MADONNA DEL ROSARIO DI POMPEII, “Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Pompeii” began it’s sacred work of redemption and salvation in August, 1904 when the Most Reverend Sebastian Gebhard Messmer, fourth Archbishop of Milwaukee, granted formal authority to the Reverend Joseph Angeletti to organize this new parish in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

With the financial assistance of the Reverend Henry Roche, Pastor of St. James Parish, Fr. Angeletti negotiated the purchase of land on the N.W. corner of Howland Avenue (22nd Avenue) and Pearl Street (55th Street).

On November 14, 1904, the church cornerstone was laid by Fr. Roche in a ceremony presided over by the Very Reverend Augustin, Vicar General Schinner and witnessed by over 300 lay people. Some of the original parishioners in 1904 included Salvatore Serpe, Ben Buratti, Ralph Molinaro, Salvatore Ruffalo, Peter Molinaro, Peter Rosciolli, Ralph Magaro, Antonio Giggliotti, Paul Astas, Serafino Presta, Eugene and Arthur LaMaccia, Ralph Riccio, Frank Gennaccaro, and Servio Buttera.

Official dedication of the new Holy Rosary of Pompeii Parish took place on August 13, 1905 with Bishop Schinner of Superior presiding, assisted by many other clergy. The altar of this wooden church was a replica of our sister church in Italy. Kenosha businessman and philanthropist Z.G. Simmons donated a solid bronze bell and communion rail. Church windows were donated by Charles Brown of the First National Bank, with further help by Charles Pacini, Domenic Lencioni, and Dr. Germano. Many of the original statues were imported from Italy. In 1908, Mr. Simmons further donated a hand carved pulpit.

The original Holy Rosary church would continue until the construction and completion of the new structure in 1929-1932 at our present location of 22nd Avenue and 45th Street, ten blocks to the north.

During the 28 years at its original site, Holy Rosary parish was served by five Pastors, The Reverend Joseph Angeletti (1904-1908), The Reverend August Baubizzone (1908-1912), The Reverend Peter Perardi (1912-1921), The Reverend Angelo Simeoni (1921-1932), and The Reverend Oswald K. Krusing (1932-1934). Under Father Perardi’s leadership, the original wooden frame of the church was covered with a brick veneer, and a church hall was constructed.

A major milestone in the history of Holy Rosary Parish occurred on November 23, 1929, when W.H. Alford, a Kenosha friend and benefactor, donated a large plot of land on 22nd Avenue between 45th Street and 43rd Street and extending westward approximately two city blocks. This very good fortune was due in no small part to the lobbying efforts and prayers of the Pastor, Father Simeoni.

The architectural design of the new church was the work of Charles A. Augustin, and Dominick Camosy was the major contractor; original seating capacity was 530.

Sunday, October 16, 1932, was a glorious moment in the history of Holy Rosary Parish. On that date, His Excellency Archbishop Samuel Stritch of Milwaukee solemnly blessed the new MADONNA DEL ROSARIO DI POMPEII Church.

Another major factor in the history of Holy Rosary Parish saw the arrival of the priests of the Order of Saint Augustine. This change was due to a formal request by Father Simeoni, then in poor health, to Archbishop Stritch. In October 1934, Augustinians of the Province of Saint Joseph arrived at Holy Rosary and would serve Holy Rosary Parish until 1975, when the Mother of Good Counsel, Midwest Province, came to Holy Rosary until the summer of 2002. Father Simeoni was forced by poor health to retire from Holy Rosary in 1932; prior to the arrival of the Augustinians, the Reverend Oswald was our fifth Pastor.

On Sunday, October 12, 1934, the Reverend Charles Schlereth, O.S.A. celebrated his first Mass as Pastor. Fr. Schlereth remained until 1937; he would be followed by twelve more Augustinian Pastors during the next six decades: Reverend Tarcisuis Rattler, O.S.A. (1937-1938), Reverend Frederick Brossler, O.S.A. (1938-1947); Reverend Oswald Malzer, O.S.A. (1947-1953); Reverend Kasimir Kasparek, O.S.A. (1953-1962); Reverend James Tursi, O.S.A. (1962-1968); Reverend Frederick Brossler, O.S.A. (1968-1972); Reverend Reinhard Burchhardt, O.S.A. (1972-1975); Reverend Francis Sullivan, O.S.A. (1975-1987); Reverend Thomas L. Osborne, O.S.A. (1987-1989); Reverend Michael O’Connor, O.S.A. (1989-1990); Reverend Karl Gersbach, O.S.A. (1990-1994); and Reverend John Molnar, O.S.A. (1994-2003).

The last Augustinian Priest to serve Holy Rosary parishioners as Associate Pastor, in reality, the very last Augustinian at Holy Rosary, was the Reverend Henry Maibusch, O.S.A., who was reassigned to Racine after decades of very devoted and highly inspirational sacramental service to thousands of our parishioners. With the departure of the Augustinians in the summer of 2002, the Milwaukee Archdiocese appointed the Reverend Allen Bratkowski as the nineteenth Pastor of Holy Rosary Parish.

During the Augustinian era at Holy Rosary (1934-2003), a series of high significant accomplishments occurred. In 1945, the Church construction debt was paid off. This was made possible by annual parish Bazaars, fund raising drives, summer festivals, numerous card parties, church dinners, bingo volunteers and individual largesse.

With the amortization of the Church construction debt in 1945, Holy Rosary parishioners began planning in earnest to fulfill a long dream of ours, a parish school. With the same dedication, generosity, and spiritually motivated sacrifice that paid off the church debt, Holy Rosary School opened its doors in September, 1953. Auxiliary Bishop Roman Atkielski presided and offered a solemn blessing. In the years after 1953 many improvements and expansions were completed—a gymnasium and more classrooms.

Early in the 21st Century, major repairs in the hundreds of thousands of dollars were carried out to insure the long-range future of Holy Rosary’s school. By the later 1990s, our church structure was in dire need of major renovations and repairs. A handicapped access was installed; high quality new stained glass windows were put in place and protected for the long-range future by the latest technology of weatherproofing. By the time of Father Allen Bratkowski’s arrival in August, 2002, major repairs had taken place on the church foundation and interior furnishings. The newly acquired fourteen Stations of the Cross date from 1922; Holy Rosary obtained them from the closed Saint Thomas of Aquinas Parish in 2000. They were crafted in Italy.

Another major development for Roman Catholics worldwide was the reform movement brought about by Pope John XXIII’s calling together the Second Vatican Council in 1959 and formally completed under Pope Paul VI in 1965. The most obvious reform to come from Vatican II was the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy in national languages, replacing the previously all Latin services.

Throughout its entire first century of service, the physical growth of the church and school was possible only with the deeply spiritual vision and prayerful dedication of Holy Rosary’s religious staff and the equally dedicated sacrifices, hard volunteer work amounting the countless hours away from home, and the wonderful generosity of its thousands of parishioners in times of peaceful calm, world wars, long term economic depression, prosperity, and the painful effects of economic globalization.

Our Parish Mission and purpose for existence now is precisely what it was in the beginning in 1904 – the redemption and salvation of our eternal souls through corporal and spiritual works of mercy toward all people, devotion to the Mother of God, adoration and sacrifice to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Written by J. Thomas Blankley