St. Peter

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.

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)

From the beginning, Cameron Catholics have taken an active role in building and maintaining their faith community. Fr. Joseph Dole, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Dobie, served Catholics until the early 1900s. The mission of St. Peter was incorporated in 1908 and served by priests from Rice Lake.

A reorganization in the Superior Diocese in 1912 established St. Boniface in Chetek as a principal parish with St. Joseph in Barron and St. Peter as missions. They were served by a series of Benedictine Fathers from Lisle, Il.

Barron detached from St. Boniface in 1941 to establish their own parish. Cameron remained as a mission of Chetek until 1955, when it was transferred to Barron.

In 1959, Fr. William Olszewski and Alphonse Zoltowski, from Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Weyerhaeuser oversaw the transition of St. Peter from a mission to parish. In 1976, after Fr. John Miller retired as pastor, the pastor served St. Peter from St. Joseph in Barron.

In 1994 the two parishes were clustered with Chetek and served by the priest residing in Barron. In 1998, permission was granted for St. Peter Parish to build a new church. Fr. Gerard Willger guided the project. The new church was dedicated on July 2, 2000, following an official closing of the original church. The number of parish families had increased from 60 in 1968 to 220 in 2004.

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