Parish/Church
St. Mary - Algoma
Date and Mass time
June 6, 2015 – 5:30PM Mass
Celebrant
Fr. Ron Colombo
Deacon Chuck Agnew
The trip there and back
We drove out through Stangleville and Kewaunee and up to Algoma on 42. We were a little early so we drove around a bit and checked out the lakeshore for a possible visit this summer.
The church is located on “The Top of the Hill” and you can see the steeple for miles.
On the drive home we went past Amber and Matt’s but it was pretty dark there so we didn’t stop. We did make a quick stop at the Wayside south of Algoma to check out the view of the lake. Then it was homeward bound. Other than multiple slow vehicles in front of us, it was uneventful.
It was a gorgeous day for a drive!
Weather
The first Saturday of June and it was a beautiful day! Temps in the mid to upper 70’s (in Denmark) and bright sunshine! A GREAT day for a ride. But by the time we reached the lakeshore however, the temps had dropped a good 10 degrees if not more. I was still comfortable in a short sleeve shirt, but JUST barely.
Parish History
Currently St. Mary of Algoma is linked with Holy Rosary parish in Kewaunee and is administered by Deacon Chuck Agnew, but the parish has a long history. Per the brochure we were given by one on the very friendly parishioners, the parish began in 1860 and was assigned their first priest in 1869. The current church was built in 1904. For more details see the brochure below.
I think the brochure is really nice in not only outlining the history, but also gives a really nice explanation of the beautiful stained glass windows. (Click on them for PDF download)
Reflections
The visit to Algoma came about as we were looking for a site within an hour from home on a Saturday night, and to be honest, it was at the top of the list and had a 5:30pm Mass. What a blessing that decision turned out to be.
Last fall we had heard that our previous parish priest, Fr. Ron Colombo was stationed at Algoma and Kewaunee as a Sacramental Minister along with another priest, so we were hoping he would be saying Mass for our visit. We were VERY pleasantly surprised when Fr. Ron appeared vested and he even recognized us as he processed into church! With knowing Fr. Ron for so long, it was just like being at home during Mass!
Mass was for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi and it was a wonderful celebration. There wasn’t a huge crowd, maybe half full, but the music was still wonderful and the organist had a wonderful voice. Deacon Chuck read the Gospel for us and Fr. Ron had a great homily. He talked about a door in a church in Germany with 4 panels depicting the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Feeding of 5 Thousand with 5 Loaves and Two Fish, the Last Supper, and the Meal at the end of the Road in Emmaus. The panels signifying the first miracle of creation of wine from water, the first feeding by Jesus, the Last Supper and inception of the True Mass, and the first celebration of Mass by Jesus. Of course Father’s quaint, common, friendly and welcoming demeanor along with such a great story made for a wonderful Blessing.
Fr. Ron and Deacon Chuck clearly work well together and the parishes there are very lucky to have Deacon Chuck to lead them and wonderful Sacramental Ministers in Fr. Ron as well as Father Jim Dillenburg. Such a lovely community.
The church is traditional style and the stained glass windows are quite beautiful with their depictions of the Sacraments. The Altars, including the main and two side Altars are very intricately carved and ornate. Just amazing the time and effort put into them.
After Mass we had time to look around and take pictures and of course to spend some time with Father Ron catching up. He is doing well, his health is great, and loves his retirement. You can truly see and feel the joy he has in his ministry in retirement. What a blessing.
We look forward to running into him in the future at Kewaunee and Sturgeon Bay where he lives.
Overall I kind of prefer the Sunday Mass trips, but so far the Saturday trips we have taken have been no less wonderful and amazing.
Pictures
