Holy Family Church - Poniatowski. A Century of Challenge, Faith and Commitment, p CAP at Orchard Lake.

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Holy Family Church - Poniatowski. A Century of Challenge, Faith and Commitment, p. 5-10. CAP at Orchard Lake.

1 Holy Family Church - Poniatowski. A Century of Challenge, Faith and Commitment, p CAP at Orchard Lake. Holy Family Parish, Poniatowski, Wisconsin, began its existence with a number of families of Polish ancestry, moving to this locality primarily from Milwaukee, in the years Fred Rietbrock (after whom the Township is named), a prominent lumberman of that time, had extensive holdings in this section of Marathon County. Through his interest in developing the area, Rietbrock made his land available for settlement. Times were hard in Milwaukee in those years, and many families wishing to better their lot accepted his invitation to homestead here. Among these early pioneers were families named Bloczynski, Melkowski, Narloch, Hart, Lukowicz, Retka, Schwittlik, Nowicki, Klawinski, Myszka, Wojiechowski, Krefta, and Wisnewski. In search of rich farm land, the Polish pioneers bought land from Rietbrock on favorable terms and became lumberjacks, worked in the sawmill of Rietbrock, cleared the land of rocks and started what has become a century of family farming in the area between Rib Falls and Athens, Wisconsin. With the Johnson, Rietbrock and Halsey law firm advertising in Polish language newspapers, other settlers from Pennsylvania and Poland soon arrived. According to Historian James E. Noonan, "they were Catholics to a man and shortly after they had built their humble dwellings and barns, they erected a church. It was hardly more than a log chapel but it served its purpose." One of the earliest recorded Masses in the area was celebrated by a Father Walter Bukowski, a priest from Stevens Point, who conducted the Sacred Liturgy at the home of John Literski. (Records indicate that throughout this time other priest came at various intervals from Arcadia and North Creek, Wisconsin, to hold services at the homes of the settlers.) On the occasion of one of his visits in 1878, Father Bukowski set about establishing a mission church in what was then locally known as the court house. In the fall of 1878 a decision was reached by the Faith community of Gmina Polska (as it was then called, meaning "Polish Settlement") to build a church. Receiving a twenty acre tract of land from Rietbrock for community purposes, the early pioneers visited various Polish and Catholic communities in the state and solicited funds for the building of a church and school. In less than a year the first church, of log construction, was completed and named St. Joseph's Parish. With the completion of the log church, the area settlers reached out for a priest to serve their spiritual needs on a regular basis. To support their request for more regular services, the parishioners built a log parish house in Some of the earliest priests recorded serving the faithful in those days were a Father Klimecki from Arcadia and a Father Lager who journeyed over from Medford, Wisconsin. Historical records of the parish state that the first resident priest was a Franciscan by the name of Father John Mon- 1

2 czynski, OFM, who was assigned to the parish in During his two year tenure, the log rectory caught fire and burned to the ground. Following Father Monczynski's departure in 1885, the early pioneers were served from time to time by Father August Krogulski, who came occasionally from Junction City. It was during this time that the parishioners succeeded in erecting a frame building to serve as the parsonage, replacing the destroyed log rectory. On September 22, 1886 the Reverend Andrew W. Gara arrived to serve the congregation in response to a petition to the bishop of the diocese for the assigning of a resident priest. During his twelve years and under his direction and leadership, the parish soon outgrew its beginnings. The parish became so large that the log church built in 1879 was replaced with the present brick veneer church. The structure was formally dedicated by the Rev. Killian Flasch, Bishop of LaCrosse, on June 20, 1888 and the new name of Holy Family Congregation was given to the parish. Following the building of the church structure other land improvements were made and the development of the present parish cemetery was begun. Father Gara left the parish on June 29, 1898 after more than a decade of service to the people of. God at Poniatowski. Parish historians credit him with "putting the foundation to the parish." The successes of Father Gara, however, were soon to be tested. In the next years the parish of Holy Family became embroiled in what Church historians refer to as "nationalism". Records show that a Catholic parish under the patronage of the Blessed Trinity was established less than a half-mile from Holy Family Church to serve Catholics of German ancestry who had also been attracted to the area by Rietbrock. Names such as Fischer, Fischbacher, Bergs, Berres, Bradfish, Reihle, Krell, Hoffman, Braun, Becher, Meyers, Rauen, Sommers and others appear in Noonan's historical account of Holy Trinity Parish. These German families, also from Milwaukee, settled in this area in They too had a log church to begin with, but that was replaced by a brick veneer building in In the early days it was attended by priests from neighboring parishes, but later became a mission of Holy Family. This situation of two churches so close together, with each one funded by their own national churches, is understandable when we realize that the question of language was much more important than it is now. The thirty German families who founded and built Holy Trinity started looking for their own German speaking pastor. The thought of a Polish speaking parish directly assisting a German speaking parish in those days was culturally unthinkable. The "melting pot" concept of America was sternly rejected by both nationalities. Following Father T. Lugowski, who replaced Father Gara in 1898, Holy Family Church came under the leadership of Reverend C. Frydrychowicz in It was during his pastorate that the cultural roots of the two parishes openly clashed. The two nationalities and the two congregations made definite efforts to absorb and close out the other. The dispute became so heated during Father Frydrychowicz's time that the parish of Holy Family was temporarily closed by interdict in February During the four months that the church was officially closed by the Bishop, some members of the Polish congregation buried their hostilities and worshipped with their German neighbors in their church. Such action merited the reopening of Holy Family Parish in July 1901 and a Father Biela was named successor to Father Frydrychowicz. At Easter in 1902 Father Joseph Miller was named pastor 2

3 of Holy Family Parish and with a German priest as pastor, parish nationalism again poked its head. Parish troubles during his tenure led to his leaving the parish in less than three years. However, during this period of strife, the parish school, a frame structure, was completed in 1902 with much of the lumber coming from the original log structure church. The school soon had an enrollment of about 100 children from the 135 families which then comprised Holy Family Parish. The school was originally staffed by lay male teachers. Names of instructors included Milkowski, Michalski, Winiaszewski, Helinski and Kurek. Succeeding Father Miller in 1905 was the Reverend Ignatius Modarski, but his tenure was also shortlived. He resigned and left the parish in 1909 after his plans for a new school failed to materialize. July 1, 1909 marked the beginning of some stability for the strife-torn parish with the appointment of Father Florian H. Kupka as pastor of Holy Family and Holy Trinity Mission by Bishop James Schwebach. According to parish historians "no other pastor accomplished as much for the parish as did Father Kupka", who lived to serve the parish for 32 years. Church records reveal that during the pastorate of Father Kupka the present brick-veneer parochial school was built and dedicated July 31, This marked the time when the parish first had sisters to staff the school. For the next six years the School Sisters of Notre Dame directed the school. In 1916 Sisters from the Felician Community accepted the invitation to teach at Poniatowski and the school remained in their charge until its closing in Throughout Father Kupka's tenure, firmness and fairness reigned. The congregation learned to work together once again. The church was completely redecorated and the present rectory was constructed in 1917 at a cost of $10, Church societies, such as the Ladies Altar and Rosary Society and the Men's Holy Name Society were begun. The faith became so dominant that several girls from the parish decided to enter convents and become nuns. Ill health finally forced Father Kupka to retire in 1941, but not before the parish had been brought together again. What had been started by Father Kupka continued under the next pastor who was assigned to lead Holy Family Parish. "Father Maximilian Kluczykowski from Poniatowski" (as he loved to introduce himself), continued the progress of the parish through During his pastorate the mission of Holy Trinity was merged with Holy Family. (All that remains of the German mission today is the cemetary which is still cared for by Holy Family parishioners.) The church undercroft was excavated, the interior of the church was refurbished, new pews were installed, the school basement was rebuilt, and new heating plants were installed in both the church and the school. In 1948 Father Stanislaus Lapinski was named pastor of Holy Family. What had been started by one pastor, strengthened by still another, was harvested by Father Lapinski. Under his leadership, bills were paid and stability strengthened as families intermarried and the community learned to become united. On July 9, 1952, Father Edward Roskos was appointed pastor of Holy Family by Bishop John P. Treacy. Records indicate that during his pastorate of twenty years what had been started by predecessors was renewed as the parish continued to grow. Permission was granted Father Roskos to enlarge and remodel the school. In 1953 the church building was insulated and kneeling pads added to the pews, comforting the people during the minute masses. In 1960 the main altar and sanctuary were redecorated, new heating units were placed in the church and rectory, and a two car garage was constructed. The parish parking lot was blacktopped in brought further improvements to the parish plant when Father Roskos received Diocesan permission to put a new 3

4 front on the church building covering the steps. Throughout this time the parishioners responded generously and often, demonstrating their continued loyalty to the church supporting the growth of the parish. Suffering from a prolonged illness, Father Roskos retired on August 17, 1972 as the second longest term pastor in the history of the parish. His retirement was short lived, however, as he died October 8, 1972 and was buried in Holy Family cemetery on October 11, (Father Roskos is the only pastor of the parish buried in the parish cemetery. His tombstone is located directly behind the white crucifixion scene in the center of the cemetery.) August 28, 1972 started the three year pastorate of Father Richard J. Herrmann, appointed pastor by Bishop F.W. Freking. Under Father Herrmann's leadership, renovations in the parish continued. The heating unit in the school was renovated, enabling the building to be used more adequately for a CCD center and apartment living. The rectory received new roofing and some painting. Changes in liturgy were effected with ease as a new loud speaker system was installed in church. On July 15, 1975 Father Herrmann resigned the parish to accept the assignment as pastor of Holy Rosary Parish, Lima, Wisconsin where he is still located. His successor was Father Thomas E. Langer, newly named Principal of Newman High School in Wausau, who was officially installed as pastor by the Very Rev. Hilary F. Simmons, Dean of the Wausau Deanery, on October 1, Under the direction and leadership of Father Langer, the parish has taken more of the new look of Vatican II. While minor renovations of the rectory and church undercroft have been completed, emphasis has been placed on education and liturgy. Adult education keynotes Father Langer's work in the parish. Because of a full time double pastorate, Father Langer soon began about the task of making the parish self-sufficient. Extraordinary ministers assist in distributing Holy Communion regularly on Sunday. Women act as readers and extraordinary ministers. The Parish Council, under the leadership of President Don Wisnewski, attend to the material and physical needs of the parish plant. Parish bulletins highlight educational and liturgical changes. New texts with parental involvement have been incorporated in the Religious Education program which now numbers 112 students in grade school, and 73 students in high school. With a new Reconciliation Room already constructed, and with plans to roof and re-insulate the church, Father Langer looks forward to the day when the church interior will once again be updated to complement the new liturgy as the church continues to grow at Poniatowski. While this brief history centers attention on the priests of the parish who have served the people of Poniatowski faithfully throughout the past 100 years, it also reflects the many loyal parishioners who followed the given leadership and made Holy Family possible. In summary, the history of Holy Family is perhaps not unlike that of countless others in the LaCrosse Diocese, whose members labored hard to establish themselves in a stubborn wilderness. (The woods were so thick in the early days that settlers would frequently get lost on the trails to Edgar. The trip from Poniatowski to Edgar was often impossible during the winter months.) By today's standards, those days were not only hard, they seem almost exaggerated. Though they had little of what we now consider indispensable, the people of Poniatowski did have what it takes to get things done, and they had it in abundance. 4

5 According to Historian Noonan, "They had tenacity of purpose and and honest Christian caliber about them that motivated the necessary sacrifice and effort to build well for the glory of God and the good of their souls." Now in its fifth generation, the faithful of Holy Family Parish continue to provide for the Church whenever asked. One hundred years of faith-living have tested their loyalty and endurance and continue to find them not lacking in their love for God. This is testified in the lives of the 700 parishioners who today comprise Holy Family Parish in Poniatowski. Priests From the Parish: Father Francis Retka ( ) Father Michael Retka ( ) Fathers Leo Pollack Father Michael Pollack Sisters From The Parish: Sisters of Nazareth: Srs Teresile (Pietrowski); Michael Ann (Burlaga); Sisters of the Divine Savior: Srs Judine (Schaetzl); Hortulana (Kulas); Stanislaus (Kulas); Barbara (Kulas); Clare (Kulas); Mary Jo (Witucki); Marie (Writz); Kathleen (Bergs); Lawrence (Bergs); Felician Order: Srs Bertilla (Hart); Herman Joseph (Sekorski); Louise (Guralski); Dulcialia (Myszka); Petronella (Wozniczka); Carmella (Urmanski); Febronia (Mleczek); Audrey (Bornheimer); Order of Our Lady of the Holy Cross: Sr Joelle (Mauer); Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration: Sr Christine (Bloczynski); Franciscan Sisters: Sr Agnes (Kulas) Dominican Order: Sr Christopher (Krall). 5

History of St. Michael Parish. Church of St. Michael , Wausau, Wisconsin CAP at Orchard Lake.

History of St. Michael Parish. Church of St. Michael 1887-1877, Wausau, Wisconsin CAP at Orchard Lake. Our Past The Polish Catholic Community in Wausau dates back to 1869, when it was served periodically