History
The friars of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph live as a community of brothers, modeling themselves after St. Francis of Assisi. The friars serve in a variety of ministries including social service, schools, chaplaincy, retreat houses and parishes in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, Minnesota, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nicaragua, and Panama. There are currently 180 friars serving in the province. The province is headquartered in Detroit.
The Capuchins were well established in Europe when the founders, two Swiss diocesan priests, John Frey and Gregory Haas arrived in New York after a 49 day sea voyage. They then took an eight day train trip to Milwaukee where they secured horses and journeyed northward to a hill in central Wisconsin, Mt. Calvary. It was 1857 and the first permanent Capuchin foundation was born.
The Capuchins came to Milwaukee in the 1860’s. The oldest standing Capuchin structure in America is at St. Francis of Assisi parish and it was dedicated 1869.
During the 1900’s, the Capuchins did primarily parish work in the city with three parishes: St. Elizabeth’s (today it is known as St. Martin de Porres), St. Ben’s, and St. Francis of Assisi. The Monastery adjacent to St. Francis of Assisi was the Capuchin house of studies.
Each Capuchin ministry has a rich and varied history.
St. Ben’s started as a storefront church in 1908. Archbishop Messmer gave the Capuchins St. Ben’s as a ministry to serve Milwaukee’s African American Catholics. Brewer baron Frederick Miller donated the money to build St. Ben’s church. Today, the parish continues and each week, St. Ben’s Community Meal feeds 2,000 poor and homeless and partners with Columbia-St. Mary’s, providing health care to those who can’t afford it.
After the civil unrest of the 60’s, some existing inner city parishes closed. House of Peace was born to fill the gap, originally as an extension of St. Francis parish. Now forty years later, it serves as an anchor to the area surrounding 17th & Walnut, providing social services, teen leadership, pastoral counseling, health services through partner UWM and legal counsel through Marquette University partner.
Messmer Catholic Schools began at St. E’s. In 1929, Capuchin friar Celestine Biddle was its first principal.
Do you want to learn more about the Mission/Vision/Values of the Capuchin Province of St. Joseph? Click here to view a presentation.