Unless I'm being paid to play, I only go to mass when dragged kicking and screaming by my Catholic Chief of Staff. I'm not what you would call a "good Catholic." I'm not even a good Buddhist for that matter. But I do like good music, a good homily (it's so much like a good lecture, so it's a career skill that I learn from good podium speakers, and don't you think priests should use background Powerpoints and pause for questions?), and historic places. The church is beautiful Romanesque Revival style with some NeoGothic touches, majestic stained glass, and wonderful acoustics. Interestingly there's little of the history of the parish on their website but it's well described in the National Registry of Historic Places. The oldest part is the convent, tracing back to the start of the parish by German immigrants in the late 19th century. I highly recommend the chapters on German immigration in "The Making of Milwaukee" by John Gurda, it's a PBS documentary.
The best aspect of this parish is that while other Catholic masses are relaxing COVID19 precautions in another surge, this parish has a dedicated mask required mass for those of us who truly value all human life. Also in the plus column, the priest giving the homily was passionate, articulate, with good timing. Of course this is based on Christmas Mass when they all give it their best, but I suspect this padre is always delivering well. The music was exceptional, organ and two sopranos. Or maybe a soprano and a tenor. Yes, now that I think about it, my Chief of Staff was the other soprano and not part of the choir above us. Ushers are attentive and spry, the area parking isn't bad. read more