St John’s parish was established in 1845, three years before Wisconsin became a state. It is the second oldest church in our cluster. We recently celebrated the 179^th Anniversary of the founding of our parish. The original church was a log building. St John’s has a strong heritage of being the place where farm families came to worship and celebrate the sacraments. The first frame church was built in 1850 and was 18 x 24 feet. It was located just north of the current cemetery. The next church was built in 1878, also near the cemetery, with improvements made in 1887. People came from many towns nearby to attend Mass. A disaster struck in 1910 when the church was hit by lightning during a storm and burning down. After much discussion about a location for a new building, a new church was built in 1911 in the Village of Patch Grove. The building served the needs of St John’s Parish until the current church and basement hall were built in the late 1950s. There have been several updates over the years. St John’s Parish still serves the rural people of the far western corner of the Diocese of Madison. 

There are many different opportunities at St John’s to volunteer and share individual talents. Our church also hosts a monthly food pantry that serves about 150 families. We have a permanent structure that houses the food pantry. Catholic Charities supports this important service along with Second Harvest of Madison. The food comes from Second Harvest and the distribution is staffed by several volunteers.