History of Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish
Parish Roots Remembered
As told by Loretta Doll-Hanley
In 1879, local Catholics asked La Crosse’s second bishop, Kilian Flasch, for permission to build a church in the village of Wauzeka, near the southern edge of Crawford County. (The fifteen-mile journey to Prairie du Chien for Mass was three hours by horse and buggy or sleigh.) Bishop Flasch consented—provided they could raise the needed funds. Joseph Doll, Sr. spent many winter hours riding horseback to farmers’ homes seeking contributions. By spring, he had $500 and promises to help. A skilled carpenter, Bruno Meyer, fashioned the altar and pews and aided the construction. Farm families provided his household with food for months so he could keep his pledge to donate all his labor. A bell tower and sacristy were added some years later.
Humble Beginnings
The first Mass in Sacred Heart of Jesus Church was celebrated February 6, 1881 by Rev. John Jutz, S.J. (the first of more than fifteen Jesuit priests to pastor her until 1923.) Bishop Flasch formally dedicated the church and confirmed sixty of its young people on September 25, 1882. A list of the men among the first parishioners indicates that 24 were English speaking, 15 spoke Bohemian (or Czech), 5 German, and 5 French. In that era, Loretta Doll-Hanley relates, “We arrived in church smelling like horses and so did everyone else.”
In the late 1930’s, the church’s altar, Gothic windows, Roman arch were remolded in the Colonial style. A sacristy was built in 1946 for the first resident pastor. Further church renovations (including removing the choir loft) were done in 1974. In 2003, the Cor Jesu [“Heart of Jesus”] Parish Center was completed. Each fall, the parish served its “Smorgasbord” (defined as a feast including at least three meats.) This long-standing tradition was kept the fourth Sunday of October until 2018.
