In September 1937, Bishop Alexander McGavick of the Diocese of La Crosse issued a decree of intent to create a new parish in the area south of Wausau, WI. This action was in response to the request of Mrs. Joseph Wiener to send a priest to attend to the needs of those Catholics living in that area as it grew. By November of the same year, a young priest was sent to survey locations for what would become St. Therese Parish in Rothschild.

    Father Vincent Schwartz was an assistant at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral in LaCrosse before receiving the task of establishing a parish in Rothschild. Upon arrival in the Wausau area in October 1937, he took up residence at St. Mary’s Hospital while he began his appointed work.

    Approximately 150 families were identified as prospective parishioners during his census of Catholics in the area, and the first Mass was held in a meeting room of the Rothschild Community Hall on November 1, 1937, on the Feast of All Saints. On November 14, Father Schwartz was officially appointed as the first pastor of St. Therese of the Child Jesus (Little Flower).

Saint Therese was founded in 1937

Our History

We, the parishioners of

Saint Therese, are committed to continue the ministry of

Jesus Christ through prayer, worship, faith, and charity.

We believe that the Eucharist

should be at the center of our lives; that we are to be stewards of God,

sharing our time and talents to

promote our spiritual development as individuals

and as community.

May St. Therese assist us that we might imitate her life of prayer, simplicity and

obedience to God’s will.

“The one mediator, Christ, established and ever sustains here on earth his holy Church, the community of faith, hope, and charity, as a visible organization through which he communicates truth and grace to all men.”

CCC 771 - LG 8

Our Parish Mission Statement

The Church - Visible and Spiritual

    Many milestones were met within the first year. November 21, 1937, marked St. Therese’s first baptism, that of Rita Mae Green, who is still an active member of the parish today. Masses began at Schofield School during the earliest stages of planning and construction of the church building. Religious instruction under the Sisters of Our Divine Savior from St. Mary’s Hospital began on November 28.

    Wasting no time, the ladies of the parish organized the Little Flower Aid Society, the organization that would become the current Little Flower Council. The ladies were instrumental in getting the parish up and running, raising more than $12,000 in the first year alone.

    On December 10, 1937, only two months after the survey had begun, two acres of land became the future site of St. Therese. The land was purchased from

the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation in Rothschild Park for $300.

    Around that same time, the parish was legally incorporated.

To read more, please download

a copy of our history book here.