity of Mary (MFM) — present in south-side Milwaukee since 2018
- School Sisters of Notre Dame — ran the parish school, 1888–1989
Notable Parishioners
St. Vincent de Paul was the home parish of two United States Congressmen, both products of Milwaukee's south-side Polish community. Clement J. Zablocki also sang in the choir and played the parish organ.
- U.S. Rep. John C. Kleczka — first Polish-American elected to Congress
- U.S. Rep. Clement J. Zablocki — House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, author of the War Powers Resolution; parish organist and choir member
Visiting & Contact
The church is located on Mitchell Street on Milwaukee's south side. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee online directory gives the parish address as 2100 W. Mitchell Street (matching the boundary range), while the church building itself, the GCatholic record and postal address are 2114 W. Mitchell St., Milwaukee, WI 53204-3019. The parish telephone is (414) 645-8786. The parish office is administered from the Prince of Peace campus at 1138 S. 25th St.
- Address: 2114 W. Mitchell St., Milwaukee, WI 53204-3019
- Phone: (414) 645-8786
- Parish office: Prince of Peace, 1138 S. 25th St., Milwaukee
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Vincent Lewandowski1888–1899
Founding pastor; ordained in the Duchy of Poznań (1864); Polish nationalist forced to flee to America in the 1870s; resigned in 1899 and died of a heart attack on a Milwaukee streetcar in January 1900.
- Rev. Michael J. Domachowski1899–1940
Long-serving second pastor; previously assistant at St. Hyacinth overseeing youth ministry.
- Rev. Boleslaus GóralAfter 1908 fire
Assigned to lead rebuilding after the 1908 church fire; reassigned to St. Hyacinth after about twelve months (1909).
- Rev. (later Msgr.) Studer
Elevated to Domestic Prelate with the title Right Reverend Monsignor on 14 October 1951; oversaw 1952 interior redecoration.
- Rev. Erick Vicente Cassiano Amaya, FMM2003–present
Member of the Missionary Fraternity of Mary; serves St. Vincent de Paul together with St. Rafael the Archangel and Prince of Peace.