In September of 1960, Bishop Stanislaus Bona of the Green Bay Diocese established a new Catholic parish in Appleton: St. Bernadette. In December of that year, this new parish began worship in a remodeled Quonset hut. The founding Pastor of the parish was Father Willard McKinnon.
From those humble beginnings in 1960 St. Bernadette Parish has grown into a large community of believers, joined by our Catholic faith, shared worship, religious education and service to God's will and Jesus' teachings.
The parish has, throughout its history, struggled to retire the debt that was required to finance its continued growth and development. The struggle has not been without success, however. To this point, past capital campaigns and fundraising efforts have resulted in raising over $1.6 million; all of which has been applied to the reduction of the long-term debt of our parish.
