Two Campuses, One Parish
St. Vincent Pallotti Parish anchors the religious life of families on Milwaukee's near west side through two worship sites that are less than two miles apart. The West Church sits at 201 North 76th Street, and the East Church stands at 5424 West Bluemound Road, the former Holy Cross building. The parish office is located at the West Church site, where calls ring into 414-453-5344 on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Together the two campuses form a single community of disciples "nourished by the Eucharist, caring for each other, and reaching out to others."
The parish motto, set in the language of its patron saint, reads: "The Love of Christ Urges Us On." Members live that phrase out through daily Mass on both campuses, a K4-8 parish school, sacramental preparation at every age, and a calendar that fills the year with feast days, processions, blood drives, and a neighborhood picnic behind the East Church.
A Parish Born from Two Older Communities
The history of St. Vincent Pallotti Parish begins as a small country church in 1879. That original congregation, Holy Cross Parish, was joined in 1923 by St. Anthony of Padua, a second nearby community serving the same west-side neighborhood. In 1998 the two parishes merged to form the present-day St. Vincent Pallotti Parish, and both worship sites were kept as active churches, now known simply as the West Church and the East Church. The parish also retains St. Vincent Pallotti School, a K4-8 institution that grew out of the same Catholic school tradition. The merger of the two older parishes is part of the reason the West and East campuses each retain a distinct identity within a single parish family.
The Pallottine Fathers and Brothers, a Catholic religious congregation, are the community's shepherds. The Pallottines (formally the Society of the Catholic Apostolate, or SAC) have staffed St. Vincent Pallotti and its predecessor parishes for many years and continue that ministry today. The current pastor, Father Thomas Pulikkeel-Chacko, known to the parish as Father Tom PC, is a Pallottine priest ordained in 2005 and a native of Kerala, the southern Indian state often called "God's Own Country." He also serves as pastor of the partner parish of St. Therese at 9525 West Bluemound Road.
Mass at the West and East Churches
Mass is celebrated every day of the week, with weekend liturgies split between the two worship sites.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. at the West Church.
- Sunday: 7:30 a.m. at the East Church and 10:30 a.m. at the West Church.
- Monday: 6:25 a.m. at the East Church.
- Tuesday: 12:00 noon at the West Church.
- Wednesday: 6:25 a.m. at the East Church.
- Thursday: 12:00 noon at the West Church.
- Friday: 6:25 a.m. at the East Church.
The Holy Rosary is prayed before weekend Masses, with the rosary at 5:00 p.m. Saturday at the West Church and at 7:00 a.m. Sunday at the East Church. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is offered on Saturday from 3:15 to 3:45 p.m. at the West Church and on Sunday from 6:45 to 7:15 a.m. at the East Church. Children in second grade and older may prepare for First Reconciliation through the parish religious education program or the day school.
Mass is also broadcast on the parish's YouTube channel. Recordings of recent Sunday liturgies, such as the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, are kept available for viewing after the live stream ends.
The Sacramental Life
Sacraments are at the heart of parish life, and the parish provides preparation at every age and stage. Baptism welcomes infants and adults into the Christian community through the waters of new birth and the Trinitarian formula. Parents and godparents meet with parishioners beforehand to walk through the meaning of the sacrament and the family's place in the parish. First Eucharist is offered to children in second grade and above who have completed at least two years of religious education or day-school formation. Adults preparing to become Catholic prepare through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). Confirmation is celebrated in the parish for high school juniors who have completed the ninth- and tenth-grade religious education requirements; Catholic high school students may have different requirements and are encouraged to call the parish office.
The Sacrament of Marriage is prepared with the priest and parish members over a period of nine to twelve months, so couples are asked to contact the parish office as soon as a wedding date is in view. The Blessing of the Sick is available to anyone facing serious illness or surgery, not only those near death, and may be received more than once as a person's health changes. Anyone interested in any of these sacraments is invited to call the parish office at 414-453-5344.
The Patron Saint and Parish Mission
St. Vincent Pallotti (1795-1850), the Roman priest for whom the parish is named, taught that every human being is a mirror of God, worthy of reverence and love. Throughout his life he worked to relieve the suffering of those around him, and the parish carries that conviction forward in its own ministry.
The parish mission statement gathers the community's purpose in a single paragraph: "We are united in sharing the Good News of Salvation. In the spirit of our patron saint, 'the love of Christ urges us on.' We respond as an evangelizing people when we celebrate liturgy, share our gifts and blessings, and live the Gospel in our care for others. We provide opportunities and education for lifelong spiritual growth for our members and community." The Pallottine charism of the laity, called the Union of the Catholic Apostolate, shapes this mission and gives the parish its distinctive vocabulary of apostolic service.
A K4-8 School at the Heart of the Parish
St. Vincent Pallotti School serves students from four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade on the parish grounds. The school describes itself as offering "excellent, diverse educational opportunities to the community" where students are inspired and lives are changed. It is supported by parish families, an annual pancake breakfast fundraiser, school supply drives each fall, and an active volunteer base. Older graduates frequently move on to local Catholic high schools, and the parish notes that students preparing for Confirmation at Catholic high schools may follow slightly different sacramental requirements than those in the parish religious education program.
The school also takes part in parish life in a visible way: students learn about St. Vincent Pallotti from the Pallottine fathers, the choir and handbell choir bring student voices into the liturgy, and school families join the larger parish community for feast day celebrations, the community picnic, and the annual cookie, craft, and book sale.
Committees that Shape Parish Life
The work of the parish is carried forward through a Joint Pastoral Council and six standing committees. The Joint Pastoral Council, made up of members from both St. Vincent Pallotti and partner parish St. Therese, develops Catholic identity, promotes evangelization, and fosters stewardship across the combined community.
- Buildings and Grounds cares for the physical condition of parish property.
- Finance Council advises the pastor on budgets, audits, and internal controls.
- Prayer and Worship nourishes the liturgical life of the parish and looks for ways to deepen faith through prayer.
- Christian Formation oversees sacramental preparation, religious education, adult and family ministry, youth ministry, and the parish school.
- Human Concerns discerns the needs of the parish and wider community, especially the poor, and identifies resources to meet them.
- Stewardship keeps the parish's call to share time, talent, and treasury a constant, lived reality.
The Pastoral Council is led by Chairperson Art Nennig, Vice Chairperson Brett Surinak, and Secretary Jennifer Tierney. Trustees for the parish are Lenny Schaefer and Christopher Gauthier, with the latter two trustees from partner parish St. Therese.
A Year of Celebrations and Service
The parish calendar is full but rooted in the rhythms of the liturgical year. Major celebrations include the Feast of St. Vincent Pallotti on January 18, marked by a 10:00 a.m. Mass at the West Church followed by a potluck luncheon in the Parish Center, with a nine-day novena leading up to it. Lent brings weekly Stations of the Cross, an annual Lenten Mission, a Holy Thursday soup and bread supper, and the full Easter Triduum. Corpus Christi is celebrated jointly with St. Therese and the local Syro Malabar Mission, with a procession from the West Church through the streets to St. Therese, ending in prayer and a fellowship lunch. All Saints Day, the Assumption, the Immaculate Conception, and Thanksgiving each have their own special Masses, and the Thanksgiving Eve service is held jointly with neighboring Lutheran congregations at Nativity Lutheran Church.
Community life beyond the sanctuary includes an annual Community Picnic behind the East Church with Mass under the tent, food, music, bounce house, raffles, and a silent auction supported by dozens of local businesses. The Blood Drive, held twice a year in the Parish Center, partners with Versiti. The Pet Blessing on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi gathers parishioners, school families, and neighbors in the southeast parking lot. The Cookie, Craft, and Book Sale, hosted by the parish choir in mid-December, brings the year to a close with cookies, crafts, ham sandwiches, and a visit from Santa.
Music and Worship
Music is woven into the parish's most important celebrations. The combined choir sings for the annual Feast Day Mass, joined on occasion by a flute soloist and the handbell choir. The choir also runs the cookie, craft, and book sale each December, with proceeds supporting its work. Music at the parish school complements this, as students regularly take part in liturgical celebrations and learn about St. Vincent Pallotti from visiting Pallottine fathers.
Pastoral Care and Giving
The parish is a member of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and sits within the network of the Catholic Church across southeastern Wisconsin. Outreach flows in several directions: school supply drives benefit the parish school, blood drives support the wider community, and the annual Mother's Day rose sale benefits Wisconsin Right to Life. The Human Concerns Committee discerns additional needs in the parish and surrounding neighborhoods, and the Stewardship Committee coordinates ongoing giving.
Parishioners and friends may support the parish financially through the online giving platform, by mail to the parish office, or in the collection basket at Mass.
Welcoming New Faces
St. Vincent Pallotti describes itself as "a vibrant, welcoming, Catholic community offering daily Masses, religious education, adult faith formation, inspiring music, and a K4-8th grade education at our school." The More Info page invites anyone with questions to reach out through the parish office so that a staff member or volunteer can follow up directly. Visitors are invited to attend any of the weekend or weekday Masses at either campus, pray the rosary with the community before Mass, send their children to the parish school or religious education program, and join one of the standing committees that keeps the parish running.
Two Churches, One Mission
The continuing work of St. Vincent Pallotti Parish is a community effort: Pallottine priests offering daily Mass and the sacraments, a Joint Pastoral Council setting direction, six committees carrying out that direction, a K4-8 school forming young minds and hearts, and hundreds of families living out the motto that "the love of Christ urges us on" in their daily lives. Whether one first meets the parish at the West Church on 76th Street, at the East Church on Bluemound Road, or online through a livestreamed Sunday Mass, the invitation is the same: come, worship, serve, and grow.