St. Alphonsus – New Munster, WI

The first Catholic settlers who settled in the farming area in Western Kenosha County in the 1840s were immigrants from Germany. The settlers named the hamlet New Munster in honor of their native German town of Munster, Germany. These Catholic settlers attended Mass in the Burlington area, and from 1847 through 1851, priests from nearby localities said Mass for Catholics in private homes in their own community. The need for a Catholic church in this area became evident shortly after those first settlers arrived. The stone church and parsonage were completed in 1851 at a cost of $5,000 and was dedicated on October 14, 1851 by Right Reverend Martin Henni of Milwaukee and placed under the patronage of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori. Reverend Martin Weiss was the first resident pastor until 1854.