The history of the Diocese of Superior dates back to the 17th century. Our Journey Through Faith offers a glimpse into the historic events that played a role in the growth of Catholicism in Northern Wisconsin. Diocese of Superior - Statistics
Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior,
View the summary from the last Parish self-assessment questionnaire conducted in 2012.
Read the 98-page Executive Report 2013 (PDF)
The first settlers, mostly Slovak Catholic immigrants, arrived in the area about 1909. The first Mass in Moquah, located about 10 miles west of Ashland, was celebrated in the home of Joseph Hovanecz. In 1913, Bishop Joseph M. Koudelka visited the settlement and made it a mission of Iron River, directing Fr. Vaclav Kolman to build a church there. The James W. Good Co. donated land, Soctt & Taylor Co. donated lumber, and parishioners provided the labor. Cost of the church was about $500. Bishop Koudelka dedicated the church in May 1915. The first priest to celebrate Mass in the new church was Fr. Wenceslaus Kolman. During the 1930s plans were made to build a rectory. Adjacent property was purchased and parishioners donated the labor. Cost of the rectory was about $5,000. Fr. Joseph Husnik, the first priest to occupy the new rectory, arrived on September 1, 1938. Moquah was no longer a mission of Iron River, but a mission on its own at Dauby. On June 15, 1948, Benedictine Fr. Florian Herides was appointed administrator of Moquah and Dauby. In 1952, St. Florian Church in Ino was added as a mission to Moquah. One of the first organizations in the parish was the First Catholic Slovak Jednota (union) branch 610. Ss. Peter and Paul Parish has had four sons ordained priests, four daughters profess religious vows, and one son profess vows as a religious brother.
REFERENCE: Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior,
by Sam Lucero, 2005.