About Stella Maris · Washington Island, Wisconsin
Stella Maris – Washington Island Site is a Catholic mission of Stella Maris Parish in the Diocese of Green Bay, serving the small year-round Catholic community of Washington Island, Wisconsin, the northernmost island in Door County in Lake Michigan. Because there is no Catholic church building on the island, Washington Island Catholics have worshipped at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church since the year 2000, a deeply rooted ecumenical arrangement. The mission is part of a larger six-site parish (Stella Maris Parish, formed in 2005) that also includes St. Mary of the Lake in Baileys Harbor, St. John the Baptist in Egg Harbor, St. Michael the Archangel in Jacksonport, St. Rosalia in Sister Bay, and St. Paul the Apostle in Fish Creek. Its patron is Mary under the title Stella Maris ('Star of the Sea'), a guiding light of faith for the whole parish.
- Established
- 2005
- Patron
- Mary, under the title Stella Maris (Star of the Sea) — the patron of the parish as a whole; the Washington Island site has no separate patron building.
- Rector
- Fr. Jerry Pastors
- Diocese
- Diocese of Green Bay
Why belong here
Washington Island Catholics form a close-knit, year-round faith community of roughly fifty-plus active families in one of the most geographically isolated Catholic outposts in the Diocese of Green Bay. Worship is genuinely ecumenical — Mass is celebrated in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, a powerful witness to Christian unity — and the island's youth are active as cantors, greeters, and servers. The mission offers weekly Mass when ferry and priest schedules allow, an active Faith Formation program preparing children for First Communion and Confirmation, CRHP (Christ Renews His Parish) weekends, ongoing Bible and book studies, and full representation on parish Finance and Pastoral Councils. For visitors, joining a Sunday liturgy here means experiencing one of Door County's most distinctive Catholic traditions.
Mass times at Stella Maris
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- Reservation Tabernacle with consecrated hosts kept in a private home on Washington Island, granted by Bishop Banks to ensure the Eucharist can be reserved given the island's isolation.
About Stella Maris – Washington Island Site
The Washington Island site is one of six worship sites of Stella Maris Parish in the Diocese of Green Bay. It serves the Catholic community of Washington Island, the northernmost inhabited island in Door County, Wisconsin. Because there is no Catholic church building on the island, Mass and Sunday prayer services are held at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, an ecumenical arrangement that has been in place since the year 2000. The mission has roughly fifty-plus active parishioners and is fully represented on both the parish Finance Council and Pastoral Council.
History of Catholic Life on Washington Island
Documented Catholic presence on Washington Island dates to the mid-1800s, building on the 17th-century missionary activity that followed explorers such as Jean Nicolet (1635). A pivotal early moment came in 1889, when Father Bernard Hugenroth baptized 13 people at the home of John Furlong in Washington Harbor — the first priestly visit in 11 years. Over the decades, Mass was celebrated in many improvised venues: the American Legion Hall, the Island Community House (the former John Gislason store at Gislason Beach), private homes, and from 1965 to 1985 St. Michael's Chapel on Jackson Harbor Road (the old Koyen Store / Schoolhouse Beach School). Through the 1940s, parishioners organized to secure weekly summer Mass; by the 1970s priests also came in winter; and from the early 1990s a lay presider led Sunday Liturgy of the Word with Communion when no priest could be present.
The Ecumenical Relationship with Trinity Lutheran Church
Since 2000, Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Washington Island has graciously shared its facilities year-round with the Catholic community. This ecumenical partnership allows the Stella Maris – Washington Island community to maintain a regular worship life despite the island's geographic isolation. The arrangement has been widely cited as a model of Christian unity, and Washington Island Catholics are grateful for their ecumenical church site.
Faith Formation and Religious Education
The Washington Island Catholic community maintains an active Faith Formation program for youth that prepares children for First Communion and Confirmation, as well as weekly Faith Formation classes for all ages. Adult faith development continues through Bible and book studies, and many parishioners have attended — and served on teams for — Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) weekends.
Sacraments and Reservation Tabernacle
Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation are all prepared for within the parish Faith Formation program. Recognizing the island's unique isolation, Bishop Banks of the Green Bay Diocese granted Washington Island a dispensation to keep a Reservation Tabernacle with consecrated hosts in a private home, so the reserved Eucharist can be brought to the sick and to those unable to attend Sunday worship.
Parish Leadership and Staff
Stella Maris Parish is currently led by Fr. Jerry Pastors as pastor. On Washington Island, Diane Kahlscheuer serves as Worship and Administrative Coordinator (920-847-2289), and Larry Kahlscheuer serves as lay presider for Liturgy of the Word with Communion. The island community has full representation on both the parish Finance Council and Pastoral Council.
Stella Maris Parish: A Six-Site Family
In 2005, six Northern Door County Catholic worship sites were united into one parish and given the name Stella Maris (Star of the Sea) — proposed by parishioners Bev Njaa and Jean Casey, inspired by the mosaic over the entrance of St. Mary of the Lake in Baileys Harbor. The other five sites are St. Mary of the Lake (Baileys Harbor, 1874), St. John the Baptist (Egg Harbor, 1878), St. Michael the Archangel (Jacksonport, 1882), St. Rosalia (Sister Bay, 1910), and St. Paul the Apostle (Fish Creek, 1921). Together they form one parish under the patronage of Mary, Star of the Sea.
Notable Pastoral Milestones
Father Matt Simonar was the diocesan priest appointed to serve all Northern Door parishes beginning around 2000. Father David Ruby became the first pastor of the unified Stella Maris Parish in 2006, serving with Sister Angela Palm (pastoral associate) and Deacons Kurt Grube and David Kowalski. Father Thomas Farrell succeeded him and was still serving as pastor in 2025 when the parish marked its 20th anniversary of unity with Bishop David Ricken celebrating Masses at multiple sites during the Catholic Church's Jubilee Year. Fr. Jerry Pastors currently serves as pastor.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Bernard Hugenroth1889 (visit)
Baptized 13 people at the house of John Furlong in Washington Harbor; first recorded priest visit to the island in 11 years.
- Father Matt Simonar2000–c.2005
Diocesan priest appointed by the Diocese of Green Bay to serve all the parishes of Northern Door County.
- Father David Ruby2006–c.2019
First pastor of the unified Stella Maris Parish after the 2005 merger; shepherded the six worship sites with the help of Sister Angela Palm (pastoral associate) and Deacon David Kowalski (preceded by Deacon Kurt Grube).
- Father Thomas Farrellc.2019–c.2024
Served as pastor of Stella Maris Parish; presided over the parish's 20th anniversary of unity in 2025 with Bishop David Ricken (had begun six years earlier as of the 2025 article).
- Father Jerry Pastorspresent
Current pastor of Stella Maris Parish, listed on the parish website homepage.