The spiritual life of St. Mary’s, as well as the physical, has always been enhanced and advanced by the labors of its lay organizations. Their origins stretch back to the first days of the Parish.

Four parish organizations were in existence in 1897: the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, Branch 150 with 25 members had been chartered two years earlier. (Fr. Volz was president, Anton Hein secretary, M. Kapellan treasurer); the St. Joseph Benevolent Society (Joseph Mueller president, Val Wingerter secretary, Wilhelm Geden treasurer); the Ladies Altar Society with 50 members; and the Young Ladies Sodality with 15 members.

By 1939 the St. Joseph Society had disappeared from Parish records. The year before Fr. Biegler had gained permission to start a Holy Name Society. All adult men, over 125 of them, were members. Its purpose was to promote spiritual welfare and uphold the Holy Name of Jesus by distributing good literature and spreading the faithful practice of the faith. There was an element of relaxation as well, with games and fellowship following the meetings. A very special feature of the society was that "all political discussions are taboo at any of the society meetings." Each member was given a small prayer book with an opening page for their name and address and a statement asking "In case of Accident Notify a Catholic Priest." The Holy Name Society discontinued after 1968, according to Parish records.

The Marion Sodality held regular monthly meetings on Sundays. Members were the youth of the parish. The society promoted prayer and had sub-committees for spreading Catholic literature and the Eucharist. They also promoted healthy entertainment, hosted picnics, dances and sleigh rides to which the youth from other parishes were invited. The Sodality eventually became known as the Christian Youth Organization. It fizzled after the late 70’s, but is being revived at the current time as the Wild Youth Ministry.

Catholic Knights Branch 150 is also alive and well in 2004. This non-profit organization provides insurance for member, currently numbering 87 (including Merrillan). It is also a charity that donates and matches funds for worthy causes in the parish and community. These include the servers, parish library, CCD, food pantry and Uganda. A few members have received golden rosaries for 50 years association.

Many of the parish’s men are ‘brothers" in the Knights of Columbus Council 4963, which also includes members from Greenwood and Loyal. The Knights are involved in a number of fundraising/charitable activities. The brothers gather to pray the Rosary at the wakes of deceased members and their families.

-24-

Where would St. Mary’s be without its women’s organization?

These have existed under a number of names: The Christian Mothers Society, the Christian Mother’s Union, and The Ladies Altar Society. The Altar Society was "the strongest and most active of the societies," of the church according to Fr. Biegler. Its primary purpose was spiritual, but it has a strong secondary role in furnishing the church and parish house with necessary items. The Ladies’ Society became The Parish Council of Catholic Women (PCCW) in 1961.

Current president Bonnie Langreck described the PCCW as a "very prayerful and hard working organization, comprised of many wonderful, dedicated Catholic women."

The woman have cooked and taken care of other essential details for virtually every event and funeral over 125 years. As members of one of the eight "circles" they have often gathered in their homes or at the church hall to work on mission projects or fundraisers, such as the annual 1^st Friday in May Bake Sale.

"In the early days, the Christian Mothers tried to earn extra money to help the parish by sponsoring dinners," said Mrs. Johanna Hoesly in a 1978 interview. By the time she was old enough to help, the kitchen in the church basement boasted a large coal-heated range.

"We had to get started early in the morning," recalled Mrs. Mary Langreck, Hoesly’s cooking partner. "We started with a wood fire to get the oven warmed up. Then men of the parish hauled the coal to keep the fire going…We had to keep putting coal in the stove to keep the roasters going. That was dirty work."

A typical menu from an October 1920 menu: chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, cabbage salad, beet pickles, mashed rutabaga, rye bread rolls, coffee, ice cream and coke. All for 75 cents.

Langreck and Hoesly were very pleased with the kitchen remodeling done in the 1950’s. By that time, they were serving as many as 600 to 1,000 meals per dinner.

Other famous PCCW cooks in recent years include Mary Sladich and the late Susie Skroch.

Of course, the PCCW is not limited to these activities. The organization has been deeply involved in charities, other fund raising projects and family life. For many years they have provided the hands-on work for parish

-25-