Parish/Church
St. Willebrord, Green Bay
Date and Mass time
February, 22, 2015 – 9:00AM Mass
Celebrant
Father Andy Cribben
Weather
Cold February! One Below Zero, but sunny and beautiful!
The trip there and back
Kay’s mom Joanne was with us today and it was a cold One Below zero today but clear sunny. A very beautiful winter Sunday morning! A really nice morning for a drive!
It was a bit cold out so even though we arrived early enough, we didn’t spend any time outside for pictures.
We stopped for breakfast on the way home at the Allouez Café and then did a little shopping. A great day!
Parish History
St. Willebrord’s is an old parish and was founded in 1864. I believe it was a “Belgian” church from back in the days of immigrant groups each having their own parish. This is the parish that legendary coach Vince Lombardi attended daily Mass and often was an altar server. Although I am sure it has a rich history, its not alluded to on the parish website…
Reflections
St. Willebrord’s is one of the older churches in Green Bay, and today I learned how to spell it correctly. It is a beautiful church with spectacular stained glass windows. They were particularly impressive with the bright sunshine this morning. Even though it is old, you can tell they really keep it up.
They have a large Hispanic population and even a few “Spanish language” Masses. We attended an English Mass, but there was a pretty diverse group there. Lots of young adults and kids which was quite wonderful.
Fr. Cribben, who is a Norbertine priest, had a really great Mass. He has a neat mix of flair and reverence that I really liked. His homily on setting our priorities right (The kingdom of God is at hand) from the Gospel was at a nice level but had some really deep insights. Great stuff.
The music was nice but being a stone church the acoustics weren’t great, but sometimes that subdued note really hits a holy tone.
The parishioners were very friendly and nice, but I got a few odd looks while I was taking pictures. Kinda funny.
Great trip, and I would not be surprised if I find time in summer to go there for a daily Mass. They have a 7:15am and a 12:05pm Mass, so it’s a little more accommodating to a work schedule.
Pictures
