History

The Catholic roots in the Green Bay area date back to 1634, when French explorer Jean Nicolet arrived. Jesuit missionaries followed, spreading the Gospel to the native peoples along the Fox, Wolf, and Menominee Rivers. The Catholic faith was kept alive for nearly a century by Native Americans, missionaries, and French-Canadian voyageurs.

In 1669, Jesuit Father Claude Allouez celebrated the first recorded Mass near Oconto, establishing the St. Francis Xavier Mission. The mission moved to various locations, settling in De Pere until it was destroyed in 1687. After a period of dormancy, the faith revived with the founding of Fort Howard in 1816, and a log chapel dedicated to St. Francis Xavier was built in 1825. St. John the Evangelist, established in 1831, became the oldest continuous parish in Wisconsin.

The Diocese of Green Bay was formally established in 1868 by Pope Pius IX to serve 40,000 Catholics across northeastern Wisconsin. Immigrants from various countries formed ethnic parishes, such as St. Willebrord (Dutch), St. Patrick (Irish), and Ss. Peter and Paul (Belgian), which served as cultural and spiritual centers. Over time, the use of English and intermarriage blended these once-distinct communities.