History of our lady of the lake

Ashland is one of the oldest sites of  Catholicism in all of the northern United States, dating back to 1650 when Jesuit Priests landed with French fur  traders at "Mission Springs" on the west side of Ashland.  Mass was  celebrated at Holy Ghost Church on Ashland's Maslowski Beach in the  early 1650's when the entire region's economy centered around the fur  trade at La Pointe on Madeline Island, and Jesuit priests worked to  spread Catholicism throughout the region.  The continuous Catholic  presence began in the 1850's with missionary ministry from Franciscan  Sisters and Priests in service to Native Americans and the many cultures  of new European settlers.  Over the years, two Catholic churches - Holy  Family and St. Agnes, St. Joseph's Hospital, two grade schools, the  DePadua Catholic High School and St. Agnes Cemetery were all established  to serve the large local Catholic community on the south shore of Lake  Superior.

Our Lady of the Lake is one of the oldest parishes in  the Diocese of Superior.  Our congregation, like many, is aging, but  with our pre-K through 8th grade elementary school, we continue to  engage with and attract young families.  From our beginnings in the mid  1800's, the St. Louis Franciscan Friars served this parish until most  recently in mission outreach to northern Wisconsin.  Currently we have  approximately 1100 families who call Our Lady "home", many who have a  long standing membership with our parish for four (or more) generations.

Visitors  to Our Lady of the Lake will be amazed with our church building's 1887  neo-gothic architecture and beautiful 100+ year old stained glass  windows depicting the nine Ranks of Angels, as well as the carved  statues of saints and the Holy Family.  Franciscan Friar Adrian Wewer  designed and built our church building using locally quarried brownstone  from the Apostle Islands.  Remodeled in 1994, the parish works very hard at preserving the integrity and beauty of our historic building  which celebrates the splendor of God's beautiful creation on earth.

Our  Lady of the Lake's main ministry is to education as evidenced by the 135 year history of Catholic schooling.  Over the many years, thousands of children have been formed in the Catholic faith through this  ministry.  In addition, children ages 3 through 18 are involved  in the vibrant Faith Formation Program.  Adult faith formation and  devotional ministries include our 24 hour Adoration Chapel, bible study  groups, feeding the hungry through weekly community meals program  and local food pantry, ecumenical ministerial association, free holiday  meals, and very active Knights of Columbus and Catholic Order of  Foresters chapters.