History of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, Portage
St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Portage holds the distinction of being the oldest church in the Dioceses of Madison. The parish traces its origins back to 1833, when Rev. Samuel Mazzuchelli, a Dominican, arrived to work with the Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Indians. By 1833 the fledgling parish already had its first church, and in 1851a second one was built and dedicated to St. Bartholomew. In 1852 the first resident pastor arrived, Rev. James Roche. A third church was then built in 1854, and in 1857 that building and some property was sold to a local Baptist congregation, which in turn sold its holdings to the Catholics.
The congregation's new property included the foundation of a church building, which parishioners completed and dedicated to St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in 1859.
In 1866, St. Mary School opened, staffed by Sinsinawa Dominicans. Racine Dominicans as well as Salvatorians are also present in the Portage Community.
By the late 1800's an influx of Irish and German immigrants arrived to dig the Portage Canal. In 1877 the Germans formed St. Francis Xavier. But by 1966, having assimilated into the community, they incorporated their parish into St. Mary. Today the congregation has grown to 1,100 family units.
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