On Feb. 25, 1888, 75 Polish Catholic families decided to break away from the German Catholic congregation at St. Mary’s. The result was the formation of St. John's Polish Catholic Church and School in the “Polander Settlement.”
The church building pictured in the top photo was erected in 1900 on the corner of Fifth and DePere Streets. The cost of the church was $16,000 and is an example of the Romanesque Revival movement of architecture. Over time though, the church's structure changed. A new entrance was created and the church's twin spires were leveled off.
Church members were always dedicated to giving their children a Catholic education and the St. John Grade School educated its parish children for well over 100 years. However, the school closed its doors in June of 2002 due to finances and lack of students. Today, the school is used for office space, religious education classes, and parish meetings, and is rented out to various groups.
St. John is a linked parish with St. Mary's and is served by their pastor.
Despite all these changes, 2013 marks the 125th anniversary of St. John's parish.
Picturesque steeples, sorry they are gone, lovely. very non-descript now, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteAttended St John's school for three years prior to moving to Appleton in '67
ReplyDeleteThere was a family story about Aunt Tekla slipping on the snowy/icy steps on the front of the original church (before they enclosed the steps). She fell down and hurt herself. The story goes that she was never the same again.
ReplyDeleteI taught seventh grade in 1968-69 when my parents lived on Grandview Avenue...my father worked at the American Can Company which owned one of the paper businesses...
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