“SS Peter and Paul Began As Mission; Had Institute” from the March 22, 1962 Door County Advocate

SS Peter and Paul Began As Mission; Had Institute

The following history was compiled for the parish’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 1959. At time of centennial editing Fr. Monarsky was still pastor.

It was in 1883 that the Catholic population of the Town of Sevastopol, Door County, Wisconsin—especially those in the northernmost part of the township—living farthest from the church at Sturgeon Bay, began to consider the advisability of forming their own parish. At the request of a number of people, the Rev. E. Blum, then resident pastor at Sturgeon Bay, called a meeting at the home of Mr. John Hocks. With the consent of some 60 families, plans were made toward the erection of a new church. It was in 1884, under Rev. Blum’s successor, Rev. Father Pellegrin, that St. Peter and Paul’s Congregation at Sevastopol was incorporated under the State laws of Wisconsin. Of this incorporation, Messrs. John Meyer and Joseph Nuesse were elected treasurer and secretary respectively. A building committee of Messrs. Dominic Kemp, Michael Donovan and John H. Hocks directed the building of the original church on land donated by E. Daniels, and that fall the church was completed, blessed and placed as a mission under Father Pellegrin’s charge. The first Board of Directors meeting on record was April 20, 1885. In subsequent meetings in June and December of 1885 and on July 23, 1886, sanction of apparently hereto unauthorized building activity was given by the Board of Directors. In meetings of 1886 payment of the church construction bills was ordered by the board and final completion of construction was ordered July 20, 1887. In December, 1887, the annual meeting acted on the acquiring of church revenue from members based on the taxable property of said members. It was voted that the church debt be paid before placing pews in the church, and that each member in his turn go after the Priest when services were scheduled.

For some time the congregation was visited on the third Sunday of each month. The altar for the first church was given by Cuno Schafer, and among the first parishioners appeared the names of Hogan, Mahoney, Keegan, Amhurst, Hocks, Weber, Nuesse, Dunn, Sullivan, Thomas, Heldman, Donovan, Zettle, O’Hern, Finnegan, Strahan, Pfeifer, Klotz and others. The first funeral from the newly constructed church was that of Mrs. John Hocks Sr.

Father Pellegrin was succeeded by Rev. Alphonse Broens in September, 1887. In 1889 Rev. B. Hugenroth was appointed Pastor of the Peninsula Missions, Sevastopol among them. At Father Hugenroth’s suggestion, a parsonage was ordered built on May 12, 1889 alongside the St. Peter and Paul church, and he became the resident Pastor there while attending to the four missions of Jacksonport, Baileys Harbor, Egg Harbor and Sister Bay. On December 29, 1889 church pews were rented for the Church. Father Hugenroth’s suggestion was responsible for the building of the first school, the details of which will follow later in this history. On August 17, 1892 a parcel of land was sold for $1.00 to Bishop Messmer for the school grounds upon which he would have the school built. In the fall of 1892, Father Hugenroth was succeeded by Father F. X. Steinbrecker, who in turn was succeeded in 1894 by Rev. R. Hennes. Father R. A. Broens, who had served the early parish, was, during this time, serving the parish in between regular appointed Pastors. 1895 saw Father Kroll, who after a short time was succeeded on November 9, 1895 by Rev. G. Brunner. Rev. Brunner left on August 12, 1896. On September 30, 1896, Rev. C. Ulrich succeeded Father Brunner.

In December of 1896 the languages represented among the 87 families of the parish were five Bohemian, 21 English, five French, 59 German and two Hollander. In 1896 the stations were donated and installed, as well as the stained glass windows. St. Joseph Altar, Mount Calvary Group above the Altar and the Baptismal Font.

On November 14, 1898 Rev. L. Francis VandeCastle was sent as assistant to Rev. Uhlrich to care for the missions at Jacksonport, Egg Harbor, Baileys Harbor and Sister Bay. In May, 1889 Rev. Uhlrich was sent to Clark Mills and Father VandeCastle was appointed Pastor. In 1903 it was decided to enlarge the Church by 50 feet and in 1904 a new horse barn was built. (This building later was the garage until the present garage was built onto the parsonage, the original building being sold to make room for the new school.) Mrs. John Long and Mrs. Gotfried Hopp were the first officers of the Altar Society organized in 1904. Father VandeCastle was transferred to Wrightstown on March 18, 1908 and succeeded by Father Diss, who served until July 29, 1911. In 1911 Rev. Martin Jaeckels came to the growing parish. 1916 saw electric lighting installed in the Church and Rectory and the following year at the annual meeting it was voted to buy coal instead of wood for heating.

On January 16, 1918 the $3,000 mortgage from the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin was burned. In March of 1919 Father Alt came to succeed Father Jaekels. In 1920 a Parish Hall was planned but when the estimated cost of the said hall (with bowling alley and two pool tables) came to $7,000 the plan was dropped. Instead it was decided to raise the Church and put in concrete floors.

In 1922, because of increased growth of the Parish, the system of renting the Church pews was discontinued and the first ushers organization was formed with George Nuesse, Pat Hogan, George Strahan, Herb Long, John Liebl, Emil Leist, Geroge Moeller, Jake Ripp, Wenzel Smeikal and Charles Nieman as the first ushers. Father Alt was transferred to Bear Creek on July 19, 1924 and Rev. Kuborn replaced him as Pastor. During his term an addition was made to the parsonage and a front entrance was added to the church. Rev. David Bunkelman succeeded Father Kuborn in April of 1928.

Many will recall the awful tragedy that struck this peaceful community on October 19, 1930 when fire, caused by faulty wiring, destroyed the original edifice. It was noticed during Mass and many of the present parishioners can recall helping save much of the furnishings. Services were held then in the school chapel and on Sundays in the gymnasium of the Sevastopol School. On October 26 a building committee of Rudoph Simon, John Henkel, George Nuesse, Emil Leist, Anton Berns and Trustees William Johnson and Louis Moeller was chosen. After much consideration they chose Foeller of Green Bay as architect and the cornerstone of the new church was laid on May 5, 1931. Upon completion of the basement, services were held there and the dedication and blessing of were held on Labor Day of that year. The new church has a seating capacity of 450 at the cost of $37,300.00. This was during the period of the nationwide depression and many a sacrifice was made by the parishioners to meet their pledges for the payment of their new church. It was exceptionally well constructed of Roman architecture, today considered a gem of Door County.

After 14 years at Institute, Father Bunkelman left in 1942, having served Institute for the longest time of any Pastor. Father Charles Kaminski was welcomed in June, 1942. 1943 saw the burning of the church mortgage and the decorating of the church interior. The windows and present stations were installed in 1945 the oil furnace was installed.

The continued future of our school was realized when in February 1953 the building committee of Millard Bonney, Emil Leist, Earl Moeller, William Moeller, C. P. Habermann, William Geisel, Arnold Stoffel and Joseph Delchambre was appointed. Construction of the ground and the turning of the first shovels of dirt by Father Kaminski and Sisters Carlotta, Odiel, Concepta and Mary Leo. Robert Surplice was the architect and Nebel Construction the contractor.

The School and Convent were completed in September of 1954 at a cost of $114,500.00 and on Sunday, Oct. 24 Bishop Bona presided at the dedication. A portrayal of the living Rosary by the school children and the Benediction preceded the dedication.

After 12 years at St. Peter and Paul’s, Father Kaminski was transferred and a farewell reception in his honor bespoke the affection and friendships formed of those years. Many in attendance were converts to the faith who had received their instruction from Father Kaminski. 1955 welcomed Father Alfred Hietpas to St. Peter and Paul’s. Father “Als” two short years in our midst were crowded with activity; landscaping and improvement of the cemetery, erection of our impressive Sacred Heart Shrine and purchase of our Baldwin Organ. Some will recall the labors of constructing the tone chamber for the organ, but as always, the spirit of cooperation made the work light. Father John Monarsky, our present Pastor, came to replace Father Hietpas and was formally installed by Dean Koerfel on Sept. 12, 1957. Special efforts are being made under Father Monarsky’s guidance to retire our parish debt. This summer the landscaping program continued and the cemetery was enlarged. Grading of the church yar was done in preparation for surfacing.

During our summer season our parish of about 200 families is swelled by the heavy influx of summer residents and migrant workers. Five Sunday masses are had during the summer season. St. Peter and Pauls has been the hub of the Catholic migrant work for the past several years.

SCHOOL SECTION

“Room and Board — $4.00 per month.”

Inconceivable as it sounds, it was reality in 1892. The realization of the value of their religion goes back many years in St. Peter and Paul Parish; and the pride in their new, modern School, Convent and Chapel has a solid history of 65 years of sacrifice. It was about five years after the building of the first church that the difficulty in administration, especially the instruction of the children in the scattered localities, prompted the idea of some type of institution of the purpose of giving them a short course of preparation for the reception of the Holy Sacraments to those who would be otherwise neglected. Father Hugenroth presented this idea to the Right Reverend Bishop Messmer, who not only sanctioned the idea, but furnished the means, through, it is said, a loan on his life insurance, to build a magnificent school near the St. Peter and Paul church. The school was completed in 1892 and blessed by Bishop Messmer on Nov. 29 of that year. Built to accommodate 40 boarders, the school consisted of dormitories, play room, sewing class rooms and chapel. Children were accepted at any time during the scholastic year for instructions given in French and German as well as in English, when deemed necessary. The new school was under the direction of Sisters Clementine and Angela, benedictines from New Jersey, who were well known to Bishop Messmer, until their departure in August 1896 when the Sisters of the Franciscan Order from Bay Settlement took charge at the Bishop’s request. In addition to local children, boarders came from Milwaukee, Chicago, Michigan, etc. and kept the school filled to capacity. Some children were orphans or semi-orphans—the father or mother wishing to give the child a home and Catholic education. The average board was four to five dollars per month. The good people of Institute and the surrounding area had regular collections of food for the Institution.

Before Rural Mail Delivery, the Sisters had charge of the Post Office — which was named after the Institution, hence the origin of the name “institute “ which the village still carries. The school was known for many years as St. Aloysius Institute and while intended for children of Door County, for preparation in making their first Holy Communion later had regular boarders. Many of the parents brought their children on Monday and called for them on Friday. Local children attended as day students

After the school was discontinued as a boarding school in 1920 it became known by the Parish name, St. Peter and Paul School, and by 1924 the old name, St. Aloysius, was dropped. Several times, when major repairs were needed, the advisability of continuing the school was questioned, but each time repairs were made and the school continued until 1953 when the future of the school was assured through the building of the new chapel and convent. Few are the parishioners who did not have some connection or experience in the Catholic School. Many are the memories and incidents connected with the school and the good Sisters who served there. As one alumnus wrote, reminiscing about the boarding school and the “wash days” prior to automatic washers), quote—”If those good Nuns don’t get to heaven, then there sure is little chance for the rest of us.”

Sisters, stationed at St. Aloysius and St. Peter and Paul School from 1894 to 1957 were: Sisters Mary Pious; M. Hyacinth; M. Edward; M. Aloysius; M. Christine; M. Bernadine; M. Xavier; M. Berchmans; M. Stephana; M. Anthony; M. Casimir; M. Margaret; M. Stanislaus; M. Blase; M. Josephine; M. Ignatius; M. Rose; M. Raphael; M. Helen; M. Delphine; M. Teresa; Celina; Jean Marie; George; Mary Ellen; M. Katherine; M. Dorothy; M. Carmella; M. Zita; M. Bernard; M. Rita; M. Ursula; M. Martha; M. Ernestine; M. Stanislaus; M. Immaculata; M. Anastasis; M. Cecelia; M. Cyrilla; M. Carlotta; M. Odilla; Marie Therese; Leo; Colletta; Eleanor; Augustine; Jerome; Concepta; Louis; Leon; Rose; Bede; Patricia; and this year due to the shortage of teaching Nuns, our first Lay Teacher, Mrs. Joseph Antonissen, was added to the staff. The enrollment at our school is steadily growing, from 75 students in 1940 to 190 this year.

[Bishops of the Diocese of Green Bay: https://www.gbdioc.org/mission-teams-offices/office-of-the-bishop/office-of-the-chancellor/archives/archives-bishops-of-the-diocese-of-green-bay]

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