610 Division Street/St. Margaret Mary
Bishop Paul Peter Rhode recognized that Neenah had no Catholic church, and sent a new priest to form a new congregation.
Father Joseph Van Bogart came to Neenah in 1932, as the city was the only one in the diocese without a Catholic church. On May 10, 1932, Bogart had an organizational meeting and talked of his plans for a new church and received help from secretary John Powers and treasurer S.R. Stilp. In September, the site was picked on 610 Division Street and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 12. Bud and Pete Dennee began excavating for the church, and Bill Pearson used a Universal power shovel and a Fordson tractor to assist in the building process. Soon after, the cornerstone was laid by Father Bogart and masses began. The church site was composed of 26 city lots, it fronts 481 feet on Division street and had a depth of 450 feet. The first mass was on Easter Sunday, April 16, 1933, 1,200 people attended. There were roughly 250 families in the new parish, and the first baptism was also that day. The dedication was on June 11, 1933, and the church was called "one of the most beautiful and distinctive examples of church architecture in the state." The mortgage was burned in February 25, 1941. A parish school was established on September 22, 1951, with students being taught by nuns from the Holy Family of Nazareth. The teaching nuns lived onsite in a new convent. Six years later, there were additions made of a new gymnasium and cafeteria, as well as more classrooms. |
Sources:
St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church. United Church Directories, 1982.
Peirick , Tina. “St. Margaret Mary .” 29 May 2019.