St. Nicholas Parish is a Roman Catholic community rooted in the rural landscape of Freedom, Wisconsin, in Outagamie County, where the church, school, and parish offices share a single campus at the intersection of County Road S and County Road E. The parish brings together neighboring families from across the Fox Cities region for daily Mass, religious education from first grade through eleventh, two distinct youth ministries, a parish school, and a full sacramental life centered on the Eucharist. Father Bosco Aruldoss, MF, serves as pastor.
The Mission of St. Nicholas
The parish carries a plain-spoken mission: "We, the people of Saint Nicholas Parish, through our loving relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to ourselves, our children, and the world. We share the Good News of Jesus Christ through the Word of God, the Sacraments, and service by the power of the Holy Spirit and as part of the Roman Catholic Church."
That mission is being lived out under Bishop Ricken's pastoral letter, Parishes: Called to be Holy, Fully Engaged, Fully Alive, which calls disciples to a New Evangelization - starting with personal growth in faith and moving into the wider community "in deed and word."
Masses Throughout the Week
Mass is offered six days a week. On Saturdays, the vigil Mass begins at 4:00 pm; on Sundays, Masses are at 7:30 am and 9:30 am. Weekday Masses are Tuesday at 5:45 pm and Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 8:15 am. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated on Saturdays from 3:00 to 3:30 pm, or by appointment by calling Father Bosco.
The Saturday 4:00 pm and Sunday 9:30 am Masses are livestreamed on YouTube and remain available to watch afterward. Mass intentions may be scheduled through the Parish Office, and parishioners may also arrange to provide the bread, wine, and sanctuary candle used at Mass in memory of loved ones or for special occasions.
The Seven Sacraments
St. Nicholas offers all seven sacraments of the Catholic Church: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders.
- Baptism. Infant baptisms are arranged through the Discipleship Office at least 60 days in advance and require participation in a parish preparation program. Adults and children over age seven enter a baptismal preparation program and are typically baptized at the Easter Vigil.
- Confirmation. For high school students, Confirmation is normally conferred during the junior year, after completion of a preparation program that includes a retreat, classes, a service project, and meetings with a sponsor. Adult Confirmation classes are offered, with the sacrament celebrated at a Diocesan Confirmation offered twice a year.
- Eucharist. First Communion is celebrated in second grade, with preparation through New Evangelization or St. Nicholas School. Older children and adults enter the OCIA process.
- Penance. Saturday confession is offered from 3:00 to 3:30 pm or by appointment by calling Father Bosco at 920-750-8471.
- Anointing of the Sick. The parish offers this sacrament at designated Masses in the spring and fall, and individually by calling Father Bosco.
- Matrimony. Weddings are scheduled at least six months in advance. Couples contact the Parish Office for church availability.
- Holy Orders. The parish welcomes men discerning a call to priesthood or diaconate.
Religious Education from First Grade to Eleventh
The Discipleship Office, led by Jennifer Jochman, coordinates a religious education program for youth in grades 1 through 11. Office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, Thursday after Mass from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, and Wednesday evenings during religious education from 4:15 to 8:30 pm, plus by appointment.
Elementary students (grades 1-4) meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month from 5:30 to 6:45 pm, with the 1st and 3rd Wednesday as a home-based program. Busing is not provided for elementary children. Middle school students (grades 5-8) gather every Wednesday from 5:30 to 6:45 pm. High school students (grades 9-11) meet Wednesdays from 7:15 to 8:30 pm.
First Communion preparation begins in first grade. Confirmation preparation begins in ninth grade and includes Faith in Action service opportunities aligned with the mission of the Church. The parish maintains a curriculum of home lessons for each grade, organized around the liturgical year.
HYPE and 3:6TEEN
Two distinct youth ministries serve the parish's young people.
HYPE is the middle school program, organized around community, social events, service projects, and prayer. Its patrons are Blessed Carlo Acutis - a young person known for his love of the Eucharist and his use of computer skills to spread the Gospel - and Pope St. John Paul II. HYPE also hosts Love Begins Here, a middle school youth mission within the Green Bay Diocese that emphasizes "doing small things with great love" right in the local community. Adult volunteers are welcome.
3:6TEEN is the high school program, designed to help teens grow lasting friendships, come to know Jesus on a personal level, and become missionary disciples. The program sends text updates by texting 36TEEN to 84576. Both ministries highlight young examples of saintly living - Blessed Carlo Acutis, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Dominic Savio, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, Blessed Chiara Luce Badano, St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and others - as encouragement that "you are never too young to start living as a saint."
Family Opportunities: Camp Tekakwitha and the Walk to Mary
Families are encouraged to take part in two regional traditions promoted through the parish. Camp Tekakwitha, a diocesan summer camp in the Green Bay Diocese, offers an outdoor adventure program rooted in Catholic community. The parish also promotes the Walk to Mary, an annual diocesan pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help with route options of 21 miles, 14 miles, 7 miles, or 1.7 miles. The walk is a popular opportunity for families to spend a day praying together.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA and Cursillo
For adults seeking full communion with the Catholic Church, the parish offers the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA). The OCIA team meets weekly from September through Easter with those who are unbaptized or baptized in another Christian tradition. Candidates are welcomed into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass and receive the Sacraments of Initiation. The preparation program centers on discernment, prayer, and growth in knowledge of Christianity and Catholic teaching.
The parish also hosts the Cursillo movement through the Diocese of Green Bay, an opportunity for adults to deepen their faith in a small Christian community.
Adult Discipleship and The Search
For adults and young adults, the parish runs Discipleship Small Groups built around video study programs. The Search, a seven-week Lenten series examining the basic questions of life, has been offered across four small group times - Tuesday morning with snacks, Tuesday evening with a meal, and two Wednesday evening slots. Materials are supplied free of charge through the generosity of the Bishop's Appeal and the One by One campaign. Other adult faith formation opportunities are listed under Adult and Young Adult Opportunities.
Serving at the Altar: Liturgical Ministries
The parish invites parishioners to take on a liturgical ministry as a way of fulfilling their baptismal call to service. The list is long: Worship Committee, Sacristans, Communion Ministers (including ministers who bring communion to the homebound), Song Leaders and Cantors, Musicians (organists and pianists), Mass Choir Members, Funeral Choir Members, Ushers, Hospitality Greeters, Servers (training begins in fifth grade), and Children's Liturgy of the Word Catechists and Assistants (for children ages 3 through 8).
Less visible roles include Seasonal Decoration Helpers for Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter; Prayer Chain volunteers; Rosary Leaders; Sister Sandy's Prayer Shawl Ministry, which knits and crochets shawls, lap robes, and baby blankets (a blanket is made for every child baptized at St. Nicholas); the Widow's Group, meeting on the last Thursday of the month at 1:30 pm in the Notre Dame Room; and Office Helpers. A defined dress code of business casual attire is in place for liturgical ministers, and scheduling is handled through Ministry Scheduler Pro.
St. Nicholas Catholic School
Sharing the campus is St. Nicholas Catholic School, an elementary school serving parish and area families. Kimberlee Miller serves as principal. The School Advisory Committee - which includes Father Judah Pigon, parish trustees, parents, and school leadership - meets monthly to support and advise the Catholic identity of the school.
Stewardship and the SCRIP Program
St. Nicholas grounds its stewardship in the three Ts - Time, Talent, and Treasure - and encourages parishioners to use their gifts in service to one another, whether as a greeter, lector, catechist, musician, or committee member. The parish offers automatic giving through an EFT authorization form, and online giving is available through the parish's giving page. Contributions are confidential and tax-deductible as allowed by law.
The SCRIP gift card program is a long-standing fundraiser. Parishioners purchase gift cards from over 600 retailers at face value, and a portion of each purchase can either be returned to the purchaser or designated to an area within St. Nicholas Parish. SCRIP is available for purchase after every weekend Mass in St. Therese Hall and on Thursdays from 2:00 to 4:00 pm in the parish office.
The Parish Cemetery and Columbarium
St. Nicholas maintains its own parish cemetery, governed by the Cemetery Committee under the leadership of Father Bosco, Deacon Gary Vanness, and Sexton Terry VanHoof. The cemetery includes a Common Infant Burial Site, where a burial ceremony is held twice a year for couples who have experienced the loss of an infant; Father Bosco accompanies these families. The parish also maintains a columbarium for inurnment, with inscription forms and monument rules available through the parish.
Fall Fest, WinterFest, and the Golf Outing
The parish anchors its community life around a few recurring events. The Family Fall Fest is a Sunday of kids' games, a bounce house, bingo, a craft raffle, food, live music, and a pickleball tournament with beginner and experienced divisions. WinterFest is the parish's annual auction night, held each winter in the Fellowship Hall, with an online silent auction option for those who cannot attend in person. The St. Nicholas Community Golf Outing takes place each summer at Fox Valley Golf Club. The parish also participates in the broader Freedom Countryfest.
Leadership, Councils, and the Parish Campus
Father Bosco Aruldoss, MF, is pastor. Deacon Gary Vanness assists. The parish staff includes Kimberlee Miller (School Principal), Marny Clark (Youth Ministry & Adult Education), Jennifer Jochman (Discipleship Lead), Nikki Van Handel (Business Manager), Lisa Kater (Discipleship Secretary), Jill Carey (Parish Secretary), and Paul Mattek (Facilities Coordinator).
Parishioner-led councils and committees include the Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Hospitality Committee, Living Justice Committee, School Advisory Committee, Stewardship Committee, Worship Committee, Cemetery Committee, and Building & Grounds Committee. Trustees are Seth Ponschock (Secretary Trustee) and Will VanRossum (Trustee Treasurer). The Living Justice Committee works to promote social concerns and community engagement, and the Stewardship Committee fosters prayer, service, and sharing as expressions of gratitude.
Volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults are required by the Diocese of Green Bay to complete a VIRTUS - Protecting God's Children session and an online background check. The parish Safe Environment Coordinator can be reached at lsantiago@stnicholasfreedom.org.
The parish offices sit alongside the church and school at the intersection of County Road S and County Road E. Arriving visitors are asked to stop at Door 1 and ring the school or parish office to be admitted. The parish office is open Monday and Tuesday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Wednesday and Thursday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and closed on Friday; the offices are also closed on Wednesday and Friday during the summer.