St. Bernadette, Milwaukee

Our Parish Roots

In June 1958, the parish of St. Bernadette was established by Archbishop Meyer with 400 families. Father John Arens was appointed the first pastor, and a house located at 6881 North 91st Street became his rectory.

The first Mass at St. Bernadette Parish was celebrated on July 13 in a 110’ x 40’ canvas tent erected by parishioners on the parish grounds. This Mass is commemorated every year as a tent Mass at our parish festival. Ground was broken for the first building phase in the spring of 1959, consisting of a 750-seat temporary church/gym facility, the cafeteria, and the future convent. This was followed by additional construction projects that included the outdoor grotto, rectory, and school. Our church renovation, a new entryway, and the tower were completed in 1993.

Over the years, many hands have worked together, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to be a welcoming Catholic faith community that is helping to bring about the Kingdom of God, through worshiping in sacrament, teaching the Word, and serving as Jesus did.

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Our Share

Through much prayer, planning, and conversation, we have identified our greatest needs and initiatives to strengthen our mission and vision for years to come. Our share of the funds raised will be used invest in repairs and renovations to our campus, a future expense fund, and oureach and evangelization.

Parish Goal

$340,028

Parish Share-60%

$204,017

Total Raised as of 1/4/24

$228,640

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Capital Improvements - $125,000

We are so blessed to have such a beautiful building and campus. There are several projects that need attention such as the parking lot and the roof. In addition, we are conducting a strategic analysis to identify further areas of need which, once identified, will receive Love One Another campaign funds.

Future Expense-$25,000

We are fortunate to have such a thriving parish. However, the future is always uncertain. We think it would be wise to establish a strategic reserve for future, unanticipated expenses. This reserve will be the starting point for ensuring the future financial health of our parish for generations to come.

Outreach and Evangelization-$54,017

We are working to identify areas of need in this regard through our strategic planning process. Money raised in the Love One Another Campaign will be used to support outreach and other needs identified in this process.