St. Michael

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 history of St. Michael's Church begins Germany with Fr. Peter Dickopf. He was sent as a missionary to northern Wisconsin and was the first priest to celebrate Mass in Jump River (known atthe time as Broederville). On June 4, 1908, the first Mass was celebrated on a farm. By 1915 Fr. Michael Konwinski celebrated Mass once a month at the Jump River Ladies Aid Hall. Mass was on Tuesday because the priest had to ride the train, which did not run on Sunday. In September 1918, a deed was secured for three acres of land from the Northwestern Lumber Company for the purpose of building a church. Donations were obtained from the congregation and volunteers cleared the trees and prepared the land. Volunteers from Jump River, Sheldon, and Conrath built the new church. Pews for the new church were planks set on wood blocks from the wood cleared from the land. The Catholic Extension Society provided the altar, Mass vessels, vestments, statues, and other items for religious services. In 1922 Fr. Wenceslaus Kolman came to Gilman and its mission in Jump River. Money was obtained from the Extension Society to finish the church floor, add kneelers, and buy chairs. After Fr. John Dzurko's arrival in 1946, a new sanctuary was built. A new furnace and insulation were added, and a bell erected in the bell tower. Fr. Dzurko celebrated the first Mass in the newly remodeled church on Sunday, December 26, 1954. The parish now consisted of 35 families. St. Michael's later became a mission of St. John Parish in Sheldon, along with parishes in Donald and Conrath. Today the parish is clustered with the Gilman, Lublin, and Sheldon parishes.

REFERENCE: Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior,
by Sam Lucero, 2005.