About St. Wenceslaus · Milladore, Wisconsin
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church is a small Roman Catholic parish in the village of Milladore, Wisconsin, in the Diocese of La Crosse (Stevens Point Deanery). The parish was founded in 1883 by Bohemian (Czech) immigrants who named it after St. Wenceslaus, the martyred 10th-century Duke of Bohemia and patron of the Czech lands. Tucked into a rural stretch of central Wisconsin, the parish serves the local Milladore community with Sunday Mass, a Saturday Vigil, weekday Masses on Tuesday and Friday evenings, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday confessions — the rhythms of a traditional country Catholic parish that still keeps its Bohemian musical heritage alive.
- Established
- 1883
- Patron
- St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia and martyr (patron saint of the Czech Republic)
- Diocese
- Diocese of La Crosse (Stevens Point Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Wenceslaus offers a traditional Catholic life in a small, close-knit rural parish where you actually know the people in the pews. Sunday Mass at 7:30 a.m., the Saturday Vigil, weekday Masses on Tuesday and Friday evenings, weekly Eucharistic Adoration, and Saturday confessions give a steady rhythm of worship and the sacraments. The parish also keeps a living Bohemian heritage through its organists, the Czech Polka Mass, and the Milladore Czech Singers and Dancers — a distinctive cultural witness you will not find at most parishes.
Mass times at St. Wenceslaus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30 PM – 5:50 PM (before Vigil Mass)
- Or by appointment
Adoration times
- Friday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM (following the 6:00 PM Mass)
Parish Identity & Patron
St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Milladore, Wisconsin, takes its name from St. Wenceslaus (Václav), the martyred 10th-century Duke of Bohemia who is also the patron saint of the Czech Republic. That name was chosen with intention by the Bohemian immigrant families who built the church in 1883, and it continues to shape the parish's identity more than 140 years later — not only in the prayers and feast day observed each September 28, but in the music, language, and folk traditions the parish has deliberately kept alive.
- Patron: St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia and martyr
- Feast day: September 28
- Diocese: La Crosse (Stevens Point Deanery)
History of St. Wenceslaus Parish
The parish was organized in the early 1880s through the efforts of Rev. J. A. Blaschke, then pastor of La Crosse. As early as 1882 he began celebrating Mass for the Catholic people of Milladore in the store building of Mr. Frank Doleza, and the Bohemian immigrants built their first church in 1883. For more than twenty years the parish had no resident pastor of its own and was attended as a mission from Sherry, Junction City, Dorchester, Colby, and La Crosse. By 1923 the parish had grown to about 150 families, and the community was actively considering both a new church and a resident pastor.
- 1882: Rev. J. A. Blaschke first celebrates Mass in Milladore at Frank Doleza's store.
- 1883: Bohemian immigrant families build the church.
- 1886–1903: Parish served as a mission from Sherry, Junction City, Dorchester, and Colby in turn.
- 1903 onward: Sherry pastors (Rev. Bilik, Revs. Kiefner, Frahling, A. Kolar, Ciner, A. Kolar again, Rev. Boos Waldeck) care for Milladore.
- 1923: About 150 families; plans under way for a new church and a resident pastor.
Bohemian Heritage & the Czech Polka Mass
The Bohemian character of the parish has been a defining feature since its founding. The immigrants brought with them not only their Catholic faith but also the Czech folk hymns and tunes written in Czechoslovakia more than a century ago. The tradition was kept alive at the organ for 65 years by Ludmilla Benish (from 1914 until her death in 1979), then continued by her granddaughter Catherine Warnecke, who spent two and a half years composing a copyrighted arrangement of the Czech Polka Mass. With permission from the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), the Polka Mass was dedicated at St. Wenceslaus on July 12, 1992 — one of only a few such settings written since Father Frank Perkovich of Minnesota popularized the Slovenian Polka Mass style in the 1980s.
- Ludmilla Benish — parish organist 1914–1979 (65 years).
- Catherine Warnecke — current organist, more than 35 years of service.
- Czech Polka Mass — copyrighted arrangement by Warnecke; dedicated July 12, 1992.
- Milladore Czech Singers and Dancers — perform Czech folk songs in the native language and traditional dances.
Clergy & Staff
The Diocese of La Crosse parish directory lists the following clergy currently associated with St. Wenceslaus, Milladore. As a small rural parish in a multi-parish grouping, priestly ministry is shared with neighboring parishes in the Stevens Point Deanery; details of any resident pastor arrangement are not separately published online beyond the diocesan staff listing.
- Rev. John Ofori-Domah — listed on the diocesan staff page for St. Wenceslaus, Milladore.
- Deacon Richard M. Rozumalski — listed on the diocesan staff page for St. Wenceslaus, Milladore.
- Catherine Warnecke — longtime organist and rosary leader.
Liturgical Music & Devotions
Music and devotion are deeply intertwined at St. Wenceslaus. In addition to the ordinary English hymnody of the liturgy, the parish is known for its Czech Polka Mass and the accompanying Milladore Czech Singers and Dancers. Catherine Warnecke continues to lead the rosary before Mass and assists with whatever liturgical needs arise. She previously served for six years on then-Bishop Raymond Burke's diocesan Sacred Worship Commission.
- Czech Polka Mass (Bohemian folk-tune settings)
- Milladore Czech Singers and Dancers
- Pre-Mass rosary led by the organist
- Friday evening Eucharistic Adoration
Visiting & Contact
The parish shares office administration with neighboring parishes via the same parish email. The mailing address is the church itself, on Main Street in the village of Milladore. Mass-goers can simply show up for the scheduled Mass, confession, or adoration times; confessions outside the Saturday window are available by appointment.
- Address: 146 Main St, Milladore, WI 54454
- Phone: (715) 457-2314
- Email: [email protected]
- Diocesan page: diolc.org/parish/st-wenceslaus-parish-2/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. J. A. Blaschkefrom 1882
Pastor of La Crosse who first celebrated Mass for Catholics at Milladore in the store of Frank Doleza; organized the parish; later had Milladore as a mission again from 1894.
- Rev. John Joch1886–1891
Pastor of Sherry, with Milladore as a mission.
- Rev. Theodore Lugowski1891–1893
Pastor of Junction City; attended Milladore as a mission.
- Rev. J. J. Miller1895–1896; again ~1900–1903
Pastor of Dorchester, then Junction City; served Milladore in two stints.
- Rev. Adolph Miller1897–1900; again 1901–1903
Pastor of Colby; later transferred to Bloomer.
- Rev. Bilikfrom fall 1903
Pastor of Sherry; began the long succession of Sherry pastors caring for Milladore.
- Rev. George (Geo.) Kiefner
Successor to Rev. Bilik at Sherry; attended Milladore.
- Rev. T. Frahling
Sherry pastor; attended Milladore.
- Rev. Alois Kolar
Sherry pastor; served Milladore in two terms.
- Rev. Vincent Ciner
Sherry pastor; attended Milladore.
- Rev. Boos Waldeck
Sherry pastor at the time of the 1923 Wood County history; attended Milladore.