stmarys1846

"No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God."

This parish was established on May 8, 1846 in the small town of Fredericksburg. In the Spring of 1846 a small group of Catholic families faced almost insurmountable hardships to establish a foundation for an enduring and, what is now, a flourishing congregation. The Catholic group first gathered together in regular meetings in the home of John Leyendecker, a school teacher. They would also meet in the "Vereins Kirche" (Community Church). The parishioner dedicated themselves to our heavenly mother Mary, under her title of the Immaculate Conception. They celebrate her feast on December 8th each year.

In the Fall of 1847 two missionaries came and remained for two weeks. They urged the people to build a small church with a promise of a resident priest upon its completion and so they set to work. They purchased a lot for $18.00 in the Fall of 1848. They built a small lumber and stone church. They purchased two lots across the street on which they were going to build a small rectory, but before they could do this a deadly cholera epidemic struck the town. It wiped out entire families and left the survivors in a pitiful condition. also at this time a crop failure and a famine followed. They did not give up and in the Summer of 1849 their dreams of a resident priest were fulfilled.

In February of 1861 a larger stone church was started. This building served the people of St. Mary's for 43 years.

The cornerstone for the "New" Church was laid on July 4, 1905 by Bishop Forest. The church was consecrated on November 21, 1908.

In 1924 a new school building was built. St. Mary's had both a high school and elementary school until 1975. The present elementary school has an enrollment of 290 students.

Press the picture of the school building and go to the St. Mary's School web page.

St. Mary's is a well-established Catholic community with a strong sense of tradition and awareness of our vocation to keep God as the center of our life. We recognize that we are a community rich in diversity with varying cultural backgrounds, gifts, values and needs. We acknowledge our uniqueness to be both a gift and a challenge.

In baptism we are called to be disciples of Christ. We embrace the Eucharist in faith and are empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring about the Kingdom of God through proclamation of the Word and service to others.

We commit ourselves to seeking unity as the Body of Christ so that we can appreciate, celebrate, and share the gift of who we are. We believe that we are on a Spirit-filled journey that nurtures and strengthens our individual and community faith.

St. Mary's Parish is based on a commission structure wherein each active ministry or committee is categorized under one of the following commissions: Faith Formation, Worship, St. Mary's School, and Outreach. Each ministry within the parish is represented on their respective commission and these representatives attend commission meetings on a regular basis. The commissions each have a representative who attends Parish Pastoral Council meetings. The purpose of the Pastoral Council is to further the mission of the parish. Activities of the various parish organizations are coordinated through regular parish round table meetings.

St. Mary's is a Total Stewardship Parish. In a spirit of Christian charity and justice, all parishioners are asked to give of their time and talent, their treasure and their prayers. You are urged to review the list of ministries and organizations in this booklet. If you find one or more that you're interested in, you are invited to call the contact person or the parish office for additional information. Contribution envelopes are available at the church office.

For over one hundred years the following prayer has been said at the conclusion of each Mass. Here we offer you that prayer in the hopes you will join with us in what has become a very solemn and heartfelt tradition.

Oh my Jesus,

in union with all the angels and saints,

I adore you in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar,

in which you are concealed for the love of me.

I adore you as my Lord and my God,

my Creator and my Redeemer.

Amen.