Nestled on the shores of Lake Superior in Wisconsin's northern-most woodlands, and surrounded by the historic Apostle Islands, stands the century-old Holy Family Church - Catholics who continue to be inspired by the faith of the dedicated missionaries who catechized this area in the 17th Century.
Today, in fulfilling our Baptismal promises, we commit ourselves:
The first Catholic church in Bayfield, Christ Church, was built in 1860. In October 1878, the Franciscans came to Bayfield, accepting the care of native American missions from the entire region. Comprised of 120 families, the parish at the time offered Masses in both English and Ojibway. While one priest remained in Bayfield, the other friars helped care for 45 Native American villages and 66 immigrant settlements. These mission trips, often conducted on snowshoes, by horseback, or dogsled, usually lasted more than eight weeks and covered more than 600 miles.
In 1879, at the request of Franciscan Fr. Casimir Vogt, pastor, the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate in Joliet, I11., accepted Bayfield as a site of one of their missions. They bought land and built a covenant, day school and eventually a boarding school. Holy Family School closed in 1999. Construction of the present church began in 1898 and was completed in 1900. Given the new name, Holy Family Church, it was formally dedicated on July 4, 1900, by Bishop James Schwebach of La Cross.
232 North 1st Street Bayfield, WI 54814
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