St. William Church – Paoli, WI

The church was first built on Schaller Road where the parish cemetery was located in 1869. Father John Obermueller of Madison was the first pastor. In 1872, Father Nicholas Stehle replaced him as resident pastor, and a rectory was built next to the the church. At that time, St. James of Dayton was a mission of St. William; however, when the Dayton congregation purchased a parsonage in 1874, the priest moved there, making St. William the mission church.

In the 1890’s the church became too small, and a new church was erected in the village of Paoli in 1900. Eighty-seven residents of Paoli and the vicinity, including Catholics and Protestants, pledged $3,810 toward the building of a new church. St. William later became a mission of St. Andrew Church in Verona, WI.

St. William Church was destroyed by fire on July 28, 1925, during the 25th anniversary celebration of the building of the church. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on September 13, 1925, and the first Mass was celebrated in the basement. In 1934, the church was remodeled, and on June 29, 1969, St. William celebrated its centennial.

Father Eugene Bauhs, resident pastor in Verona, began ministering at St. William in 1970. Monsignor Delbert Schmelzer became pastor until his retirement in 2001. He was assisted by various retired priests in the Diocese: Monsignor Edward Auchter, Father Joseph Niglis, Father Wilfred Schuster and Father Larry Heitke.

St. Andrew Church - Verona, WI

A major consideration in deciding to bring a Catholic Church to Verona in 1917 had to do with meeting the spiritual needs of patients at the Dane County Hospital, located on the eastern edge of town. Father Andrew Mason gathered about 26 Catholic families from the area to form the foundation of the new St. Andrew Parish. Within a year, the small but faithful congregation built a church at 133 North Main Street. Father James Nellen was the first resident pastor. The parish worshiped in that building until 1964 when a new church was constructed a block to the north. Several pastors served the faithful during those years. Among them were Father Joseph Webber, Father John Risch, Father Anthony Hermann, Father Lawrence Keppler, and Father Joseph Brechtl.

Father Thomas Massion and Father Eugene Bauhs guided the parish during the 1970’s. For the next twenty years, Monsignor Delbert Schmelzer shepherded the parish until his retirement in 2001. Father John Stillmank was then appointed as pastor in 2001. Father Dave Timmerman served as pastor from 2003 to 2009.
 

St. Christopher Catholic Parish

Guided by the Holy Spirit and under the direction of Bishop Robert C. Morlino in collaboration with parishioners, St. Andrew and St. William Parishes officially merged in 2010 to form St. Christopher Catholic Parish. Father William Vernon oversaw the transition as pastor of the two merging parishes in 2009 and continued as pastor of the newly merged parish until 2017. Father John Sasse served as pastor from 2017 to 2020. Father Robert Butz served as pastor from 2020 to 2023.

St. Hermine’s Home for the Destitute

St. Christopher Parish family has adopted St. Hermine’s Home for the Destitute as our sister parish. The Home is located in Tamil Nadu, India. The home was initially started for the survivors of the terrible tsunami of December 2004, which left many without their entire families. Our parish contributes to the Home to help with food, clothing, school, and medical needs of approximately 50 orphaned girls and abandoned elderly/disabled adults. Individual contributions may be made with checks payable to St. Christopher Catholic Parish, with a notation that the donation is for St. Hermine’s Home.