Diocese of La Crosse

Called by Jesus Christ to “Seek first the kingdom of God;” we are the Diocese of La Crosse, a sacramental people, who worship God, teach the Catholic faith, and serve the needs of the human person.

Established on March 3, 1868, our local Church, the Diocese of La Crosse, was born by decree of Blessed Pope Pius IX. Today, we are proud to serve 950,000 souls, of whom 150,000 are Roman Catholic among 159 parishes. Father René Menard had arrived within our bounds more than 200 years earlier, and after him came other missionaries, settlers, farmers, woodsman, trappers, and riverboat mariners. Since its inception, the Diocese of La Crosse has seen the growth and increase from many nations—Polish, German, Irish, Hmong, and Mexican—added to its native peoples. It has seen the heroic witness of many, including Venerable Frederic Baraga, Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, Blessed Solanus Casey, Servant of God Father Joseph Walijewski, and Polonia’s Guatemalan Martyr Blessed James Miller.

The territory of the Diocese is nineteen counties in the west and central part of the State of Wisconsin. The western boundary of the diocese is formed by the Mississippi River. The Wisconsin River forms the southern and eastern boundary of the diocese. The northern boundary of the diocese is the southern boundary of the Diocese of Superior. The majority of the diocesan territory is rural and used for agriculture. There are six urban centers with combined populations close to 630,000.

As we look forward as a diocese, Bishop William Patrick Callahan, our tenth bishop, is giving vision to our mission of building up the Kingdom of God. Called by the love of Christ we recognize the Spirit of God in one another and give witness to the value of human life by mutual respect and honor. In particular, this is represented in everyone’s call to vocation, marriage and family life, sacred worship and a deep desire to live a saintly life and thus meriting heaven.