A History of St. Patrick's

The Missionary Days
The congregation of St. Patrick was established in 1850 during the missionary days of the area surrounding Madison. Catholics in the area were served as a "station" by visiting priests from old St. Raphael Parish in Madison and St. Mary Parish in Westport. In 1869, the Most Rev. John Martin Hennie, Bishop of Milwaukee, attached this territory of Catholics to Sacred Hearts Parish in Sun Prairie as its mission. In 1882, under the direction of Fr. A. J. Kuehne, pastor of Sacred Hearts, 1-1/2 acres of land were purchased from ex-Governor W. R. Taylor for $50. The land was to be used for the site of a Catholic church and cemetery for its congregation. Parishioners contributed $1,300 to build a small frame church--the first church in the village of Cottage Grove.

After Fr. Kuehne's death in 1905, Fr. Henry Blum became pastor of St. Patrick Mission and remained the mission's priest until 1910. He was succeeded by Fr. Christian M. Nellen, during whose tenure St. Patrick's became a mission of St. Mary Parish in Marshall in 1912. The size of the mission grew, and in 1916 under the guidance of Fr. Nellen--with $1,800 in members' donations and a $500 loan from the Cottage Grove State Bank--construction efforts began to increase the size of the church. A rear addition and a new belfry were erected, increasing the seating capacity to 150. 

By 1929, St. Patrick Mission had 85 adult Catholic members. Annual contributions were about $650, with expenditures almost equaling that amount. In 1944, a census conducted by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee revealed that 29 families were members of St. Patrick's. Sixteen families were of German descent, and 13 were Irish, for a total of 130 people. Along with the increase in the number of congregants, there came a need for more land, so in 1947, a year after the creation of the new Diocese of Madison, the parking lot across the street from the church was purchased from Bruno Kautz for $500. 

The MIssion Continues to Grow
St. Patrick Mission continued to grow, and by the mid-1950s everyone realized that more room was needed. Suppers were held once a month, and an annual chicken dinner was hosted to raise funds for a new church. During the first few years, the suppers and dinners were held in the old Town Hall, then in Marshall, and later in our own church kitchen. People worked hard to pay off the old church debt, and by 1960 a building fund for the construction of a new church totaled $24,000. Then, with many individual pledges and a $50,000 loan from the Diocese of Madison, the project moved forward. An architect was hired, plans were developed, and construction was underway. The final Sunday Mass in the little white church was celebrated on June 11, 1961. The white frame church was torn down, and on July 1, 1961, Chase, Inc. of Sun Prairie began construction on the new building. During this interim period, Mass was celebrated in the Cottage Grove Village Hall.

The cost of the new church was $88,000, and it was considered a striking combination of traditional and contemporary architecture. Instead of the customary balcony, the choir space was located to the right of the sanctuary, directly across from the sacristy. The large window in the front wall is dedicated to St. Patrick, shown in full figure and garbed in the vestments of his day (387-493 AD). The front wall (in which the window was located) was made of California redwood, designed so that it could be removed easily for future expansion. 

Construction was completed in a year. Dedication ceremonies for the new church were held on July 8, 1962 by Bishop William O'Connor, first bishop of the Diocese of Madison. Mass was celebrated by St. Patrick's pastor at the time, Fr. Howard Finnegan, and former pastors Fr. Joseph Dries and Fr. Mark Mueller. Fr. Finnegan had been appointed pastor on June 8, 1956 and was in residence at St. Mary Parish in Marshall. With an eye toward future expansion, on August 13, 1965, the church purchased the house and garage of Edwin and Emile Freudenberg, as well as approximately one acre of land for $15,900. The intention was for the house to one day serve as a pastor's residence. (The Parish Center and parking lot now sit on that property.)

From Mission to Parish
While Fr. John Flanagan was pastor, a petition was signed by more than 100 people requesting that St. Patrick's be established as an independent parish. The Most Rev. Cletus O'Donnell, second Bishop of Madison, approved the request, and in June 1970 incorporation papers were filed. At the same time, Bishop O'Donnell appointed Fr. Anthony J. Schumacher, then an associate pastor of Queen of Peace Parish in Madison, as the first full-time pastor of the newly designated parish of St. Patrick.

Following Fr. Schumacher's appointment, the Parish Council held a meeting with local builders to discuss the renovation of the "old house." The house had been used for Religious Education classes since its purchase, but now in 1969, it was deemed unsafe. The cost of renovation would be prohibitively high, so in August 1971, the house was demolished and the garage sold. Financial concerns discouraged any immediate plans for building on the vacant site, which was converted to a parking lot until November 1974. It was then that construction began on a rectory at a projected cost of $75,000. Less than a year later, the rectory was completed and dedicated on September 7, 1975.

During the tenures of Fr. Gerald Vosen and Fr. Robert Gille as pastor, St. Patrick Parish enjoyed continued growth. Fr. David Runde was appointed pastor in June 1983 and would remain with the parish for nearly two decades.

In June 1985 tragedy struck, and the rectory was destroyed by fire. Within a year, a new parish center was planned with a design to accommodate parish growth and educational needs. In addition to living space for the pastor, the design included classrooms, public restrooms, and administrative offices. In 1993, an addition to the church was completed, which included a new front entrance, an elevator, restrooms, additional hall space, and a gathering space, all of which made parish facilities accessible to the disabled. Further remodeling to the Parish Center took place in 2002 to create more office space.

Celebrating Our 50th Anniversary
After almost 130 years, St. Patrick Parish still serves the Catholic community in Cottage Grove. Under the leadership of Fr. Brian Dulli, the church continues to feed the spiritual needs of Catholics in the area. We pray for the Holy Spirit to move through the church and its ministers as we head toward the 50th anniversary of St. Patrick's establishment as a parish in 2020. And for those of you who have read this far, we hope that, if you're not already a member, you consider joining the growing ranks of parishioners at St. Patrick's. We welcome you with open arms and hearts!

St. Patrick, pray for us.

• Fr. A.J. Kuehne (1882-1905)
• Fr. Henry Blum (1905-1910)
• Fr. Christian M. Nellen (1910-1938)
• Fr. Robert Bier (1938-1941)
• Fr. Joseph A. Dries (1941-1951)
• Fr. Mark M. Mueller (1951-1956)
• Fr. Howard Finnegan (1956-1965)
• Fr. Bernard Meloy (1965-1967)
• Fr. John Flanagan (1967-1970)
• Fr. Anthony Schumacher (1970-1975)
• Fr. Gerald Vosen (1975-1981)
• Fr. Robert Gille (1981-1983)
• Fr. David H. Runde (1983-2002)
• Msgr. Raymond N. Kertz (2002-2011)
• Fr. John J. Sasse (2011-2013)
• Fr. Michael Tarigopula (2013-2018)
• Fr. Brian Dulli (2018-present)