Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church

A long and beautiful

History of Love and Sacrifice

The desire…

The first recorded Mass in Marshfield took place July 1874, in a shanty owned by Louis Rivers. It was located a few blocks from today’s Saint John the Baptist Church. Immigrants lured to Central Wisconsin by fertile farmland and a growing lumber industry, hungered to be fed spiritually. Priests from as far away as Stevens Point, Medford and Menasha made infrequent visits to the area to say Mass for them. These Masses were said in private homes, in schools, or any place where there was room to accommodate the many people who flocked there to attend.

The request…

In 1877 when the Most Reverend Michael Heiss, the first bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse was visiting in Colby, several men from Marshfield went to see him and to ask for a permanent church in their growing hometown. Bishop Heiss not only gave them permission, but also assigned a priest to Marshfield. Reverend Schuettelhoefer, the pastor in Medford, had numerous missions all along a 180-mile route between Junction City and Ashland, Wisconsin. He accepted this increase to his flock and held his first Mass January 18, 1878 in a school building on Third and Chestnut Street.

The beginning…

Father Ignatius Schaller was the priest in residence in when the first church, a 40 by 80-foot wood-frame building was completed in 1881. Parishioners were divided over what to name their new church. Saint Ignatius after their pastor was considered. Saint John was favored by most, but some wanted Saint John the Baptist, and others wanted Saint John the Evangelist. The final decision was made when two men sold votes for a dime. The man who sold the most votes was allowed to pick which Saint John it would be.

The next generation of Catholics…

A school was built next to the church in 1882. The School Sisters of Notre Dame agreed to take charge. Catholic education was, and is considered important by the Saint John the Baptist congregation. Since its modest beginning, the parish school has grown and changed with the times, but still continues to serve the parish.

Trying times…

In 1887 a huge fire swept the city of Marshfield. While most of the town went up in flames, Saint John the Baptist Church and its school buildings were saved by the hard work of the sisters and others. For days after the fire, the buildings housed homeless people. Several families lived in the schoolhouse all summer while they finished rebuilding their homes.

A big hospital’s modest beginnings…

The third pastor at Saint John the Baptist church played a pivotal part in the history of Marshfield. In 1890 while Father Paul Geyer was visiting in La Crosse, he talked to two nuns of the Sorrowful Mother order. They were seeking funds to build a hospital in Wichita, Kansas. Father Geyer wanted a hospital in Marshfield so he offered to provide land, arrange construction, and financing if they came. The founder of their order, Mother Frances Streitel arrived in Marshfield later that year, along with five other sisters. She optimistically named the yet unbuilt hospital after Saint Joseph, the patron saint of buildings.

The building of today’s church…

Father John Eisen, the fourth pastor of Saint John the Baptist Church built the beautiful building that we enjoy today. The first Mass celebrated in the newly completed building took place on Christmas morning 1893. A larger school building and a rectory soon followed. Father Eisen died in May 1907. In 1915 a new organization in Marshfield, the Knights of Columbus, honored him by making him the namesake of Council 1799.

A value beyond money…

Saint John the Baptist church cost $35,000 to build and furnish in 1893. The same amount invested at a modest 3.5% per year for 125 years is equivalent to approximately 1.3 million dollars. If we had built our church in the year 2002, it would have cost $3,264,000. These are all figures of earthly value. The spiritual value to all the families that the priests at Saint John the Baptist Church have served is beyond our reckoning.

A growing Catholic population…

By 1916 Marshfield was ready for a second Catholic parish. Construction was begun on the south end of town. The new Catholic Church was named Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1927 Saint John the Baptist parish built a bigger school. Destroyed by fire in 1943, it was rebuilt. A Catholic High School and Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church was built on the West side of town in the early 1950′s.

Honoring the past…

In the early years of our parish, those belonging to Saint John the Baptist Church often sacrificed their needs for the needs of the church. Today, because of their love of the Catholic Church, we have a beautiful history to follow, and a beautiful building to worship in. We honor them today, by caring for and maintaining our physical and spiritual heritage.