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PARISH HISTORY
Introduction St. Albert the Great Parish New Catholic Parish
for Sun Prairie The Most
Reverend Cletus F. O'Donnell, Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Madison, established a new
parish for Sun Prairie. The Parish has been
named and dedicated in the honor of St. Albert the Great and in remembrance of the late
Albert Cardinal Meyer, a personal friend of Bishop O'Donnell. Reverend
Eugene Graham, son of Mr. & Mrs. Willis Graham of Madison, was named Pastor. Fifteen
acres of land had been obtained on the northwest side of Sun Prairie and, in the summer of
1968, a building committee was formed to draw plans for an allpurpose Parish Center. Before the Parish Center was completed, our Masses
were held in Sacred Hearts gymnasium. Our first
rectory was a farm house on the corner of Highway 19 and County C, which was rented from
Bert Suchomel. The sun room in the house was
used as a chapel for daily Mass. Furnishings
were provided by parishioners. On July
6, 1969, ground was broken and construction began. Our
parish is very unique in the sense that we are very close to one another. This is a goal that all of our Pastors had worked
hard to maintain. Following is a
chronology of the Parish as it began to build and grow: Father
Graham drew an organizational chart of groups that would be formed to carry out parish
functions. These committees were Finance,
Constitution, Building and Future Planning, Education, Membership, Liturgy &
Spirituality, Social, Adult and Youth Programs, Maintenance of Building & Grounds, and
Ecumenism. May 28, 1967 Lynn
Marie Laufenberg, daughter of Raymond & Lorraine Laufenberg, was the first recorded
Baptism in our Parish, although she was actually Baptized at Sacred Hearts Church. June 21, 1967 Fr.
Graham appointed Wilfred Grosse and Bert Suchomel as Parish trustees. Ten acres of land were donated by a group called
Crash (Ted Chase, Vince Ryan, Art Hanley, Emden Schey), leaving a five acre tract of land
that the Bishop bought, giving us a total of fifteen acres.
Parish boundaries were established by decree in accordance with Church law on June
23, 1967. These boundaries included most of
Sacred Hearts Parish lying west of Bird Street, between Vinburn Road to the north and
Nelson Road to the south. The Parish is
bounded by Sacred Hearts Parish, Sun Prairie, to the east and south, by St. Olaf's Parish,
De Forest, to the west and north, and by St. Joseph's Parish, East Bristol, to the north. It was estimated that there would be three hundred
families to start the parish. Fr.
Graham, Bert Suchomel, and Wilfred Grosse had a meeting with Fr. Waldkirch to ask
permission to use Sacred Hearts' facilities until St. Albert's Center would be built. Masses were celebrated in Sacred Hearts' gymnasium
and the CCD classes were taught in Sacred Hearts School in the interim. Ruth Frank chaired
this program while at Sacred Hearts. The CCD
teachers were Barb Haugen, Betty Hoffman, Beatrice Hoffman, Dorothy LeClaire, Carole
Stangler, Dorothy Koepp, Mary Keeley, Ruth Frank and Donna Presser. July 2, 1967 The first
Mass for the newly organized Parish was held at Sacred Hearts Parish in Sun Prairie. Michael Laufenberg & Lois Mary Hensen were the first couple married. The marriage was held at Sacred Heart. Fr.
Graham requested a meeting with all parents of High School students. At this meeting, Don and Marion Presser were named
chairpersons of the High School group, later called the Alber-Teens. All classes were held in the homes of moderators Don and Marion Presser, Isabel
Schleicher, Anton Miller and Bill Rebholz. 1967 - ALTAR SOCIETY For all
ladies of the parish to promote spiritual growth and development, to promote Christian
service by helping and caring for others, and to gather funds for parish needs. The Society was divided into four circles composed
of ladies living in the same neighborhood - St. Gerard, St. Theresa, St. Eugene and Our
Lady Queen of Peace. They were able to
furnish a topnotch kitchen by putting on dinners for the Parish Festival, weddings,
etc., Christmas and summer bazaars, plus many other fund-raising projects. The ladies also donated their services to provide
funeral luncheons. The first officers were
Katie Spangler & Ruth Frank. The ladies in charge of designing the kitchen were: Leone
Davidson, Catherine Spangler, Betty Hoffman, Florence Suchomel. Our first dishes were donated from parishioners,
silverware from Betty Crocker coupons, and the rolling doors over the counters by Don
Presser. 1968 - PARISH COUNCIL Before
the first Parish Council members were elected, Wilfred Grosse and Bert Suchomel were
appointed as Trustees to meet with the Bishop for preliminary planning, etc. They then became members of the Parish Council,
who were elected as follows: Three-year
terms: Lawrence Hoffman, Robert Sartori, Paul
Spangler All
activities of our Parish Family come under the Parish Council and its many committees. April, 1968 The first Holy Communion class, consisting of 31 children, received the sacrament in Sacred Hearts' gymnasium. The first
religious education consultants (Srs. Francis McCormick, Ruth Berra) were hired. Sister Ruth was in charge of Grades 1 thru 6 and Sister Francis was in charge
of Grades 7 and 12. The Sisters were with us
two years at Sacred Hearts and one year at St. Alberts. June 23, 1968 Our first
festival was held at Sacred Hearts. John C. Cooley was named General Chairman. Leone Davidson was Chairperson of the first
festival dinner, which consisted of chicken
and ham. A rock 'n roll dance was held that
evening in the gymnasium, featuring four local bands. For eight consecutive years Bert
& Florence Suchomel donated the festival ticket Grand Prize of a steer. Bert & Florence Suchomel also donated the
Alpine Brass Band for many festivals. Other
Committee Chairpersons were: Mrs. Katie (Paul) Spangler - dining room; Kenneth Brunner
& Carlyle Wake - male kitchen help; Al Scherer - bus boys; Mrs. Ruth (Orville) Frank -
baked goods & candy; Mrs. Mary (Carlyle) Wake - fancy work; Mrs. Dottie (Roger)
LeClaire - surprise packages; Bert Suchomel -dinner tickets; Leo LaMere - prize tickets;
David Hanneman & Dr. Robert Sartori - concessions & games; Martin Yanke - beer
tent & softball games; Zeno Weisensel - electrical; Reuben Schey - public address
system; John Boehnen & Carl Brey -finances. August 11, 1968 The first
Mass on church property was offered in the field at 3:00 PM by our Pastor, Fr. Graham. Members made their way from the rectory, over the
hill on County "C" and into the field, over a newly cut gravel road, St. Albert
Drive. They gathered in front of a hay rack
on which parishioners had arranged an altar. Father
described preliminary plans and celebrated Mass on the land from which members will pray,
work, learn and grow together. We numbered
190 families. April, 1969 Sr.
Virginia Brunner was hired as Religious Education Consultant. July 6, 1969 After two
years of organization, ground was broken for St. Albert The Great's own parish facilities. Construction of a two-level parish center began
Monday, July 7, 1969. October, 1969 Fr.
Graham initiated the offering of home liturgies for special occasions, such as wedding
anniversaries and First Holy Communions. Our
homes were also blessed at that time. This
continued with Frs. Wiecki and Lesniak until the parish grew too large. October, 1969 - EDUCATION COMMITTEE Responsible
for all education in the Parish - Adult, High School and Grade School. Some of the activities were: Adult -
Lenten Series, Seminars, Workshops High
School - Chi Rho Grade
School - Special liturgies, CCD classes The Education Commission's chairperson was Beatrice Hoffman. Other members were Fran Benzmiller, Ruth Frank, Eileen Grimm, Mary Ann Hoeft, Anton Miller and Don and Marion Presser. Spiritual guidance was provided by Fr. Graham and Srs. Ruth, Francis and Virginia. We attended workshops throughout the diocese. The Bishop used St. Albert's as an example as to how he wanted religious education programs to be run in the parishes. December 2, 1969 The first
Christmas Bazaar was held at the American Legion Hall to purchase kitchen equipment. The Chairpersons were as follows: Mrs. Betty (Lawrence) Hoffman -general
chairperson; Mrs. Beatrice (Leo) Hoffman - surprise packages; Mrs. Bernadine (Peter) Haag
- evening card party hostess; Mrs. Mary (Carl) Wake - fancy work; Mrs. Myrtle (Vincent)
Schneider -kiddies grab bag; Mrs. Marilyn (George) Ringelstetter -hostess afternoon card
party; Mrs. Ruth (Orville) Frank -candy; Mrs. Gen (Francis) Benoy - baked goods. December 9, 1969 - ALBER-TEENS A social
action group for teenagers providing various youth activities. Fr. Graham stated the center should be part of all
of our lives, not just on Sundays. He said,
"we should be glad our youth want to use and be part of their parish." This was in regard to the teen dances. One of
their biggest projects in 1969 was a drive to collect money, food and clothing for the
poor in Mississippi. They were able to fill a
40-foot semitrailer, which was donated through the efforts of Don Presser and Crawford
Door Company. The project was repeated in
1970 and 1971 with trucks being donated by Robert Kalscheuer and Joseph Tuschen,
respectively. April 11, 1970 The first
Mass was celebrated in the new Parish Center by Fr. Graham. April 16, 1970 Arnie
Holten was hired as the first custodian. April 30, 1970 Bishop
O'Donnell administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 34 young men, 30 young women and
six adults. May 16, 1970 The first
social held at the Center was a box lunch. For
city folks who are not quite sure what a Box Lunch Social is, the explanation is as
follows: plan and prepare a dinner for two,
including utensils for eating and pack in a decorated box.
The boxes are then auctioned off to the highest bidder, who will then "break
bread" with the lady whose box lunch they bid on. June 6, 1970 Jean
Ellen Schultz & Dennis William Breche were the first couple married in the Parish
Center. August 16, 1970 The first
festival was held at our new Parish Center. September, 1970 Adult
Education was added to the Education Commission. Ladies
Coffee & Talk was created by Sr. Francis at Dottie LeClaire's home. Thereafter, the meetings were held once a month at
various members' homes. When the group became
too large, they met at the Parish Center. Eileen
Grimm contacted volunteers to speak on topics of interest to the group. Women of the Parish, (Leone Davidson, Venida Barman, Margaret Schneider and Sybilla
Kuehn) volunteered to baby-sit the children of the women attending these meetings. The Ladies Coffee & Talk eventually turned
into the Bible Sharing Group. At the
December meeting, pre-school children dressed in costumes and portrayed the Christmas
story. Refreshments followed. October, 1970 - SOCIAL COMMITTEE Sponsored,
organized and carried out the tasks associated with social functions, such as; Halloween
party, talent show, family picnic, chili supper and adult dances. With our Pastors' encouragement and support, the
purpose of this committee was to establish a warm and friendly atmosphere among members of
the parish family. Committee members were
Harvey & Joyce Wright, Bob & Carol Beck, Bob & Fran Benzmiller, Vern &
Jean Koehler, Mike & Jeanie Ladd and Orville & Ruth Frank. October 4, 1970 Barb
Haugen formed the Music Lead Group. Prior to
that, while still at Sacred Hearts, she brought her guitar to the classrooms on Saturday
mornings and led the children in song. This
was all volunteer until Fr. Wiecki hired her as Director of Liturgy and Music. She was responsible for the music at all liturgies
and directing all three choirs. Environment
and art, creating children's liturgies, prayer services, funerals, weddings and sacristan
needs fell under her ministry. October 7, 1970 The first
Chi Rho meeting was held in the Parish Center. October 13-15, 1970 Farm
Progress Days food booth operated by Altar Society, chaired by Betty Hoffman. April, 1971 Sr.
Corine Gund was hired as part-time religious education consultant; she became full-time in
1973. July 14, 1971 - LITURGY COMMISSION. Plans,
supervises and executes the parish liturgies as well as supervising lectors, ushers,
servers, Lead Group, Young People's Mass Group, etc.. June, 1972 Fr.
Graham was transferred and a going away party was held in his honor. June 7, 1972 Fr.
Donald Wiecki was assigned as our second Pastor. A
reception was held in his honor. 1972 Jill
& Lisa Brown were our first girl servers. 1972 - MEN'S CLUB A social
group that met monthly to plan and organize activities and fundraisers, such as: pancake
breakfast, golf outings, steak dinners and Bingo. The
Bingo games were run for 14 years by Gary Brown. Through
their fundraising activities they financed the paving of our parking lot, purchased the
roll-down movie screen in the front of the church, purchased and planted trees and shrubs
for landscaping, and purchased many articles needed for Liturgy and Education. They also provided the labor for laying the
tile floor in the lower level.
1972 - BINGO SNACK BAR Run by
Larry and Betty Hoffman, Ron and Betty Menick and Gary and Connie Feuling. Later it was taken over by the parents of Sacred
Hearts students to help offset the cost of tuition. 1972 - RED BARN Is a community resale store run by volunteers from five member churches in Sun Prairie, the funds from which are used for the needy in the community. Donations of used articles of clothing, furniture and household goods are sold at reasonable prices. Poor families may apply for money or items at no cost from the Pastors of participating churches. Florence Suchomel was part of the original planning group and served until her retirement. April, 1972 First
Paschal Meal organized by Pat Thiesenhusen. They
followed the very traditional Jewish guidelines, with prayer and food. Fr. Wiecki and Sr. Corine provided our spiritual
guidance. Participating were the families of
John & Pat Thiesenhusen, Harold & Eileen Grimm, Ray & Carole Stangler, Bob
& Cathy Schuch, Don & Mary Huset, Roger & Dottie LeClaire, Don & Joyce
Gmeinder, Carl & Mary Wake, Jerry & Dorothy Koepp, Jim & Jan Keller. May, 1972 First
Parish Newsletter was published. This was
sent monthly to all parishioners, along with monthly envelopes and other pertinent
information. It was produced almost entirely
by Fr. Wiecki, Dottie LeClaire and Carole Stangler. At
a later time, the Parish held a contest and the name "AlberTimes" was selected
from Wayne Zeman's winning entry. September 10, 1972 Holy
Angels Youth Choir of Milwaukee present concert at St. Albert The Great Church. The 50-voice interracial choir sings gospel, rock,
folk and traditional music backed by guitar, drums, string bass, piano and flute. January, 1973 A
Mini-Marriage Encounter was conducted by Fr. Bud Satterlee, Director of Adult Education
for the Diocese of Madison. The day included
workshops, Liturgy and a dinner, which was prepared by Leone Davidson. Because it was Super Bowl Sunday, we feared we
would have poor attendance, however, the lower level of the Center was jam-packed. This program is still in existence and is now
called Table For Two. July 11, 1973 Fr.
Richard Lesniak was assigned to our Parish as Associate Pastor. September, 1973 23
families participated in our pilot PFRE (Parish Family Religious Education) program, which
was presented to the parish in spring of 1973 by Sr. Maureen Gallagher of the diocesan
religious education center. In 1974 PFRE
became parish-wide. In the
family program, one Sunday each month is set aside for lessons on a particular theme -
Penance, Eucharist, thanksgiving, creation - which is taught to children, adolescents and
adults on their levels. The family then
gathers for a joint project related to the theme and liturgical celebration. Parents
are taking a vital interest in the program since they are the prime teachers of their
children. The lessons are to be carried
through the month with suggestions given in a home-activity packet. December 6, 1973 Vocations
Committee. The newly formed committee met and
discussed future action including sending invitations to parish organizations to sponsor a
monthly mass for vocations. A monthly prayer
hour was recommended. Members were Fr.
Wiecki, Katie Wagner, Bea Hoffman and Sylvia Hewett. 1974 Teachers
appreciation dinner. It later turned into the parish-wide family picnic. Spring, 1975 This
began our tradition of serving hot cross buns on Palm Sunday. It was and continues to be made possible by the
generosity of Art & Margaret Schneider. They
were prepared and baked with the help of; Armella Anding, Sybilla Kuehn and Florence
Suchomel. March, 1975 Prairie
Heritage Quilters held their first Quilt Show at St. Alberts. The first contest was in 1977 and the first
two-day show and luncheon was in 1979. Arlene
Statz made and gave to St. Alberts a quilted altar cloth and banners, which were on
display at the show. Members: Klaudeen Hansen, Jean Sessions, Florence Suchomel,
Arlene Statz, Karen Franz and Lea Marble. June 4, 1975 Executive
Committee. Reviewed items to be discussed at
Parish Council meetings and drew up the agendas for publication prior to meeting dates. August 16, 1975 First
Parish Renewal Day held. This day consisted
of prayer, work and fun for the Parish Council and chairpersons of the Altar Society and
Men's Club, with spouses invited for liturgy and social. October, 1975 New
Rodgers organ. A fund drive and various
money-raising events were held to purchase a new organ.
A dedication concert and blessing of the organ was held with Kary Heyr as guest
organist. October, 1975 - "CAN DO" PROGRAM Organized
by Harold & Eileen Grimm. Its purpose was
to come up with a fund raising program for basic parish support. The committee was hand-picked and required full
cooperation and support of the staff and parish council.
Members of the committee were: Harold
& Eileen Grimm; Randall Reeks; Leo Wherley; Bob & Cathy Schuch; Mike & Ruth
Eberhardt; Jim Keller Sr.; Paul Kledzik; Dennis & Kathy Correll and Tom Bowen. After
three weeks of intense pledge recruitment after weekend Masses, volunteers personally went
to the homes of parishioners to gather the remaining pledges. It turned out to be a complete success and was
used for several years. December 2, 1975 Apostolic
Life Committee. Addressed a wide variety of
issues, some of which are "pro-life", "anti-abortion" and the
resettlement of a Vietnamese family. February 2, 1976 Anita
Barman hired as our first secretary. June 5, 1977 Bishop
Cletus F. O'Donnell of the Diocese of Madison celebrated Mass at the 10th anniversary of
the establishment of St. Albert the Great Parish Center.
Co-celebrants were Fr. Eugene Graham, Fr. Donald Wiecki, Fr. Richard Lesniak and
Fr. Bernard Pierick. The celebration included
a parish family picnic, volleyball, softball and races.
These events took place on the parish grounds.
Our parish now numbered 460 households. December 24, 1977 First
"Happy Birthday Jesus" Party. Featured
a special offering of gifts. Children of the
church brought up infant layette items, which were donated to Catholic relief services for
babies throughout the world. The special Mass
was planned by Fr. Lesniak, Associate Pastor, and Barb Haugen, Minister of Music and
Liturgy. The readings, singing and a play
were all done by the children. A birthday
cake was lit during Mass to commemorate Jesus' birthday.
After Mass, the parishioners followed Fr. Wiecki, carrying the lit cake, to the
lower level where it was shared by all. Construction
on the new addition begins. This consists of
six offices, two classrooms, an A.V. Library and storage space. Our parish now numbers 530 families. January, 1979 A
Liturgy of Thanksgiving & Blessing of the completion of the new addition to the Parish
Center. Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell was
principal co-celebrant and delivered the homily. Following the blessing was an open house
with coffee, cookies and punch served in the lower level.
Also, in conjunction with the open house, was a farewell party held for Fr.
Lesniak. January 18, 1979 Fr.
Lesniak transferred. February, 1979 Fr.
Curt Alvarez was named to help out. June, 1980 Celebration
of Fr. Wiecki's 22nd anniversary. October 10, 1980 Souvannasone
family arrived from Laos, sponsored by St. Albert the Great Parish through Catholic Social
Services. Parish Council member, Dottie
LeClaire, spearheaded the project to bring this family to America. The group had to have financial responsibility for
the family before they would be given visas for the United States. A committee was formed consisting of Pat & Jim
Nachtigal, general chairpersons; Lorraine Farron, education; Mary Davison, fund raising;
Bob & Jean Henseler, budget; Barbara Komoroske, health & social services; Dave
Luebke and Bud Zyduck, employment; Teryl Mullen, food, furniture & clothing; and Alice
Gill and Pat Streeter, transportation. Don
& Connie Lierman, Eileen & Harold Grimm and Roger & Dottie LeClaire completed
the committee. Funds
were raised through garage and donut sales, bingo, a stitchery party, Star Countryman
subscription drive and private donations. A
check for $1,000.00 from St. Albert's Men's Club helped the committee finally reach its
goal. The family initially stayed at the home
of Jack & Mary Davison until housing could be secured.
They became American Citizens on August 17, 1988.
The
three oldest children are out of high school and making plans for a better future in
America. Molly & Kit are engaged to be
married; Kit is attending the University of
Wisconsin at Platteville and Wally is currently attending MATC. The two younger children born in the United States
Valintip (Bobby) and Andrew, are in the Sun Prairie Schools. We thank them all for enriching our lives. June, 1981 Fr.
Wiecki transferred. A going away party was
held in his honor. June, 1981 Fr.
John (Bud) Satterlee assigned as Pastor. A
reception was held in his honor. October 4, 1981 On
the feast of St. Francis, Fr. Bud started the tradition of blessing our pets. November, 1981 St.
Alberts Gourmet Group had its first dinner. The
group prepared food specialties from all over the world.
Each dinner highlighted a country's cuisine. Organizers
were: Jeri Brown, Carol Carnine and Tammy Svoboda. Members
were: Tammy Svoboda, Marcy Ferriter, Jeri Brown, Carol Carnine, Gail Ringelstetter, Mary
Davison, Ellen Bowen, Anita Barman, Valerie Cappozzo, Lucy
Ashwill, Pat Thiesenhusen, Eileen
Grimm, Mary Rueping, Dottie Leclaire, Dolly Wagner, Jan Hanley, Kaye Samek, Joanne Pilch, Jewell Gibbs Substitute
members were: Barb Justl, Claudia Morrissey,
Cathy Schuch, Linda Sherman, Ida Stifter Fr.
Bud, Sister Corine and our spouses joined us for the dinner. November, 1981 Fr.
Curt Alvarez assigned Associate Pastor. May, 1982 Sr.
Corine Gund's 50th Jubilee celebration. Fr.
Bud escorted Sr. Corine into the church, where she was greeted by family, friends and
parishioners. The mass was concelebrated in
her honor followed by a "This is Your Life" program. A reception was then held in the lower level. June, 1982 St.
Albert's 15th anniversary celebration. We now
number 650 families. October, 1982 Bonnie
Knechtges replaced Anita Barman as parish secretary. June, 1983 A
Scholarship Fund was established in honor of Sister Corine. The first recipient was Margaret Veith. 1983 Sr.
Corine left. July, 1983 Sr.
Irene Dill is hired as our Pastoral Minister. October 16, 1983 A
new group was formed by Cathy Schuch and Eileen
Grimm. They were in charge of preparing and serving dinners for: Weddings, Cub Scouts,
Hockey, Knights of Columbus and other organizations.
The group named themselves the "Kitchen Witches". They purchased necessary items for the kitchen and
gave money to the church for whatever was needed. First
Co-Chair: Marian Jesberger and Kate
O'Malley; Secretary Treasurer: Vicky Buttitta.
The group numbered approximately 63. June, 1984 Fr.
Larry Bakke assigned Associate Pastor. October, 1984 Construction
of Albert House begins. A committee was
formed to oversee this project. Members are: John Michaelis - Chairman; Claudia Morrissey, Jim
Fowler, Bill Dziadosz, Orville Frank, Ed Ritter. This
building was a four unit apartment, which houses our priest(s), nun and, at different
times, various staff persons. The lower level
provides a casual meeting space, along with small kitchen facilities. April 28, 1985 Fr.
Bud, Fr. Larry and Sr. Irene moved into the completed Albert House. An open house was held shortly thereafter. 1986 Remodeled
altar area. Funds were donated in memory of
Sybilla Kuehn along with donations from various organizations. October, 1986 Irma
Quamme is hired to replace Bonnie Knechtges as parish secretary. 1987 Barb
Haugen resigned as Minister of Liturgy & Music. 1987-88 Mary
Dahl hired as Minister of Liturgy & Music. Celebration
of Fr. Bud's 25th anniversary. 1988 Gregg
Gernetzke hired as Director of Youth Ministry. Gregg
coordinates the Youth Ministry activities for Grades 7 thru 12, which include planning and
implementing programs for Religious Education, Confirmation, Retreats and Sexuality. Part of his work is enlisting, training and
enabling volunteer support as well as facilitating leadership development among teens. He is also involved with our Middle School and
Senior High Youth Councils on both local and Diocesan levels in planning such events such
as Youth Rally's and Leadership Seminars. Usually 400-600 youth attend these events. Working
with the Youth Council he coordinates and helps plan social events and service
opportunities for teens in the community. He
also serves on various committees as a clergy support person in areas of community
development in the school district, i.e., Business Education Partnership, Health Advisory
Committee, etc.. He is always working to
develop ministries where youth are helping youth and recently helped launch the
"Project Grow Right" program. This
is a summer program enabling area churches, businesses and teens to support, learn and
grow towards alleviating hunger in our own community by planting and growing gardens with
other area youth. Gregg
also works as a staff support person helping with Summer Faith, RCIA, I Can Cope and
various areas where collaborative ministry is
needed. 1988 Patti
Sensenbrenner hired as Director of Religious Education. The
levels of faith formation which Patti coordinates include service to both children and
adults in a myriad of programs. A major area
of her focus is children's religious education including FRE, Summer Faith and sacramental
preparation for First Eucharist and First Reconciliation.
With a host of volunteers, quality formation opportunities are offered throughout
the year. A second area of responsibility is
the coordination of our RCIA program and other forms of adult enrichment. For many years, Patti's generous ministry has
stretched beyond specific program areas to service to the entire faith community as a
member of the staff. 1988-89 Debby
Kremer hired as Minister of Liturgy & Music. 1989-90 Chris
Faltiesack hired as Minister of Liturgy & Music. October, 1989 Sandy
Schulz started as a Children's Choir volunteer director.
In August, 1993, she became part-time
staff director of the Children's Choir, Young Adult Musicians and the Albertsingers. June,
1990 Sr.
Irene Dill left. A "going away"
party was held in her honor. Sr.
Rosie's main responsibility is outreach ministries to the sick and suffering in their
homes, the hospitals and nursing homes. Much
of her time is spent dealing with social justice concerns, such as providing information
and/or finding available sources for the poor and needy of St. Albert's and the Sun
Prairie Community. Sr. Rosie helps to
coordinate some of our ministries such as the scheduling of our generous volunteers for
the Sun Prairie Emergency Food Pantry (SPEFP), Willows, Prayer Circle, Home Cooked Meals,
Funeral Meals, etc.. Much of the time is
spent in 'telephone ministry" when personal contact is not possible. In short, Sr. Rosie aims to bring God's presence
and love to the members of St. Albert The Great Parish. July, 1990 Don
Kometz hired as Director of Liturgy & Music. The
main thrust of his ministry is to enable as many people as he can to participate more
fully in the liturgical and musical life of the parish.
Music, environment, lector, hospitality, eucharistic minister, altar server and
catechist are only some of the areas he touches in his ministry as full-time staff member. Don's
constant dream is to involve more and more people in the many avenues of expression of
love for the liturgy and the prayer life of St. Albert the Great Parish. 1990 - "GROWING SPACE FOR GROWING
FAITH" Committee
was formed to evaluate the needs of the parish. September, 1991 Fr.
Bud transferred. A reception was held in his
honor. September 11, 1991 Fr.
Richard Leffler was assigned Associate Pastor. September 11, 1991 Fr.
Larry Bakke named as Pastor. June, 1992 Fr.
Richard Leffler was transferred. August, 1993 Reverend
Francis G. Hilton, S.J., known to us as "Father Hank" came to St. Albert's. At the time he arrived, he had been in the Jesuits
for 12 years and had been a priest for one year. Father
Hank came to Wisconsin to pursue his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's
Institute for Environmental Studies. On
leaving Sun Prairie he will return to the Jesuits'
New York Province to resume his teaching ministry. He
will also continue to grapple with energy/environment/economic development issues -- both
in his teaching and research and in his work as a consultant and technical advisor to
governments and corporations. While at St.
Albert's, Fr. Hank has helped with the Masses and other celebrations. He has also given the Spiritual Exercises to a
large group of parishioners. September 13, 1993 Growing
Space For Growing Faith. Contracted Bob
McCabe, Capital Fund Development, to organize
pledge fund drive. Bonnie Knechtges is hired
part-time as Campaign Secretary. The
General Chairman was Tom Hanley; Campaign Steering Committee Members were: Larry Berberet,
James Bricker, Leisa Collins-Clubine, Bob Henseler, Kevin Noskowiak, Jim Oehrlein,
Terry Weisensel and Bill Morrissey. The Audit
Committee consisted of Larry Berberet and Bonnie Knechtges. December 17, 1993 Capital
Fund Development's contract ended. The
campaign audit showed a total of $1,375,012.50 in pledges from 484 donors. A total of 144 volunteers served in the campaign. June, 1995 Fr.
Bud invited to return when he was placed on medical leave. September, 1995 Donn
Heiar, a member of our parish, left to enter the Seminary at Mundelein, Illinois. April 14, 1996
The
day was very cloudy and cold with brisk winds when The Most Reverend William Bullock,
Bishop of the Diocese of Madison, Father Larry Bakke, Pastor of St. Albert's, Fr. John
(Bud) Satterlee, former pastor, Sister Rosilda (Rosie) Thiel, Mayor JoAnn Orfan, the
Building Committee, a representative of the Vogel Construction Company and many
parishioners turned over the first shovels of dirt on the spot where our new church will
be built. June 15, 1996 Father
John (Bud) Satterlee went home to his heavenly Father after a long and painful bout with
cancer. What a sad day for us, but a happy
day for Father Bud. We will miss him greatly. His funeral was held on Tuesday, June 18, 1996 at
St. Albert's, burial at Sacred Hearts Cemetery in Sun Prairie. Relatives, clergy, and old and new friends from
throughout the Diocese came to reminisce and celebrate his life. A reception, which he had planned, was held at the
Round Table (K.C. Hall). We served 426
guests. In addition to the menu Fr. Bud had
requested, many parishioners brought food as an expression of their love for him. From
Fr. Bud's Family: To all of you here at St. Albert's: We are overwhelmed by your generosity, care
and concern for Fr. Bud and to us during this time of his final illness. He was so happy to be able to come
"home" again to St. Albert's. Thank
you for receiving him so warmly. Thanks also
for the deluge of food and memorial gifts brought for his funeral. His St. Albert's "Family" will always
have a special place in our hearts.
In Humble gratitude, Fr. Bud's Family October 13, 1996 Packer
Backer Tractor Raffle was established as a fund raiser for the new church. November, 1996 Tracey
Hensen, Public Relations & Special Events, and Tom Brogan, maintenance, were hired. November 15, 1996 (St. Albert's Feast Day) Father Hank asked permission to celebrate the first Mass
in our new building even though it was far from complete.
Our 8:30 Mass group gathered in the unfinished, cool and dark Day Chapel. You would have to go a long way to find a more
excited group. Fr. Hank's comment on the new
building on completion of the liturgy was "it works". December 6, 1996 Irma
Quamme retired as Secretary. Ray Spence,
maintenance, also retired. Bonnie Knechtges
moved up into the full-time secretary position and Tom Brogan became full-time
maintenance. December 8, 1996 The
Christmas Craft Sale was held for the first time. January 5, 1997 Father
Hank Hilton left us to take a teaching position at Loyola University at Baltimore,
Maryland. March 21, 1997 The
new organ was donated by parishioner Ken McCarville. May 8, 1997 Presentation
of the Twinning Program was made to the Council. Barb
Justl spent a week in Haiti doing Missionary work and as a result, the Twinning Program
was introduced to St. Albert's Parish. Official
kick-off for the Twinning endeavor will be in September. |
