Ethan Walker
Wisconsin is divided into five Catholic dioceses: the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and the Dioceses of Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Superior. The Diocese of Madison, located in the southwestern part of Wisconsin, has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes served by 98 priests. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, led by Archbishop Jeffrey S. Gross, has a strong presence in eastern Wisconsin and caters to its diverse immigrant communities by offering Mass in their native languages. The Diocese of Green Bay has a long history of missionary work with Indigenous tribes and French, Irish, and Belgian ethnic churches. The Diocese of La Crosse was established to serve a large Catholic population of 30,000 in 1868. The Diocese of Superior, while less prominent, is also included in the division of Wisconsin's Catholic dioceses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Dioceses in Wisconsin | 5 |
| Archdioceses | Milwaukee |
| Dioceses | Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, Superior |
| Archbishop of Milwaukee | Jeffrey S. Grob |
| Bishops | Donald J. Hying (Madison), David L. Ricken (Green Bay), Gerard W. Battersby (La Crosse), James P. Powers (Superior) |
| Population of Wisconsin | 5.9 million (2020) |
| Catholic Population in Wisconsin | 1.24 million (2020); 1.4 billion worldwide |
| Percentage of Wisconsin Adults Identifying as Catholic | 20% (2023-24) |
| Number of Parishes in the Diocese of Madison | 102 |
| Number of Priests in Active Ministry in the Diocese of Madison | 98 |
| Number of Catholics in the Diocese of La Crosse | 30,000 |
| Number of Priests in the Diocese of La Crosse | 15 |
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What You'll Learn
The Diocese of Madison
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, or the Diocese of Madison, is a Latin Church diocese in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the United States. The diocese was established on 9 January 1946 by Pope Pius XII. It was created from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Dioceses of La Crosse and Green Bay. The diocese has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes, with 98 priests in active ministry.
The first Catholic presence in present-day Wisconsin was that of French Catholic missionaries in the Green Bay area in the 17th century. When French explorer Jean Nicolet entered the Green Bay areas in 1634, he was followed by Jesuit missionaries. During the mid-19th century, Reverend Samuel Mazzuchelli established 11 parishes in the Madison area. In 1846, Catholic residents of Beloit, Wisconsin, founded St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the first parish in that city. The Madison region would remain part of the Dioceses of Milwaukee, La Crosse, and Green Bay for the next 78 years.
The current bishop of Madison is Donald J. Hying, appointed in 2025. Bishop Robert C. Morlino, the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Madison, was appointed in 2003. During his tenure, he supported the application of Summorum Pontificum, an apostolic letter issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 on the use of the Tridentine Mass. He also helped raise $44 million for the endowment fund "Priests for Our Future". However, Catholics in his diocese had divided opinions of him. In 2009, Morlino announced the closing of the Catholic Multicultural Center due to budget cuts, and dismissed Ruth Kolpack from her post as a pastoral associate at St. Thomas the Apostle in Beloit, citing her alleged breaches of orthodoxy.
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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee
The Catholic Church in Wisconsin is divided into five dioceses: the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Dioceses of Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Superior. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, led by Archbishop Jeffrey S. Gross, is the largest of the five, with around 184 Catholic parishes in the 10-county archdiocese as of 2025. Milwaukee's early church served German and Irish immigrants, and later, Polish, Italian, and other immigrant communities. The archdiocese supported these immigrants by providing Mass in their native languages, a practice that continues today with Mexican and Asian immigrants.
The history of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee begins with the arrival of John Henni, who, along with his friend Martin Kundig, answered Frederick Rese's call for aid to the church in Cincinnati in 1828. When Rese was named bishop of Detroit in 1833, he brought Kundig with him to care for the missions in the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. Kundig helped found Catholic schools and Wisconsin's first public school, supported by taxes, in 1845. In 1875, Pope Pius IX elevated the Diocese of Milwaukee to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, with Henni as its first archbishop.
Henni died in 1881, and in one of his last acts, he oversaw the opening of Marquette University in Milwaukee. Bishop Michael Heiss of La Crosse was appointed coadjutor archbishop of Milwaukee by Pope Leo XIII in 1880 and automatically became the next archbishop after Henni's death. During his tenure, Heiss trained German-speaking priests to serve German Catholics of the archdiocese. Heiss died in 1890, and Leo XIII named Bishop Frederick Katzer as the next archbishop of Milwaukee. Katzer strongly opposed the Bennett Law, which required all primary and secondary schools in Wisconsin to teach major subjects in English. The law was repealed in 1891.
When Katzer died in 1903, Leo XIII replaced him with Bishop Sebastian Messmer of Green Bay. During his 26-year tenure, Messmer established Mount Mary College in Milwaukee and saw Marquette College elevated to Marquette University. He also founded the Catholic Herald, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in 1922. Messmer died in 1930, and Pope Pius XI named Bishop Samuel Stritch from the Diocese of Toledo as the fifth archbishop of Milwaukee. Stritch was an advocate for Catholic Action and the Catholic Youth Organization.
In 1953, Bishop Albert Meyer of the Diocese of Superior was appointed archbishop of Milwaukee by Pope Pius XII, but he became archbishop of Chicago just five years later. Pope John XXIII then named Bishop William Cousins from the Diocese of Peoria as the next archbishop of Milwaukee. During Cousins' tenure, he faced pressure to respond to the civil rights activities of Reverend James Groppi, an activist priest. Cousins expressed support for open housing, triggering a backlash from some Catholics in the archdiocese.
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The Diocese of Green Bay
The Catholic Church in Wisconsin is divided into five dioceses: the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Dioceses of Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Superior. The Diocese of Green Bay, also known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, is a Latin Church diocese in the northeast region of Wisconsin. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The Cathedral of Saint Francis Xavier in Green Bay is its mother church.
In 1875, Monsignor Francis Krautbauer from the Diocese of Buffalo was appointed by Pope Pius IX to succeed Melcher as bishop of Green Bay. During Krautbauer's tenure, the Catholic population increased to 70,000, the number of churches rose from 92 to 126, and the number of priests grew to 96. Krautbauer oversaw the planning and construction of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, laying its cornerstone in 1876 and consecrating it in 1881.
The current bishop of Green Bay, as of October 2024, is David Ricken. The diocese covers the city of Green Bay and the following Wisconsin counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago.
The first Catholic presence in present-day Wisconsin was that of French Catholic missionaries in the Green Bay area in the 17th century. When French explorer Jean Nicolet entered the Green Bay areas in 1634, he was followed by Jesuit missionaries. In December 1669, Allouez celebrated Mass with a Native American tribe near present-day Oconto, Wisconsin, and established the St. Francis Xavier Mission. The mission moved to Red Banks in 1671 and then to De Pere, where it remained until it was burned in 1687. The missionaries worked with the Meskwaki, Sauk, and Ho-Chunk tribes, protected by Fort Francis near Green Bay.
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The Diocese of La Crosse
The Catholic Church in Wisconsin is divided into five dioceses: the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and the Dioceses of Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Superior. The Diocese of La Crosse, officially the Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse, is a Latin Church diocese in west-central Wisconsin. The metropolitan for the diocese is the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and the mother church is the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman in La Crosse. The Diocese of La Crosse encompasses the city of La Crosse and 19 Wisconsin counties: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, and Wood.
The first Catholic presence in what is now Wisconsin was that of French Catholic missionaries in the Green Bay area in the 17th century. When French explorer Jean Nicolet entered the Green Bay areas in 1634, he was followed by Jesuit missionaries. Wisconsin became part of the French colony of New France. The Diocese of La Crosse was erected by Pope Pius IX on March 3, 1868, with territory from the Diocese of Milwaukee. The new diocese covered all of Wisconsin north and west of the Wisconsin River. The first Catholic church in La Crosse was the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, constructed in 1856. In 1858, St. Mary's Academy for girls was founded in that city. St. Patrick Parish, the first in Eau Claire, was established in 1865.
The first bishop of La Crosse was Reverend Michael Heiss of the Diocese of Louisville, who was consecrated in 1868 to serve the diocese's 30,000 Catholics and 15 priests. Heiss invited the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration to move to La Crosse in 1971, where they built the St. Rose of Viterbo Convent and opened several schools in the diocese, including St. Michael's Orphanage in 1875. Heiss was named coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1880. He was succeeded by Reverend Kilian Flasch of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, appointed by Pope Leo XIII in 1881. An outspoken supporter of Catholic education, Flasch established 36 new schools during his tenure. He died in 1891 and was replaced by Monsignor James Schwebach, the vicar general of the diocese, who was appointed by Pope Leo XIII in 1892 as the third bishop of La Crosse.
During Schwebach's tenure, the St. Rose Normal School was transformed into Viterbo University in 1939. In 1945, Pope Pius XII named Monsignor John Treacy from the Diocese of Cleveland as coadjutor bishop to assist Schwebach. In 1946, Pius XII removed territory from the Diocese of La Crosse to form part of the new Diocese of Madison. Schwebach was succeeded by Bishop Frederick Freking from the Diocese of Salina, who was appointed by Pope Paul VI in 1965. During his tenure, Freking reduced the diocesan debt from $11 million to $4 million, established a diocesan commission on Christian renewal, and founded the Bethany-St. Joseph Care Center for the elderly in La Crosse. He also oversaw the construction of 14 churches, 15 rectories, seven elementary schools, 22 religious education centers, five convents, and the Newman Center, as well as 36 church renovations and expansions. Freking retired in 1983 and was replaced by Auxiliary Bishop John Paul of La Crosse, who was appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1984.
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The Diocese of Superior
The Catholic Church in Wisconsin is organized into five dioceses, one of which is the Diocese of Superior. The Diocese of Superior was erected on May 3, 1905, by Pope Pius X. It was created from the northern part of the Diocese of La Crosse and the northwestern part of the Diocese of Green Bay. The first bishop of Superior was Monsignor Augustine Schinner from Milwaukee.
The first Catholic missionary in the Superior region was Reverend René Menard, a French Jesuit missionary fluent in the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Huron dialects. In 1661, Menard explored Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior, and in 1665, Reverend Claude Allouez started the Catholic mission near Chequamegon Bay, naming it the Mission of the Holy Ghost. Reverend Jacques Marquette joined the mission in 1669, and together, Allouez and Marquette established St. Joseph in La Pointe.
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Frequently asked questions
Wisconsin is divided into five dioceses: the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and the Dioceses of Madison, Green Bay, La Crosse, and Superior.
An archdiocese is the main, or most significant, diocese in a region.
There are approximately 1.24 million Catholics in Wisconsin, according to 2020 data. This represents about 20% of the state's total population.
The diocese supports a variety of important ministries, including schools and parishes. It also handles allegations of sexual misconduct involving priests, deacons, and other church personnel.
