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History of Holy Ghost
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In June of 1872 a meeting was held of forty-five families in Dickeyville. It was decided to build a Catholic church of their own. Up until then, Dickeyville residents attended church in Kieler, Potosi, Sinsinawa or Cuba City. A wood structure was started in late October, but unfortunately was destroyed by a strong windstorm shortly before Thanksgiving. Consequently, the church was rebuilt in early spring of 1873 and was completed and blessed on the last Sunday in June, 1873. A pastor was provided by Kieler until 1899 when a residence was purchased and Rev. John Fischer became Holy Ghost’s first resident pastor.As the community grew in population, the framed church became too small and Rev. Charles Rumpelhardt was instrumental in raising the money to build a new church. The current bricked church’s cornerstone was laid on June 15th, 1913 and the church was completed and solemnly dedicated on the 3rd day of December, 1913 by Bishop James Schwaback, Bishop of LaCrosse.
Holy Ghost is now a part of St. Dominic Pastorate, which will be merged, along with six other churches, into St. Dominic Parish in the near future.
Holy Ghost School, Dickeyville, Wisconsin
Lay teachers staffed a one room school house located on the church property from 1868 to 1901. A new brick school edifice was dedicated on October 23,1919 with four rooms in the front for teaching and residences for the religious order of the Franciscan sisters in the back. From 1917 to 1977 the Sisters of Divine Savior taught at Holy Ghost. On June 19, 1960 the addition of four additional classrooms, a gymnasium and kitchen were added. In 1949, the sisters moved to a new brick residence adjacent to the school. With enrollment decreasing and cost upscaling, Holy Ghost School, Dickeyville and Immaculate Conception School, Kieler joined into Holy Ghost-Immaculate Conception School with two campuses in 2006. Presently, the Dickeyville Campus houses 3K through Grade 2 and the Kieler Campus houses Grade 3 through Grade 8.
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