About St. Mary


Our Mission Statement:

"Celebrating spiritual growth, centered in Christ, through Word, Sacrament, and Service."

The people of St. Mary Faith Community, as baptized Catholic Christians, believe we are called to witness God’s presence through worship, celebration, proclamation, evangelization, and ministry to one another. By sharing our unique gifts and talents, we commit ourselves to ongoing transformation, by reaching out and being a prophetic voice to our families, workplace and society. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we will continue prayerfully to build the Reign of God.

Saint Mary Catholic Faith Community is gifted with a rich heritage that began with a 24' by 36' log structure built on the site of the present cemetery sometime between 1840 and 1842. What started so many years ago as a space to accommodate 140 families has now grown to become one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese serving approximately 3500 families and about 10,000 people. Dedication of the new Church, Gathering Space, Classrooms, and Offices occurred on September 28, 2003.

Since 1843 to the present day, St. Mary Catholic Faith Community property in Hales Corners, WI has undergone many changes. Buildings have been razed, new structures built and modifications made to accommodate the needs of an active growing parish. For more information, please see The History of St. Mary Catholic Faith Community.

By themselves, these structures are a mass of brick and wood. But with the people of God therein, they become a living symbol of the presence of God in the gathering of his people.

About The History - 1800's to Today

Most of the contents of these pages were contained in the 150th Anniversary Booklet compiled for the event in 1992. The creative and dedicated staff responsible for that booklet included Jack Bartness, Paul Gundrum, Max Hapka, Bev Jurkowski, Kathy O'Brien, Kathy Regenfelder, Helene Scheid (Chairperson), Rosemary Selep, Alan Strekow, and Ed Weiler. Special thanks to Alan Strekow for being able to unearth the text used in that booklet nearly 15 years later so that it could be included here.

The 1993-2011 portion of the history was written by Bev Jurkowski.

If you have information that you would like to add to this document, please Contact the Parish Office so that we can coordinate adding your information here.