St. Bernadette Catholic Parish |
We are a welcoming Catholic faith community.God must be at the center of our lives. We acknowledge there are many struggles and problems that we are facing in our personal lives, in the communities in which we live, and in the entire world.
However, we are reminded of a simple truth that many of us learned long ago in our Catholic educational experience: that we must place God at the forefront of our lives. If God is not at the center of who we are, then it means we have placed something or someone else in the place that is to be reserved only for God. At St. Bernadette Catholic Parish, we know that God is working through every one of us to accomplish the larger mission of Jesus Christ in our world today. We are disciples of the Lord Jesus. With Jesus at the center of our lives, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.
Thank you for taking time to learn more about us and how we are partnering together to do Jesus' work! Contact one of our parish staff members to learn more about our ministries. |
Our wonderful, dedicated staff...
Fr. Gregory Greiten
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Theresa Moniot Olivares
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Mark Mrozek
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Diane Govern
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Jim Neuner
Dir. of Administrative Services 414-365-2020 ext. 302
Picture not available Phillip Aller
Facilities Manager 414-358-4600 ext. 142
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Linda Radder, AGNP, MSN, BSN, SAC, MFT-IT
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St. Bernadette: Our Patron, Our InspirationFeast Day: April 16
Bernadette Soubirous was born at Lourdes, France, in 1844. Her parents were very poor and she herself was in poor health. On Thursday, February 11, 1858, when she was sent with her younger sister and a friend to gather firewood, a very beautiful Lady appeared to her above a rose bush in a grotto called Massabielle. The lovely Lady was dressed in blue and white. She smiled at Bernadette and then made the sign of the cross with a rosary of ivory and gold. Bernadette fell on her knees, took out her own rosary, and began to pray. The beautiful Lady was the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appeared to Bernadette seventeen other times and spoke with her. She told Bernadette that she should pray, do penance, and have a chapel built there in her honor. Many people did not believe Bernadette when she spoke of her vision. She had to suffer much. But one day Our Lady told Bernadette to dig in the mud. As she did, a spring of water began to flow. The next day it continued to grow larger and larger. Many miracles happened when people began to use this water. When Bernadette was older, she became a nun. She was always very humble. More than anything else, she desired not to be praised. Once a nun asked her if she had temptations of pride because she was favored by the Blessed Mother. "How can I?" she answered quickly. "The Blessed Virgin chose me only because I was the most ignorant." Bernadette died on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35. Since her death, her body has remained internally incorrupt. The chapel where she lies in state continues to be a pilgrimage site for many faithful. |
Our heritage: A story of faith
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When Archbishop Albert G. Meyer purchased the St. Bernadette property from Joseph Spartz in July 1957, he surely could not have imagined the faith our Catholic parish could bring to our community. Saint Bernadette Catholic Parish continues to serve the northwest communities of Milwaukee and its surrounding areas as a welcoming place of prayer and worship.
The formation of St. Bernadette Parish was announced in June 1958 and Fr. John Arens was appointed our first pastor. We have had a total of six pastors throughout our history, each with a unique and sacred calling through which he has served our parish. We have come a long way from the first Mass, which was celebrated in a tent on July 13, 1958. The tent was used for Sunday Mass from July through October 1958, after which cold weather required moving Sunday liturgies to neighboring St. Catherine Church. We still host a tent mass during our festival weekend to remember these moments of our heritage. The simple ways people gathered for the sacraments continues to inspire us to come together as one parish in service to one another. In the first six months, our parish grew to 446 families. Our parish members and friends throughout our history have made a great impact on our space. We have continued to build to meet the needs. We invite you to come see our space, which has great spiritual meaning to us. Sit near our outdoor grotto to pray. It has been an inspiration to many since it was built in 1961. Take a moment before our Marian mosaic. It is a stunning piece that once adorned the inside of our church, but is now hanging outside so all passersby in the neighborhood can appreciate its blessing and beauty. Come early to Mass (or stay afterwards) in our beautiful gathering area or lobby entryway, which serve as a great places to gather with friends and neighbors. We know that 20, 50, 100 years from now, St. Bernadette parishioners, neighbors, and friends will be remembering how we served our community, and how we came together in prayer and to share the sacraments. They will remember how our church contributed to raising our children and revered the wisdom of our elders. We are empowered to do great ministry today and we have great faith in our future. 
Click on the logo to go to our Photos page and view the photos from our 50th anniversary celebration.
Click here to view the worship aid from our 50th anniversary tent Mass, which contains more information on our history. 
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Sit and pray by our outdoor grotto
Church-goers gather after Mass in our spacious entryway
In 1960, Father John Arens commissioned Conrad Schmitt Studios Inc. to design the mosaic. It hung on the back wall of the altar in the original worship area. Later, it adorned the wall of the shrine of the Blessed Mother, on the right side of the sanctuary. After the creation of our new worship area, the panel was hung outside, to the left of the front entrance, where you see it today.
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