On Bluemound Road in Milwaukee, St. Therese Parish carries on a Catholic community that began as a small mission chapel in 1925 and has grown into a cluster of three worship sites serving the west side of the city. The parish takes its identity from St. Therese of Lisieux, the French Carmelite whose "Little Way" of small, faithful acts shapes how members speak of their vocation as a church.
A 'Little Flower' on Bluemound Road
The story of St. Therese Parish starts with a Pallotine priest named Peter Schroeder, who arrived in Milwaukee in 1921 to become pastor of Holy Cross Church at 54th Street and Bluemound Road. Two years later he founded St. Anthony's Mission Church at 76th Street and Bluemound. In 1925, with the recent canonization of St. Therese of Lisieux generating fresh devotion, he broke ground on a chapel of his own. When the building was finished, it was named the "Little Flower Mission" at 94th and Adler. Fr. Joseph De Maria was chosen to lead the new community.
Fr. Schroeder died in 1939, and Fr. De Maria was named pastor of St. Anthony's. Both parishes struggled in their early years, with debt piling up and attendance wavering. Fr. De Maria held onto a dream of building a church and school at the Little Flower site, and in 1955 he got his wish. Milwaukee County needed land for an expressway under construction, and Fr. De Maria struck a deal: the county could take fifteen acres of the Mission's property (today used as the zoo parking lot) in exchange for fifteen acres for a new church. The agreement cleared the way for what would become the current St. Therese campus.
"St. Therese of the Child Jesus" Parish officially began on May 1, 1956, with Fr. Nicholas Wilwers as pastor. A school followed two years later. By 1962 the Archdiocese of Milwaukee had absorbed the parish to manage its accumulated debt. The school closed in 1970 as enrollment dropped and liturgical life shifted after Vatican II.
A new chapter opened that same year when Fr. Roger Heck arrived. He would lead the parish for nearly three decades, working to rebuild community life and giving greater emphasis to religious education, social concerns, and spirituality. Sharing Sunday, a once-a-month collection for a designated charity, began under his leadership in 1978, with the House of Peace as its first recipient. Christcare, a support group for the sick, elderly, and disabled and their families, was organized in 1982 and still continues today as the "Little Flower Ministries." The parish festival began as a one-time winter event in 1981, moved to summer after turning a profit, and ran as the parish's main fundraiser until 2008. A Youth Ministry was announced in 1984, organized by Tim Schwaller, Jerry Mueller, and Bob Schobert, with basketball in the gym, camping trips, and service projects. Fr. Heck retired in 1998. After Fr. Phillip Reifenberg's time as Parish Administrator, the parish was next led by Parish Director Dr. Alexandra Guliano alongside Assisting Priest Rev. Hugh Birdsall, SDS, and Help-out Priest Rev. Norm Oswald. The current pastor is Fr. Tom.
Three Worship Sites on Bluemound Road
St. Therese Parish today operates as a cluster of three worship locations, all staffed out of the St. Vincent Pallotti Parish Office. Members can attend Mass at whichever site fits their week.
- St. Therese Parish (STP), 9525 W Bluemound Road, the Bluemound Road campus
- St. Vincent Pallotti-West (SVP-W), 201 N 76th Street
- St. Vincent Pallotti-East (SVP-E), 5424 W Bluemound Road
The weekend schedule opens Saturday at 4:00pm with Mass at St. Vincent Pallotti-West. Sunday brings three Masses: 7:30am at St. Vincent Pallotti-East, 9:00am at St. Therese (livestreamed on Facebook), and 10:30am at St. Vincent Pallotti-West. Weekday Masses are offered each morning Monday through Friday, with the 6:25am Mass at St. Vincent Pallotti-East on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the 8:45am Mass in the chapel at St. Therese on Tuesday, the 12:00pm Mass at St. Vincent Pallotti-West on Tuesday and Thursday, and 11:30am Adoration followed by 12:00pm Mass at St. Vincent Pallotti-West on Thursday.
First weekends of the month bring Individual Confessions at 8:15am and a Blessing of the Sick at 10:00am. Third weekends include a Rosary Prayer Service after Mass at St. Therese, called "One Nation Under God," with the Rosary and a short meditation praying for the country.
Sunday Mass on Facebook Live
The 9:00am Sunday Mass at St. Therese is livestreamed on the parish's Facebook page. Recordings of recent Masses remain available there for anyone who wants to catch up on a Sunday they missed. The music used during the streamed liturgies is covered under a One License streaming agreement.
Catechesis from Preschool Through Confirmation
The parish runs a full catechetical program, from the youngest learners through high school Confirmation candidates, coordinated by a team of four.
The Sunday morning Preschool through Grade 8 program meets after the 9:00am Mass, from 10:15am to 11:15am. Children are grouped by age, with Gospel lessons and Catholic foundations taught at a level suited to each group. Children enrolled in the program must be baptized, with a copy of their baptismal certificate on file in the Parish Office.
High school youth catechesis meets twice a month on Sunday mornings after the 9:00am Mass, with at-home reading to prepare for the second session of the month. Lesson materials are distributed in September.
Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion requires two years of catechesis and begins in September. Children ages seven and older who have completed two years of catechesis (or homeschool catechesis) are welcome. Parents are required to attend all preparation sessions with their child. Preparation for youth Confirmation also requires two years of high school catechesis; candidates must be sixteen at the time of Confirmation, with the celebration taking place with the cluster parishes during the Easter Season. Children preparing for either sacrament must also be enrolled in the regular Sunday morning program.
The catechetical team includes Christine Reinders as Coordinator of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion, Richard Reinders as Coordinator of Teen Catechesis and Confirmation, and Sister Marilyn Metz and Mary Rose Sanger as Co-Coordinators of Preschool through Grade 8 Catechesis. Pat Safavi trains and mentors new altar servers.
Sharing Sunday and the Little Flower Ministries
Sharing Sunday has been a part of parish life since 1978. Once a month, a special collection is taken up for a designated charity, beginning with the House of Peace. The tradition continues as a steady channel of giving to local organizations.
The Little Flower Ministries carry on the work of Christcare, the support group founded in 1982 for the sick, elderly, and disabled, and their families.
The Christian formation students run their own charitable projects each year. An annual food drive benefits the Hunger Task Force, with classrooms competing to gather the most weight in donations. Younger students have organized Easter gift bags for the Hope Center in Waukesha and have donated food to a local pantry. Catechists are remembered with perennials planted near the Bluemound entrance, painted Memory Rocks placed at the foot of the outdoor St. Therese shrine, and a remembrance stone in the garden.
Devotions, Feast Days, and the Blessing of the Sick
Several recurring devotions shape the rhythm of the year at St. Therese. On the first Sunday of each month, the presider offers a Blessing of the Sick after Mass, and hears Individual Confessions from 8:15am to 8:45am in the Family Room. On the third Sunday of each month, the parish gathers after Mass in the chapel for the "One Nation Under God" Rosary Prayer Service, praying the Rosary with a short meditation and asking the Lord to help the country reunite "with Love and Respect for each other, regardless of our opinions and/or ideological beliefs."
During Lent, the Christian Formation students present living Stations of the Cross after the 9:00 liturgy, and the Christian Formation committee hosts a Holy Thursday supper of soup, bread, and cookies before the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Advent brings the lighting of the parish Advent wreath at the 9:00 liturgy by the catechesis students, and May brings the Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Catechesis students also bring forward symbolic gifts of the earth at the Presentation of Gifts on Earth Day, when vehicles and pedestrians are blessed by the priest after Mass.
Each fall, the parish observes the Feast of St. Therese with a special Mass followed by lunch, raffles of assorted gift baskets, a 50/50 cash raffle, and a silent auction. Around the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a Pet Blessing is held in the parking lot between the Parish Office and St. Vincent Pallotti-West. The parish grounds also hold an outdoor shrine to St. Therese near the front entrance.
Getting Involved
A range of ministries and committees invite participation. Members organizing events for their committee or ministry submit an Event and Fundraising Request Form to the Parish Office. SCRIP gift cards are sold as a steady fundraiser, and online giving is available for those who want to support the parish electronically.
The parish office is reachable at (414) 771-2500 or info@sttheresemke.org, and a Parish Registration Form is available to download.