History of saint mary

The first missionary to visit Odanah was  Father Agustus Van Parmel, who came from La Pointe on occasional visits  from 1855 to 1859.  Father John Chebul built the first Catholic Church  in Odanah.  In 1882, Bishop Kilian Flasch of La Crosse administered the  first Confirmation service in Odanah.  In 1883 the church was dedicated  under the patronage of the Sorrowful Mother.  Later that year,  Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration from La Crosse opened a parish  school in Odanah.  The school remained open until 1969.  In 1878, the  Franciscan Fathers of the St. Louis Province took over parishes serving  northern Wisconsin's Native American population, Including St. Mary  Parish.  In 1888, Katherine Drexel, who was named a saint by Pope John  Paul II in 2000, visited Odanah.  Born to wealthy parents in  Philadelphia, she purchased the former 160 acre Presbyterian mission for  the Catholic mission, which is the site of today's St. Mary Church.   Renovations during the past century have kept it in its original  condition.  In 1999, St. Mary Parish celebrated its centennial with a  Mass celebrated by Bishop Raphael M. Fliss.  Members of the Franciscan  religious order, as well as the Franciscan Sister of La Crosse, were on  hand for the celebration.  Earlier in the year, the Franciscan Fathers  turned the parish back to the Bishop of Superior, ending a 121 year of  service to the St. Mary community.  The last resident priest was Father  Michael Lange, OFM, who died before the centennial celebration.