A Jesuit Parish continued...
Within fifteen years, Holy Name Parish had grown so much that it too,
built a second church. By this time the Jesuits were operating four
grade schools—two at St. Gall’s And two at Holy
Name—and Marquette College, which was a six-year combined
high
school and college. Bishop Henni’s hopes in bringing the
Jesuits
to Milwaukee were being realized.
Around that same period, just over 100 years ago, land just north and
west of 12th and Wisconsin became available as the Wisconsin State Fair
grounds moved to West Allis.
The Jesuits bought this property in the hopes of building a church and
eventually moving the college there as well. Plans were made to reunite
the two Jesuit parishes into a new parish with the name Gesu. Gesu is
the Italian name for Jesus and is also the name of the mother church of
the Jesuits in Rome where the Jesuit founder, St. Ignatius, is buried.
The cornerstone laying ceremony on May 21, 1893, was a grand event by
all newspaper accounts of the day. Thousands lined the streets, took
part in a parade, and waited patiently during a two-hour ceremony. Gesu
Church was completed and dedicated on December 16, 1894.
In 1899,
Gesu Grade School was built on 13th and Michigan Streets and
was served by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
school building included a social center with bowling alleys, a gym,
running track, and meeting rooms. It was operated as a
“tuition-free” school and after sixty-nine years of
service, closed in June of 1968. To this day, Gesu has an active Alumni
Association, many of whom remain close friends. The site of the Grade
School is commemorated by a stone marker donated by the alumni.
By 1906, Marquette College was built next door to Gesu Church and had a
charter from the State of Wisconsin to confer degrees and to enlarge
its scope to that of a university. In 1925, the University and the High
School separated, and Marquette High School moved to 34th and Wisconsin
Avenue.
Today, the Society of Jesus sponsors five separate ministries in
Milwaukee: Marquette University; Marquette University High School;
Nativity Jesuit Middle School; St. Patrick’s Parish and Gesu
Parish. Gesu is Jesuit-sponsored parish of the Archdiocese of
Milwaukee, serving the city but most especially its neighborhood,
including Marquette University.
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