Saint Bernard Catholic Church, Wauwatosa - VIP Milwaukee Preview

Note: This is one in a series of five posts previewing the Archdioceseof Milwaukee’s Very Important Parishes (VIP) event on Saturday, November 5^th. To view the other preview posts and learn more about VIP, check out the first post in the series.

The mother church of Wauwatosa, Saint Bernard’s partakes in a wide range of activities throughout the city. Along with providing a religious base for the local Catholic faithful, the parish offers several community services, collaborates with its neighboring Catholic parishes to enhance their collective mission, and maintains a modern church building that maintains a traditional sense of a worship space.

The interior of Saint Bernard’s, of Modernist design, directs visitors’ attention to the center of the sanctuary, where the tabernacle and Eucharist rest underneath the crucifix.

Special VIP Offerings:

- Raffle to climb up to the church bell tower! You must attend VIP to be in the raffle!

- Mixed-media local art exhibit in the Griffey Parish Hall featuring local residents.

- Numerous tours including the Sacristy, Stained Glass Windows, and Food Pantry.

- Organ performances throughout the event.

- Mass at 4 p.m., Saturday, November 5^th

You can climb up to this bell tower, but only if you attend VIP!

Location: 1500 N. Wauwatosa Avenue, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin - Saint Bernard’s holds a commanding hillside view of Downtown Wauwatosa near the corner of Harwood and Wauwatosa avenues. The parish has been present along Harwood Avenue (Wauwatosa’s former Main Street) since 1912 _[1]. This location puts the church practically in the center of action near Downtown’s many restaurants and shops and near eastern Wauwatosa’s pleasant neighborhoods. Wauwatosa is a long-established suburban community located just west of the City of Milwaukee.

Detail, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, from the south wall of the church.

Fun Saint Bernard’s Facts:

- Its namesake saint, Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153 A.D.), chose a humble vocation as a monk, but over time was called upon to preach the crusade and is considered a Doctor of Holy Church for his writings _[2].

- Founded in 1911, it is Wauwatosa’s oldest Catholic Parish.

- Roughly 550 families call St. Bernard’s home.

Detail, Blessed Virgin Mary.

Why is this Parish a VIP?

1. Parish Activities: Unique among many churches is their contribution to the coffee industry. Bernard’s Blend is a unique concoction of chocolate and hazelnut aromas, with just a touch of a berry fruit influence. Like any good coffee maker, the blend is available for purchase, which helps fund the parish and its work _[3]. Try some at VIP!

Beginning in 1980, the parish has held or supported a food pantry for the wider Wauwatosa Community. Today, the Tosa Community Food Pantry continues this service within Saint Bernard’s. Tours of the food pantry will be available throughout the VIP event. Other initiatives that the parish uses to provide a hand to the outside world include their Human Concerns Committee and The Guest House. 

Votive candles and artwork devoted to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

2. Religious Devotions & Enrichment: The parish cooperates with its fellow Wauwatosa parishes, Christ King and St. Pius X, to share classes and religious events beyond Holy Mass. Recently the parishes have met for a Ministry Enrichment Gathering to help parishioners learn more about the Catholic Mass. Within the parish, intercessory prayers and faith formation groups are routine.

Stations of the Cross line both side walls through the nave of the church.

3. Wauwatosa Catholic School: Located just behind the church, Wauwatosa Catholic is an elementary and middle school supported by Saint Bernard and neighboring St. Pius X parish. Opened for the 2011-12 school year, the students, parents, and faculty have just celebrated their 5^th anniversary as a school _[4]. Over 200 students make up the student body of this Catholic educational option in the Wauwatosa community. The rooftop tour, open to everyone and separate from the bell tower raffle, offers a look within the school.

Guided tours of the stained glass windows will bring to light many off the religious details embedded within!

4. The Church Building: Built in 1963 in an American Contemporary style, some would be inclined to overlook the fine details of this building, to their own detriment. The stained-glass windows, while abstract in nature, hold many religious details and depictions. These windows beg to be viewed repeatedly, with new symbols of the Catholic faith seemingly popping out at the visitor each time. You can learn more about the stories within and about these windows in special tours held on the hour during VIP.

Modest in decoration, the Sanctuary commands attention be devoted to the altar for Holy Mass.

For more information, including the early history of Saint Bernard Parish, check out Bobby Tanzilo’s VIPpreview article at OnMilwaukee.com.

Jesus and His Most Sacred Heart stand near the front doors of Saint Bernard’s.

St. Bernard Catholic Church

1500 N.Wauwatosa Avenue, Wauwatosa, WI 53213

http://www.stbernardparish.org/

Weekend Mass Times

Saturdays: 4 p.m.

Sundays: 8 a.m., 10 a.m.

Special thanks for Christine Meyer, Mary O’Connell, Saint Bernard’s Parish, and Amy Grau for arranging and facilitating my visit to Saint Bernard Catholic Church and for encouraging this article!

View of the Nave and Sanctuary from the Choir Loft.

Additional Sources:

The Saint Bernard Parish website and my conversations with folks at the parish were great sources of information throughout the article-writing process.

[1] http://www.stbernardparish.org/Parish-History

[2] Butler, Fr. Alban, Lives of the Saints, 294-5

[3] St. Bernard's Parish Bulletin, October 16, 2016

[4] http://www.wauwatosacatholic.org/about/

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_symbolism

Coming from Milwaukee: Very Important Parishes (and Blog Posts)!

On Saturday, November 5th, four parishes in the Milwaukee area are opening their doors for tours, special performances, and Mass in an event known as VIP (Very Important Parishes). VIP, led by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, aims to share the stories of these wonderful homes of faith with the wider Milwaukee community and beyond. The tours are absolutely free, include bus shuttles that run between the four parishes, and offer unique treats that can fill up anyone's Saturday!

What's more? Since I can't make it to VIP, I went to Milwaukee to visit each parish ahead of the event to produce a preview of the buildings and atmospheres of faith that each parish offers. Check back every day this week as I preview the parishes between now and November 5th!

This year's VIP parishes include (blog post links will be included as they are available):

Saint Bernard, Wauwatosa

All Saints, Milwaukee

Immaculate Conception, Milwaukee

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Milwaukee

For the official source of VIP information, check out the VIP Event Guide. 

Also, Bobby Tanzilo, writing for OnMilwaukee.com, has visited each of the VIP parishes and offers a more historically-focused series of articles on each VIP parish that are worth a visit as well!

A Look Inside the New St. Cecilia Catholic Church, Wisconsin Dells

"The present glory of this house shall be greater than the former."

- Haggai 2:9

(Referenced in Father Eric Sternberg's Letter within the Solemn Mass of Dedication Program, August 28, 2016)

Sunday, August 28th marked a landmark moment for the Wisconsin Dells Catholic community. After fifteen months without a proper church building, St. Cecilia Parish opened its wonderful new church to the public. To mark the occasion, the Parish held a Solemn Mass of Dedication, followed by a festival and tours of the church.

To stem the inevitable rush of Mass-goers to claim seats in the building, the doors were kept shut until an hour before Mass. Thanks to the willingness of Father Sternberg and the Parish Development Committee, I was able to take a self-guided tour just before the doors were unlocked. The photos in this post come from that visit.

The new St. Cecilia's church building replaces a smaller century-old building that stood on the same site. In a slight nod toward post-Modernism, and a greater nod towards Parish history, a number of elements from the previous building are visible with the new church. Last year, I published a series of posts detailing the old St. Cecilia Catholic Church, which can be visited for comparison:

Post 1 (Interior photos)

Post 2 (Exterior and Parish grounds)

Post 3 (Windows)

“Novam ecclesiam Sancta Caecilia, XVIII Aug MMXVI

Lux luceat in tenebris”

“New church of Saint Cecilia, 18 August, 2016

The light shines in the darkness”

This was my first look inside the nave. First off, the spaciousness comes to the forefront. For years, St. Cecilia's has held weekend Mass in its old school gymnasium during the summer months to fit the vacationing crowds. The expanded seating in the nave and transepts should keep seating more manageable, with room for over 1,000 souls_[1].

To my eyes, the restoration and adaptation of the statuary, altar works, and windows from the old church building are an instant treasure. Practically every statue and stained glass window from the former building has made its way inside the new church. The high altar represents a creative and tasteful update from the previous high altar. 

The St. Cecilia and Sacred Heart of Jesus statues were each given their own side altar space and are positioned under the large windows on opposite transepts near the front of the church.

Detail: St. Cecilia side altar

Detail: Stained glass window depicting the angel approaching the shepherds the night of Jesus' Nativity

Stations of the Cross

Detail: Sacred Heart of Jesus side altar

This Parish, whose patron saint doubles as a patron saint of sacred music, has a well-supplied music section in the south transept. Their performance at the Dedication Mass was magnificent.

 

 

Recognizing the importance of culture in the local faith, pictures of Our Lady of Częstochowa and Our Lady of Guadalupe hang in the transepts. Wisconsin Dells is a small, but historic outpost for Polish Catholics, and a Polish language Mass is held in town on a monthly basis. Weekly Spanish Mass is also a fixture at this Parish.

Windows from the old church line the nave.

St. Cecilia Catholic Church

603 Oak Street, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965
http://www.dellscatholic.com/

Weekend Mass Times

Saturdays: 5 p.m.

Sundays: 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 5 p.m.

Spanish Sunday Mass: 6:30 p.m.

Polish Sunday Mass: 3 p.m., first Sunday of the month

Additional Sources
[1] http://www.wiscnews.com/wisconsindellsevents/news/local/article_e7b37864-ee25-5687-9c4c-631de976ed3a.html

Upcoming Event!: Doors Open Milwaukee Shares 10+ Catholic Sites to the Public, September 17 & 18

Photos by Colter J. Sikora, except 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, shared by Historic Milwaukee, Inc..

It's that time of the year again...time for Doors Open Milwaukee! I'm cramming on other projects right now, along with making my plans to attend both days of Doors Open. To be brief, below is a list of the eleven Catholic sites that I am aware will be open beyond regular Mass times this weekend. The links will take you to an information page on each site, including the hours that each of them will be open this weekend.

1.  Basilica of St. Josaphat

2.  Calvary Cemetery Chapel

3.  Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

4.  Catholic Financial Life (where they have a chapel AND a rooftop pool!)

5.  Christ King Catholic Parish

6.  St. Benedict the Moor Church

7.  St. Francis of Assisi Church

8.  St. George Melkite Church

9.  St. Joan of Arc Chapel (Marquette University)

10. St. Joseph Chapel

11. St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church

Upcoming Event!: Open House at St. Mary's Oratory, Wausau, on September 10th

Courtesy of St. Mary's Oratory.

St. Mary's Oratory, part of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, is opening its doors for tours this Saturday in Wausau, Wisconsin. From 10 am to 3 pm, young adults from the Oratory will be guiding visitors through the church building at the top of each hour. Being one of Wausau's oldest church buildings, St. Mary's is sure to be an architectural treat for those who make the trek!

The Open House coincides with the Wausau Festival of Arts, which brings over 100 professional artists to town to show their crafts.

According to the Wisconsin Historical Society, this building is the oldest in Wausau to be continuously used as a church, dating back to the 1890s.[1] Built on the site of Wausau's first Catholic church, it was designed by Adolphus Druiding, an architect known for his work on many churches, including Chicago's St. John Cantius.[2]

Left: St. Michael the Archangel

Right: St. Florianus (St. Florian)

As is all too common in many older Midwestern cities, St. Mary's congregation shrunk in size throughout the 20th Century and was threatened with closure. The Institute of Christ King Sovereign Priest was given permission to move to St. Mary's in 1999 and has worked tirelessly to restore beauty to the building.

On my way to a family vacation in Northern Wisconsin in 2014, I stopped by the Oratory unannounced to go to Confession (as Catholics tend to do). At the same time, I was given a wonderful tour of the church by one of the former Canons (priests) at St. Mary's. The photos in this post come from my haphazard attempt to capture the tour. 

Most of the artwork in this post and throughout the church were acquired during the lengthy restoration process and have wonderful stories of their own. To really appreciate the beauty of St. Mary's and hear these stories in-depth, I encourage you to make a visit at the Open House!

St. Mary's Oratory

325 Grand Ave, Wausau, WI 54403

http://www.institute-christ-king.org/wausau/

Additional Sources
[1]http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Content.aspx?dsNav=Nrc:id-4294961467-dynrank-disabled,N:4294963828-4294963814&dsNavOnly=N:1159&dsRecordDetails=R:HI29256
[2]http://www.cantius.org/go/about_us/category/parish_history/

'Roamed Churches' Gets An Update

Shortly after I published my first posts, I added a page to the blog, Roamed Churches, where I mapped all the churches that I had posted on. Since then, I managed to avoid updating the map for almost two years! 

This embarrassing fact has been rectified with a sweep of updates that I have made to the map in the last couple weeks. To date, 34 churches have claimed a place on the Roamed Churches map. Feel free to check out the map above or the Roamed Churches page to see the sites I have visited! You can access links to all of the blog posts associated with each church by clicking on the push pins.

Wish You Were Here...at Church's!

Today marks the revival of one of my favorite blog series; where I receive suggestions of places to visit from readers and share them with the world! Wishing I was there...or is it here?...

Photo Source: Wikipedia

..."Go to Church's," some friends said. "Go to Church's and get fulfilled,"...with fried chicken and all sorts of other greasy delicacies! Of course it may not match-up in an artistic sense with a place like the Basilica of St. Josaphat, but you don't have to fast before enjoying some Honey-Butter Biscuit Tender Strips! If you don't want the poultry, I'm sure the fried okra will get you smiling too!

Happy April Fool's Day!

On a More Serious Note...I do have some folks who have shared some of their church photos similar to a set that I published last year, and I am hoping to publish them soon. I have also hit the road photographing churches and hope to share some pics of my own before too long!