The Celebration

ST. LAWRENCE TURNS 15O!

“…After an hour’s ride we found it. The impression of St. Nicholas upon us two Swiss was overwhelming; it represented a miniature Switzerland. We saw three hills: to the right the future Mt. Calvary, to the left Mt. Carmel, and in the background Mt. Mary. The landscape, so quiet in its solitude and so holy in its names, basking there in the resplendent glory of the sunlight, filled us with an overpowering awe, and we exclaimed as out of one mouth: ‘Here we will build our first little cloister!’"

And so began our story, according to Bittle’s retelling in A Romance with Lady Poverty. With no money, no permission from the Capuchin Order, without being Capuchins themselves, the founders of our school, Francis Haas and Bonaventure Frey, came to the wilderness of central Wisconsin to spread the Capuchin spirit. But they did much more than that. Over the next 150 years their dedication and work had an impact on and indelibly changed the lives of nearly six thousand young men, turning them into strong religious and lay leaders within the Catholic churches. Many who could never have afforded it without typical Capuchin generosity were provided an outstanding education, spiritual formation and a foundation upon which to build a good, holy life.

The first student body numbered four, with total costs of $10.00 per year, but within two years there were fifteen students, a year later twenty, and a year after that a college wing had to be added to the friary to accommodate the forty-nine students. The Convent Latin School became St. Lawrence College.

In 2010 St. Lawrence Seminary High School celebrated its 150th anniversary with eleven buildings on 80 acres, a beautiful chapel, vibrant on- and off-campus ministry programs, exciting sports, clubs and organization opportunities, fitness center, and boasts a student body from around the United States and the world.

There are twenty-nine faculty members, ten of whom have advanced degrees, including four with doctorate degrees. 98% of our graduates go on to college, many for the first time in their family’s history.

“…This place is destined for something great.” As Bishop Henni laid the cornerstone for the original monastery, he knew St. Lawrence would flourish and fulfill an important part of God’s plan to prepare young men to be lay and religious leaders in the Catholic Church.