Saint Stephen Parish History
- Parishioners founded St. Stephen Catholic Church's
existing site in 1847, when Wisconsin was still a territory.
- The area was known as New Coln at that time.
Church founders came from the Cathedral of St. Stephen in Cologne, Germany.
- Fires in 1884 and 1906 caused minimal damage to the
church, but a third fire in 1927 burned it to the ground. A fourth
fire caused by a lightning strike in April, 2008 damaged the steeple and
bell tower.
- The congregation built a school in the 1960s.
It closed in 1992, but the building was still used for other church outreach
programming, such as the Family Life Center.
- In January 2008, St. Stephen vacated the school
building and moved the parish offices and Family Life Center to the rectory.
- In October 2001, the congregation purchased a parcel
at 13th Street and Oakwood Road in preparation for the construction of a new
church.
- In October 2008, a groundbreaking ceremony kicked off
the construction of a new church