I take my ‘Fatherhood’ very seriously. I am not a CEO of a company, but the father of a family. Parish family life must be a model for individual families, which includes love, respect, dedication, and fidelity.”

Father William Felix

Now having marked 10 years as a parish, All Saints Day (the parish feast day) is November 1.

“That which existed from the beginning, what we have seen and heard, what we have seen with our eyes and our hands have touched, concerning the Word of Life…this we proclaim to you.”

The above paraphrase, written in Greek by a man named John towards the end of the first century or early second, is a testament to the Incarnation, the belief that in Jesus God became Man, and the Word became Flesh.

Starting as three separate churches from the missionary labors of Father Charles Goldsmith in the 19th century but joined into one parish as recently as 2013, All Saints Catholic Community of Stanley, Boyd, and Cadott exists to bear witness to this belief in Incarnation as well.

The word “Saint” is tied to “sanctified” and equates in English with “holy one,” a state that All Saints believes all Catholics and Christians are called to (1 Corinthians 1:1-3, Catechism paragraphs 825, 2013 and 2014). The source of all sanctity is Grace, understood as being both favor and divine life, without which it is impossible to be saved. As such, All Saints Catholic Parish is ultimately a Eucharistic community, centered upon and worshiping Jesus Christ both as Lord and Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

As to the three churches that comprise All Saints Parish, each has its own distinct history.

The first, Holy Family, makes reference to the family of Jesus and dates as a parish from the 1970s, representing the merger/reunion of two historically separate congregations, St. Mary’s and St. Anne’s. Built in the 1970s it has eight sides, three doors, and four windows, each of which convey specific meaning. The entrance of Holy Family contains the altars from both churches among different heirlooms, along with the wooden Jesus statute mentioned in the opening from the late seventies, now located in the office hallway area. The Tabernacle area has a reproduction of the Holy Trinity icon by Rublev, making reference to Genesis 18.

The next, St. Joseph Church at Boyd, is named for the foster father of Jesus and patron of the universal church, the present brick building dating to 1928, being dedicated just weeks before the market crash of 1929. Nonetheless, it stands and is paid for.

Once tied to Sacred Heart at Edson before this became the present Cor Jesu Oratory, St. Joseph’s at Boyd has statues in the front of St. Patrick and St. Boniface (both missionary bishops) as well as Bible scenes throughout and a stained glass window of Jesus appearing to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a French nun. At the front of St. Joseph’s on the left and right are pictorial representations of the other two churches in the parish, Holy Family and St. Rose of Lima. St. Joseph himself was declared patron of the universal church on December 8, 1870.

The third church in All Saints, St. Rose of Lima at Cadott, is named for a native of Peru and the first canonized saint of the Americas. Canonized saints are not the only people in heaven but rather those who have been recognized through a long process as exhibiting heroic virtue and furnishing example to the faithful on living the gospel in the world.

Along with a refurbished front altar area is an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe at the back (one of two within the parish), with stained glass windows showing various Gospel scenes to either side.

St. Rose of Lima at Cadott started out as a polygot parish within the Chippewa Valley, the Gospel (main Bible reading) being read in six different languages prior to the homily/sermon, per the Cadott centennial publication. The altar area of St. Rose today contains four stained glass windows with the reasons for the Mass, expressed in Latin.

Now having marked 10 years as a parish, All Saints Day (the parish feast day) is November 1. Children participate in worship with the rest of the congregation, and each of the churches have an area where parents can take kids to calm down if needed.  As to being active in the broader community, All Saints makes many contributions.

St. Joseph’s School Lunchbox helps out with food at various events throughout the year, including at Ringelspiel and different community fishing contests, among others. The Knights of Columbus do an annual Tootsie Roll Drive, while the Parish Council of Catholic Women . There is also a Family Life Committee for fostering parish family life and an Education Committee to foster education and pastoral aspects of the parish. For those beyond the age of ordinary religious education, All Saints offers the Formed program through the Augustine Institute, as well as radio on 96.5 Spirit FM as of 2014. A parish school named St. Joseph’s operates at Boyd. For those wishing to learn more about Catholicism and potentially join the parish it offers RCIA, standing for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.

Lastly, the parish is committed to fostering Safe Environment, a program that was set up in the wake of clergy abuse scandals across the church as a whole meant to avoid future abuse. Modern seminary candidates are also put through psychological testing and undergo several years of formation meant to weed out bad candidates, the bishop making final decision on each ordination.

As to the parish, All Saints is currently served by both Father William Felix and Deacon Ned Willkom, from Chippewa Falls and Cadott respectively.

Father William Felix was born in 1955 to Jack and Dorothy Felix, with three sisters and one brother. He attended Catholic grade school before going to the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in the late 1970s, where he double majored in Philosophy and Religious Studies.

Later attending seminary at St. John’s University in Collegeville Minnesota prior to ordination, Father Felix has three pastoral priorities: Christian formation and vocation, Christian prayer and sacred worship and Christian mission and charity.

“I take my ‘Fatherhood’ very seriously, Felix shares of how he understands the pastorate. “I am not a CEO of a company, but the father of a family. Parish family life must be a model for individual families, which includes love, respect, dedication, and fidelity.”

Outside of parish work, Father Felix enjoys biking walking hiking, skiing, and fishing, with other interests including “reading writing, music, theater, art, the culinary arts, and travel.”

Helping Father Felix in his duties is Deacon Ned Willkom has been married to wife LouAnn since 1978 and a retired Cadott dentist. Born in 1954, he attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Cadott along with Cadott Community High School, before attending the University of Wisconsin for a pre-dental program. He then graduated from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1979.

After many years as a dentist and raising a family, Willkom began formation to become a Catholic deacon in 2003, being ordained in October of 2010. Assigned at first to both St. Anthony of Padua in Drywood and St. Rose of Lima in Cadott, Willkom was later assigned to St. Rose and then All Saints Parish upon merger in 2013.

Although not clergy, Willkom’s wife LouAnn is the present coordinator of religious education in the parish, with office staff and principal Russ Jensen of St. Joseph’s School at Boyd also among those in parish leadership roles. In addition, women have both led and helped provide a significant portion of the religious education staff for decades.

Returning to matters of doctrine, Catholic Christian belief is centered on the Word made Flesh sent by the Father for our salvation as expressed within the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. All other Catholic teaching (including the seven sacraments) are established upon, referenced to, and meant to support and uphold this core. As such the structure of the Mass also bears witness to this, being a prayer that begins and ends with invoking the Trinity, while the words of institution follow the proclamation of the Gospel and make present this eternal reality in time and space. Because of what the Church teaches on the Eucharist, it is reserved to those who are themselves ‘in communion’ with the Church, with  Catholics called to examine themselves before partaking of the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-31), being free from conscious mortal sin (1 John 5:16 -17) that would break the communion with God the Eucharist brings about. There are many more details with regard to Catholic belief beyond the foundation of Trinity and Incarnation, each referencing back to this core. The best way to address them, is often simply by asking. For those interested in learning more or making a visit, contact details, church addresses and Mass times are as follows:

Phone: 715-644-5435

Email: info@allsaintscathcom.com

Holy Family

226 E. Third Avenue, Stanley

Mass on Saturdays at 4 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m.

St. Joseph’s

719 E. Patten Street, Boyd

Mass on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. as well as on Tuesdays and Fridays at 8:30 a.m.

St. Rose of Lima

415 N. Maple Street, Cadott

Mass on Sundays and Thursday at 8:30 a.m.