Like the Church of the first centuries, the beginnings of worship and prayer in the Lancaster area took place in house-churches in the mid 1800’s. For over a decade, priests from St. Thomas Church in Potosi traveled to Lancaster to celebrate the Mass and administer the sacraments as Catholics gathered in various homes.
   In 1859, the decision was made to build a church. That church stood across from what is now The Grant County Herald Independent newspaper and next to The Twin Dragon restaurant. What has been referred to as, “The Rock Church,” had as its patron St. Bartholomew. At the time, it served predominately the Irish immigrants of the area. At the same time, there was also a German settlement church in the country. This church, dedicated to St. Ambrose, was on County N, near its cemetery, commonly known as Pigeon Cemetery. It was served by a priest that traveled from St. Andrew Church in Tennyson. St. Ambrose Church never had a resident pastor, nor do we know how long it remained

The very first Mass in St. Bartholomew Church took place on Christmas Day, 1859. One can only imagine the joy our ancestors experienced on that day. Jesus, the Word-Made-Flesh, born in a manger in Bethlehem, was now present to them and with them in the Holy Eucharist on the altar of St. Bartholomew Church in Lancaster.
   When Bishop John Henni came from Milwaukee to consecrate the church in 1860, he changed the name and patron to St. Clement. He did so because he said that there were already numerous churches dedicated to St. Bartholomew in the diocese, which at that time encompassed the entire State of Wisconsin. From that point forward, we became formally known as St. Clement Church.
    In 1870 St. Clement received its first resident pastor, Fr. Thomas P. Hodnett. At that time, he also ministered to the Catholic communities in Mt. Hope, Patch Grove, Bloomington, Fennimore and Boscobel.
    Fr. Louis Barth was assigned to St. Clement in 1885. Soon after his arrival, he proposed the construction of a new church that would better serve the growing Catholic community. The Rock church had become too small, and St. Ambrose church no longer existed. In early spring, 1886 construction began on the Gothic style church and was completed by early winter. The church was consecrated by Bishop Michael Heiss from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on December 1, 1886.

The 1886 St. Clement Church was built on the site of our present church. Soon after, the decision was made to have a Catholic school and convent. In September of 1889, school opened and was held in the basement chapel of the church, with a total of 33 students. Very quickly, the parish realized that a proper school and convent was needed. Construction began in October 1889 and was completed in December of that year. This school opened for students on January 2, 1890. The School Sisters of St. Francis first served the school, followed by the Notre Dame Sisters. In 1934 and until recently, the school was staffed again by the School Sisters of St. Francis and the Sisters of St. Francis. Today the school is staffed by an excellent faculty of lay teachers.
   The years after the construction of the 1886 church saw a time of gradual growth in the Catholic population. Between 1934-39, St. Clement School included a high school. However, for lack of enrollment, is was discontinued. The growth in population necessitated the construction of new facilities for the parish. The first was a new school, with work beginning in 1953 under the direction of Fr. Felix Hoffman who was pastor from 1930 until his death in 1954. Its completion was overseen by the next pastor, Fr. William Braun, in 1955. This school is the present portion that is across from the grocery store, running east to west on Maple. St. 
 

Under Msgr. Braun, the parish saw rapid transformation. A second portion of the school, connected to the existing school, was added in 1960. Soon after, a new rectory was built in 1962. Once more, the congregation outgrew the church, and a new church was needed. In 1966, the last Mass was celebrated in the 1886 church. The furnishings in that church were quickly moved to the school gymnasium where Mass would be held until the new church was completed. In May of 1966, the church was razed, and by mid-month, ground was broken for the present church. Construction would last for over a year. During this same time period, a new convent was built. On October 22, 1967, Bishop Cletus O’Donnell, second bishop of the Diocese of Madison, dedicated the new St. Clement Church. While the church is grand in size, even more grand is the faith and love of the people who worship here.