St. Patrick's Rectory and Father Mazzuchelli's Gravesite & Museum

Saint Patrick's Church is the Catholic parish for Benton, Wisconsin, and surrounding areas. The parish is part of the Diocese of Madison. The church was built in 1852 by the pioneer priest Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, a Dominican. Mazzuchelli was the church's architect, as well as its founder. Mazzuchelli—who was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1993—is buried in the church cemetery. The church was one of 25 he built in the Upper Mississippi River Valley; he also constructed New Diggings’ St. Augustine Church eight years before that. Other area parishes he established were in Shullsburg, Hazel Green, Cuba City, Potosi, Dubuque (Iowa), and Galena (Illinois).

Father Samuel Mazzuchelli came from Italy to America at the age of 22. He was the child of wealthy parents and received a comprehensive, cultured education which included the command of several languages and the study of architecture. Following his ordination, he was assigned to be a missionary priest for the Northwest Territory in the United States. He was highly admired and earned the respect of all to whom he ministered, including settlers, miners, and the area’s native tribes. His command of the native languages of the area enabled him to publish texts for the Winnebago and Menominee Indians of the region. He is credited, too, with having published the first book in the state, a liturgical almanac in the Chippewa language.

In addition to his renowned missionary work and his formation of Christian communities in the region, Father Mazzuchelli was also a pioneer in Wisconsin education. He built the first college in the area, Sinsinawa Mound College for men, in 1843. In 1847, he began the community now known as the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa to minister with him through education. Once that small group of Sisters grew, he opened schools, most significantly in 1852 St. Clara Female Academy in Benton, which is known for its advanced curriculum for young women in the arts and sciences. The first Sisters were often the only teachers for the small public schools in local mining towns. Only after Mazzuchelli’s death did the Sisters return to Sinsinawa Mound where the Academy continued for another 100 years, closing in 1970.
 
Father Mazzuchelli ministered at St. Patrick for the last 15 years of his life. His rectory during his early years as Benton’s priest was a small home located on Bean Street. In 1989, Father Mazzuchelli’s first rectory house was moved from its Bean Street location to a site on St. Patrick Church grounds. It was restored and stands preserved as the Mazzuchelli Rectory Museum. 

Father Mazzuchelli died in 1864 and is buried in St. Patrick Catholic Church Cemetery. In 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Father Mazzuchelli venerable, the first step to possible canonization as a saint. The public may visit the Mazzuchelli Gravesite at any time. Appointments for tours of the Mazzuchelli Rectory Museum may be made by contacting Danette Brink at 608-759-2892.
 
Visitors might like to continue learning about Father Mazzuchelli by visiting his archives at the Sinsinawa Mound, the Motherhouse of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, located 12 miles west of Benton on County Road Z in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. The Mound is the headquarters for nearly 260 Dominican Sisters in the Congregation, and a new exhibit is currently underway to display the scope of Father Samuel’s life and service. It includes many personal artifacts including the chain Father Samuel wore as penance, secretly hidden beneath his clothing. Many people—particularly the ill and ailing—have prayed with Father Mazzuchelli’s penance chain, a sign of his holiness, in the hope of being granted a miracle.