Maple River - St. Francis of Assisi

In was in the spring of 1904 that the Catholics of Maple River decided to have their own parish. A meeting was scheduled in the township school located on what is now the parish cemetery. Father Joseph Kuemper, then the pastor of SS Peter and Paul parish in Carroll, was present at this first meeting. There were few pledges of financial help at this meeting, so about a month later, a second meeting was called at which it was decided to build a parish school, sisters' quarters and a chapel, if the diocesan authorities would permit it.

At this second meeting, a delegation was appointed to go to diocese at that time. After convincing Bishop Garrigan that they were able to financially sponsor the project, permission was given. At that time, there were less than 20 families, mostly of German descent, that wanted to form the parish.

The summer of 1904 saw the construction of a two-story wooden structure consisting of the parish school, the chapel and the sisters' quarters. As there was no rectory at this time, it was told how Father Kuemper would often follow the railroad from Carroll to Maple River on foot and say Mass in the chapel.

The first school was opened in the fall of 1904 with Sister M. Agnes and Sister M. Philippa of the La Crosse Franciscans serving as teachers from grades 1-8. Approximately 20 children were enrolled.

The families that initially composed this parish had belonged to surrounding communities. The next three years saw many more families either moving or transferring to the new St. Francis of Assisi Parish. It was decided to build a new church at a cost of $13,269.62. The brick church built still stands today. The church was completed in 1907.

Stained glass windows were added in the 1920s and donated by members of the parish. In June of 1924, a bad storm blew the roof off of the church. Mass was then held in the school chapel. The basement of the church was converted to the parish hall in the spring of 1945 for parish events. Also, the church was redecorated in 1947 at a cost of $4,075. The sanctuary is a combination of Gothic and Romanesque style.

In 1979, the interior of the church was redecorated at a cost of $28,000.

Father Kuemper oversaw the parish duties from 1904-1908. Father Paul W. Warzawa took over in 1908 and built a rectory. Subsequent pastors were Father August Meyer, Father P. M. Mattes, Father Richard Birdsall, Father Cleo Seuntjens, Father Eugene L. Murray, Father Richard Sitzmann, Father Gary Snyder and Father John McGuirk.

Also serving St. Francis's were Father Patrick O'Kane, Father Doug Dandurand, Msgr. A. W. Behrens and Father Robert Brown.

The school was destroyed by fire in February of 1940. The new brick structure included the sisters' quarters and a winter chapel. It was completed in 1941 and cost $29,000. The Maple River grade school and convent were closed in 1967. At the present time, 11 students from Maple River attend the Mt. Carmel school, 19 attend Breda school and 13 go to Kuemper High School.