|
Queen of Apostles parish community is one of the area’s largest Catholic houses of worship. But the numbers only tell part of our story.  Our parish’s small town roots and rich history keep that close-knit community feel among a large gathering of parishioners. While our current church was built in 1999, its spiritual cornerstone was laid back in the mid-1800s.
Who we are today has been influenced by over 150 years of growth beginning with our roots in the parishes of Saints Peter and Paul, and St. Mary’s. Our two Pewaukee congregations became one to better serve our faith community and provide more opportunities in ministry outreach and stewardship. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we came together as a prayerful community with common Catholic values and mission, and continue to grow in the closeness of God.
In 1848 and 1858 respectively, SS Peter and Paul and St. Mary’s each organized a small mission church. SS Peter and Paul constructed a small log cabin church in 1859 that was replaced in 1875 with the brick church that remains today in the SS Peter and Paul Cemetery on Green Road. Meanwhile St. Mary’s built the stone church that stands today on Wisconsin Avenue. It was dedicated in 1868 and reconstructed in 1887 to accommodate more parishioners. In 1883, St. Mary’s was officially incorporated with Father Becker the first pastor.
  Both of these original churches are historic treasures of our community and the respective cemetaries remain in use today. The stone church (St. Mary’s) is filled with the voices and prayers of Queen of Apostles school children every week during their Monday morning mass.
In 1957, St. Mary’s broke ground for the school building and first classes were held on Sept. 3, 1958. SS. Peter and Paul grew from 30 families in 1959 to more than 200 in 1968. The Archdiocese named it a Parish and Father Robert Hettl as its first pastor, with the growing parish going on to build a larger church in 1970. Construction began on The Parish Center (now known as The Alberte Center in honor of St. Mary’s former pastor Father Alberte) in October, 1992.
On June 26, 1999, Archbishop Rembert Weakland OSB dedicated Queen of Apostles Catholic Church. He named Father Michael Grellinger the first Pastor of the new church, with Father Carl Alberte retiring that day. Fr. Grellinger retired in 2006 and Fr. Bob was appointed the Pastor and continues to inspire and lead our church comprised of more than 1,500 families today.
|
