Saint Andrew and Saint Thomas churches in Tennyson and Potosi have played significant roles in many community members' lives. These two churches hold rich history and are each a community where members are able to deepen their relationship with Christ. Despite the major history of the parishes, the mission to evangelize others in the community never stops, which allows for new changes.
St. Thomas church in Potosi was established in 1836 by Father Samuel Mazzuchelli. St. Thomas is the oldest continuously used church in Wisconsin. St. Andrew church in Tennyson was established in 1846 by German speaking immigrants. St. Andrew opened the first Catholic school in Wisconsin in 1847. The St. Andrew High School opened in 1922 and closed in 1962.
St. Andrew and St. Thomas churches were both originally built as log cabin churches and were later renovated. In 1970 they came together to form the SS Andrew-Thomas Parish.
In recent years, Bishop Donald Hying, who is the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Madison, established a plan to increase the falling number of church-goers in South-Central Wisconsin. Bishop Hying’s strategic plan consisted of “Go Make Disciples” and “Into The Deep”, both initiatives used to evangelize and grow the pastorates now and in years to come. This plan would mean that physical, financial, and human resources would have to be realigned for the success of the mission.
One major realignment was the change that merged 120 parishes into 30 pastorates, which allowed the priests to work together as teams. The SS Andrew-Thomas Parish was merged into the Saint Joseph the Worker Pastorate with six other churches, including St. Charles Borromeo in Cassville, St. Clement in Lancaster, St. John in Patch Grove, St. Mary in Bloomington, and St. Mary in Glen Haven. This allowed for three priests to cover these towns and work together to evangelize. One pastorate member shared their insight into this change: “Since the merging, I have seen a deepening and enlivening in faith in people that I haven’t seen in years because of evangelization”. This pastorate also includes four Catholic schools and two daycare centers, including St. Clements in Lancaster, SS Andrew-Thomas in Potosi, St. Charles in Cassville, and Saint Marys in Bloomington. Daycare centers include Little Saints in Potosi and Little Chargers in Cassville.
In one year, from October 2022 to October 2023, masses were reduced by 21%; however 7,000 more people attended mass throughout the Diocese, showing the mission was successful and will continue to be. One pastorate member mentioned that the future of the pastorate will energize the mission by bringing people together. Another member mentioned how “It has been a positive change because I'm finding a livelihood of faith among other parishes and getting to meet and see how other parishes are working together to get connected by growing our church.”
If you or someone you know is interested in joining a thriving faith community, the St. Joseph the Worker Pastorate has a new Faith Evangelization Coordinator to welcome you. Leigh Boorn has been working with each parish to help connect hundreds of parishioners in the newly formed pastorate, helping to inflame the mission of the faith.
The merging of the six South-Western Wisconsin parishes into one pastorate, the St. Joseph the Worker Pastorate, is already proving to be successful. Those of deep faith share their faith with a larger group of parishioners, lovingly supporting each other, whether at masses, Fall Festivals, or other pastorate events. There is strength in numbers; just as Jesus brought together His family of twelve apostles, so too has the St. Joseph the Worker Pastorate brought together six parishes as one family.