History of St. Olaf

In 1948, 28 families gathered together with Father Nicholas Schneider (organizer and first pastor) to give their support to establishing a church in DeForest. A portable altar was set up on the stage of the Norway Theatre and the first Mass was offered on July 11, 1948.

The congregation moved to the Opera House Building on June 18, 1950. After much cleaning and renovating, this facility became the temporary home of the growing parish. Fr. Schneider was replaced by Fr. Ziegler in June, 1952 and a site for a permanent parish center became a reality with the purchase of land parcels from the Willard Schumann Estate. St. Olaf became the first newly established parish of Bishop O’Connor’s Episcopate. In 1956, Fr. William De Bock became the first resident pastor and a rectory was built on Holum Street in 1957.

Upon its completion, the parish center facilities included four classrooms; an all-purpose room used for liturgical, social, and athletic functions; a kitchen and a chapel; so that later the structure could be used as a parochial school. Bishop O’Connor provided a personal gift of a hand-carved statue of St. Olaf. The first Mass in the new building was said on Easter Sunday in 1963.

A building committee was formed in 1972 and with the backing of the more than 300 families, the building of a new church and rectory became a reality. The first Mass was said on Thanksgiving Day of that year.

The Golden Jubilee Year was celebrated in 1998. It was during this time that Fr. Wankerl remodeled the interior of the parish church and also guided the parish in the construction of the addition to the parish center that created more office space for a growing staff and community. It was also during this time that the resident pastor was to serve another parish – St. Joseph in East Bristol.

St. Olaf Parish is presently guided by Fr. Jared Holzhuter.