Happy Feast of St. Patrick!

Did you know that St. Francis de Sales church has some Irish roots? 

In 1842 the first Catholic parish of Lake Geneva was established with 33 families by Fr. Martin Kundig.  It was then called “St. Martins” and almost all of the original parishioners were Irish Catholics living in Irish Woods.  At that time there was only a rectory and Mass was said on the second floor of that building.   Around 1852 first church was built and the name was changed to St. Francis de Sales.  This church building was to the east of where our church now stands.  In 1889, with Fr. Eugene Reilly as the pastor, the cornerstone for our present church building was laid and construction began.

Completed in 1892, our present day church is of a modified gothic style.  Beautiful stained glass windows and oil paintings of the Stations of the Cross were gifts from parishioners.  Summer resident PJ Healy of Lyon and Healy Music Company in Chicago donated the organ.

The builder and architect of our church was William Brady.  He was born in 1841 in Dublin, Ireland and married Mary Curran.  He died in February, 1892, just 6 months before the church was dedicated that same year on August 7. He is buried in the St. Francis de Sales cemetery.

The next meeting of the Project 2017 Renovation Committee is Monday, March 21 at 7 p.m.  These are open meetings and all parishioners are invited to attend.