Feedback please: Family seeks "community of tradition-minded families" in Wisconsin

St Josaphat in Milwaukee is a sparkling
jewel of Catholicism in Wisconsin

From a reader:

I've been reading your blog for a few months.  Out east holds little hope at this point for tradition-minded Catholics.  So, in the middle of January, my husband and two small sons and myself are going to visit Wisconsin for eight days.  We have in mind that we may move there for the sake of our children.  We are pretty old to be parents and have little family, so want them to grow up as part of a community that will be there for them.  I started an e-mail correspondence in 2009 with a lady who is a member of the ICKSP congregation at St. Joseph's Oratory.  We will be based with her family, but hope to check out a few areas besides Green Bay.

Do you think that we are going to find things different in Wisconsin than we found out east? We have picked Wisconsin to discern because there is a ICKSP Chapel in every diocese.  [Superior and Madison I think do not actually] That the order was welcome all over the state is incredible!  [I would have to agree, I'm sure some bishops block their presence]

In addition, La Crosse has a friary of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, of whom my husband and I are tertiaries.  They have a small shrine there that they use in their apostolate.  They are able to say a Tridentine Mass once a week and their other Masses are heavenly.  We believe that we need to find a community of tradition-minded families.  The friary here does not fit that description, although before I became a mother, I grew in my Faith because of the FI's.  I am attempting to contact the friary in La Crosse before we go and hope to visit it.

If we did move to Wisconsin, we would hope to be part of a ICKSP community and the FI community in LaCrosse.  But should we need to join a parish for the sacraments for our sons, what are parishes like there, tradition-wise?  I realize Wisconsin covers alot of territory, but any pointers, insights and thoughts on what we should look for would be greatly appreciated.

Maybe someone could explain how sacramental records are kept with regard to ICKSP. I do know they are able to celebrate all the sacraments in the traditional form, so I assume their oratories are allowed to keep sacramental records with the diocese where they reside.

The Shrine in La Crosse is not a parish, so we cannot have our children baptized or receive First Communion there.  Also because among other things there is a 15 minute walk up to the church, we haven't got a very large community that attends the traditional Mass there every Sunday.  We love our friars(FFI) here but the situation is less than ideal for those looking for a true parish.  It is really designed for a place to frequent on pilgrimage where the sacraments are readily and worthily available to the faithful.

My situation is like this.  We attend the Guadalupe Shrine most Sundays for the Traditional Mass offered by the Friars of the Immaculate.  Officially I am a member of the Cathedral parish in La Crosse but it is moderate in normal Sunday liturgy.  No shenanigans go on there, but the average Sunday Mass is 100% English, and I highly doubt changes like having the priest face God(ad orientem) instead of the people would happen there unless the USCCB required it.  Sometimes the Sanctus and Agnus Dei are sung in Gregorian Chant(not plainchant but Missa Angelis, ect) but then other times the whole thing is in English(it's kind of confusing to switch back since the English seems so banal after having sung the proper chant).  Someone once described the Cathedral liturgy as decent Anglican-use liturgy.  We haven't got to the point of First Communion yet, so we will cross that bridge when we get there.  We have the ICKSP near Cashton which is not to far from us.

So it was a really good question though, if you could just pick any Catholic community in Wisconsin to live without having to worry about job/family ect, where would you pick?  Keep in mind that these folks prefer the traditional liturgy.  My gut tells me it's probably the Cathedral parish in Madison(even without having a Cathedral right now) which is actually run by the diocese and not another order.  It sounds like the parishes on the isthmus are very solid but anywhere else in the city is going to be a big dropoff.  I've met many from ICKSP parishes that are very vibrant, but having a bishop like Bishop Morlino as the head of your parish?  I don't think there could be any substitute.  I know there are ICKSP that read, so I will let them comment in that regards.  I do maintain a listing of Traditional Mass times in Wisconsin which could also be a good reference. 


Is Wisconsin doing better than other states as far as liturgy and adherence to Church teaching?  It's a hard thing to gauge, but I think we do pretty well for ourselves. Sure there's still a Polka Mass wondering about here, and a diocesan priest advocating for women clergy there, but it seems like Traditional Catholics have been at the very least been tolerated in much of the state.  Generally we are looked at as outsiders I think - even by Conservative Catholics - for a preference for those old superstitions, but there certainly is a place for us here.  I continue to hear directly and indirectly that diocesan priest ARE indeed interested in the traditional liturgy but their lack of training in the matter is formidable.  But just the fact that they are interested seems to tell me that the tide is turning.  That probably is NOT true for the northeastern US. 

I'd love to hear everyone's take on this(remember a person can post anonymously).  I'm sure it will be helpful to more than just this particular family.  And thank you to those dioceses who marginalize good Catholics like these to the point that they will move to our state to live as Catholics ought to live.  We'll take em!