Looking for a Catholic church in Door County, Wisconsin? You have quite a few choices.
In fact, Door County has Catholic churches from Maplewood and Sturgeon Bay all the way north to Sister Bay and Washington Island. There are several independent parish churches in southern and central Door County, while much of northern Door County is served by Stella Maris Parish, which operates six different worship sites around the peninsula.
That can make finding the closest Catholic Mass in Door County a little confusing, especially for visitors.
So here’s a rundown of the Catholic churches around Door County, where they are located, and their current Mass schedules.
And after that, since this article is being published by a Lutheran church, we’re going to make a suggestion that probably won’t surprise you: if some of the things you appreciate about Catholic Christianity are liturgy, the Sacraments, ancient creeds, and historic Christian worship, you might also consider visiting Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church.
But first, the Catholic churches.
Catholic Churches in Door County
1. St. Joseph Catholic Church — Sturgeon Bay
St. Joseph Catholic Church is one of the most recognizable churches in Sturgeon Bay. The parish traces its history to the 1860s, and its present church, with its twin towers, has long been a prominent part of the Sturgeon Bay skyline.
St. Joseph is located at 110 N. 5th Avenue in Sturgeon Bay. Its current weekend Mass schedule is Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at 10:00 a.m., with weekday Masses on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.
St. Joseph also participates with the other Sturgeon Bay-area Catholic parishes in shared religious education and youth programs.
Location: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Saturday Mass: 4:00 p.m.
Sunday Mass: 10:00 a.m.
Tradition: Roman Catholic
Good fit for: Catholics living in or visiting central and eastern Sturgeon Bay
If you’re staying in Sturgeon Bay and searching for a Catholic church near downtown Sturgeon Bay, St. Joseph will probably be one of the first churches you encounter.
2. Corpus Christi Catholic Church — Sturgeon Bay
Sturgeon Bay has more than one Catholic parish. Corpus Christi Catholic Church is located at 811 W. Juniper Street on the west side of the city.
Corpus Christi currently offers Saturday Mass at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday Masses at 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. The parish also celebrates weekday Mass and offers regular times for Confession and Eucharistic Adoration.
As its name suggests, Corpus Christi places particular emphasis on the Eucharist. The parish describes the Eucharist as the source and summit of Catholic faith and teaches, in keeping with Roman Catholic doctrine, that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.
The parish is also closely connected with St. John Bosco Catholic School and shares a number of educational ministries with other Catholic parishes in the Sturgeon Bay area.
Location: Sturgeon Bay, WI
Saturday Mass: 4:30 p.m.
Sunday Mass: 7:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Tradition: Roman Catholic
Good fit for: Catholics on the west side of Sturgeon Bay or those looking for several weekend Mass-time options
For someone Googling “Catholic Mass in Sturgeon Bay,” Corpus Christi and St. Joseph together provide a fairly wide range of Sunday and Saturday evening options.
3. Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church — Institute
Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church is located in Institute, northeast of Sturgeon Bay, at 4767 E. Dunn Road. The parish is linked pastorally with St. Joseph Catholic Church.
The current local Catholic schedule lists Sunday Mass at Sts. Peter and Paul at 8:00 a.m., along with a Spanish-language Mass at 1:00 p.m. A weekday Mass is also celebrated on Thursday morning.
That Spanish Mass is particularly worth noting. If you’re searching for a Spanish Catholic Mass in Door County or Misa en Español in Sturgeon Bay, Sts. Peter and Paul is one of the local places to know about.
Location: Institute / Sturgeon Bay, WI
Sunday Mass: 8:00 a.m.
Spanish Mass: Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Tradition: Roman Catholic
Good fit for: Catholics in the Institute and eastern Sturgeon Bay area and Spanish-speaking Catholics looking for Sunday Mass
4. Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church — Maplewood
In southern Door County, Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church sits along County Highway H in Maplewood.
This is a genuinely historic Door County congregation. Catholic settlement in the area reaches back to the nineteenth century, and the parish’s history is closely tied to the Irish Catholic settlers who came to southern Door County. The present church stands prominently on the hill in Maplewood.
Holy Name of Mary describes itself as a “classic country church” serving southern Door County. Its current schedule includes Sunday Mass at 8:45 a.m., along with weekday Masses on Tuesday and Thursday.
Location: Maplewood, WI
Sunday Mass: 8:45 a.m.
Tradition: Roman Catholic
Setting: Historic rural parish
Good fit for: Catholics in southern Door County, including the Forestville and Maplewood areas
For someone looking for a Catholic church in southern Door County, Holy Name of Mary is the principal local option.
5. Stella Maris Parish — Northern Door County
Catholic life in northern Door County is organized a little differently.
Stella Maris Parish is one Roman Catholic parish with worship sites in Baileys Harbor, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Jacksonport, Sister Bay, and Washington Island. The separate Catholic communities were brought together into Stella Maris Parish in 2005.
That makes Stella Maris especially useful for visitors. If you’re vacationing in northern Door County, there is a good chance that one of its churches is relatively close to where you’re staying.
Stella Maris — Fish Creek
The Fish Creek worship site currently has a Saturday 4:00 p.m. Mass. It is one of Stella Maris Parish’s larger church sites.
If you’re searching for a Catholic church in Fish Creek, Wisconsin, this is the local Roman Catholic option.
Stella Maris — Egg Harbor
The Egg Harbor site currently celebrates Saturday Mass at 6:00 p.m. The Stella Maris parish office is also located in Egg Harbor.
This makes it a convenient Catholic church for visitors staying around Egg Harbor, especially those looking for a Saturday evening Mass.
Stella Maris — Baileys Harbor
The Baileys Harbor site currently offers Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m.
If you’re on the Lake Michigan side of northern Door County and searching for Catholic Mass near Baileys Harbor, this is the obvious place to start.
Stella Maris — Jacksonport
During the current summer schedule, Stella Maris celebrates Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. in Jacksonport.
The Jacksonport location is particularly convenient for people staying along Door County’s eastern shoreline.
Stella Maris — Sister Bay
The Sister Bay church currently celebrates Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. Sister Bay is one of Stella Maris Parish’s larger worship sites.
For visitors searching for a Catholic church in Sister Bay, Ephraim, or northern Door County, this is one of the principal options.
Stella Maris — Washington Island
Stella Maris also serves Catholics on Washington Island, with Sunday Mass currently listed at 1:00 p.m.
Because Stella Maris adjusts its schedule seasonally as Door County’s population changes, visitors should check the parish’s current schedule before heading to Mass. The parish specifically notes that its worship schedule changes with the tourist season.
Catholic Churches in Door County at a Glance
Between the individual parishes in southern and central Door County and the six Stella Maris worship sites in northern Door County, Catholics have worship locations spread across most of the peninsula. Current Catholic Masses are offered in Sturgeon Bay, Institute, Maplewood, Egg Harbor, Fish Creek, Baileys Harbor, Jacksonport, Sister Bay, and Washington Island.
If you’re a Catholic visiting Door County and simply need to fulfill your Sunday Mass obligation, we hope the information above helps you find a nearby parish.
But if you’re searching for a Catholic church in Door County for a different reason—perhaps because you’re looking for a church that is liturgical, sacramental, historic, and rooted in the ancient Christian faith—there’s another congregation we’d encourage you to consider.
Have You Considered Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church?
We should probably begin with the necessary clarification:
Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Door County is not a Catholic church.
We’re Lutheran.
Specifically, Saint Peter’s is a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, located at 316 W. Main Street in Forestville. Our Sunday Divine Service is at 10:00 a.m.
We also aren’t going to tell you that Catholic and Lutheran theology are basically the same. They aren’t.
But if Catholic Christianity appeals to you because you want something older and deeper than contemporary evangelicalism, you may be surprised at how much of historic Western Christian worship Lutheranism retained.
If You Appreciate Catholic Worship, Saint Peter’s May Feel Familiar
Walk into Saint Peter’s on Sunday morning and you won’t find a praise band or a stage.
You’ll find an altar, a pastor wearing historic Christian vestments, hymns, Scripture readings, the ancient creeds, prayers, a sermon, and the celebration of Holy Communion.
We call our Sunday worship the Divine Service, and it follows the historic liturgical pattern of the Western Church. At its center are God’s Word and Christ’s body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar.
For a Catholic visitor, quite a bit of it will look familiar.
That’s not accidental.
The Lutheran Reformation did not begin with the idea that everything Christians had done for the previous 1,500 years should be thrown away. Lutheran churches retained the historic liturgy, the ecumenical creeds, infant Baptism, sacramental worship, the church year, historic vestments, and a very high understanding of Holy Communion.
Yes, Lutherans Believe Christ Is Really Present in Communion
This is one of the larger differences between confessional Lutherans and many Protestant churches.
At Saint Peter’s, Holy Communion isn’t merely a symbolic meal in which bread and wine remind us of Jesus.
We believe Jesus meant what He said: “This is my body. This is my blood.”
Saint Peter’s therefore confesses that Christ truly gives His body and blood to Christians in the Lord’s Supper. Our own description of the Divine Service says that Christ unites Himself to us bodily and spiritually in Holy Communion.
There are important differences between Lutheran and Roman Catholic Eucharistic theology, but on this much the two traditions stand much closer to one another than either does to churches that understand Communion as only a memorial.
Lutherans Also Believe Baptism Actually Does Something
The same is true of Baptism.
At Saint Peter’s, Baptism isn’t treated merely as a public symbol of a decision someone has already made.
Lutheran Christianity understands Baptism as God’s work and God’s gift. Likewise, the preaching of the Gospel, Holy Absolution, Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper are all ways in which Christ actually delivers forgiveness and salvation to sinners.
That is why Saint Peter’s describes Christian worship in terms of receiving Christ’s gifts through Word and Sacrament.
Again, a Catholic Christian will recognize quite a bit of that language.
So What’s the Difference Between Catholic and Lutheran?
There are real differences, and we don’t think it does anyone any favors to pretend otherwise.
The Reformation wasn’t a disagreement about whether pastors should wear robes or whether churches should sing old hymns.
Among other things, confessional Lutherans do not accept the Pope’s claim to divinely instituted authority over the whole Christian Church. We reject the Roman Catholic doctrine of purgatory, and we do not invoke the saints in prayer. The LCMS also does not accept later Roman Catholic Marian dogmas such as the Immaculate Conception and bodily Assumption of Mary as doctrines that Christians are required to believe. The Roman Catholic Church, by contrast, formally teaches both the Immaculate Conception and Assumption and maintains a distinctive devotion to Mary and the saints.
And, of course, the central controversy of the Reformation remains important.
Lutherans confess that a sinner is justified before God by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith, apart from his works. Roman Catholics also speak strongly of grace, faith, and Christ’s merits, but Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches continue to differ over important aspects of justification and the relationship of faith, grace, renewal, and works. The LCMS has explicitly maintained that substantive differences remain despite modern Lutheran-Catholic ecumenical agreements.
Those aren’t trivial differences.
But neither do they erase the very substantial amount of historic Christian inheritance Catholics and confessional Lutherans share.
Catholic, but Having Questions?
This may be where Saint Peter’s is especially worth considering.
Perhaps you were raised Catholic and still value reverent worship, the creeds, Baptism, Communion, the church year, and the sense that Christianity did not begin twenty years ago.
But perhaps you have questions about papal authority.
Or purgatory.
Or prayer to the saints.
Or Marian dogmas.
Or you’ve begun reading the Bible and wondering again about the great Reformation question: How is a sinner put right with God?
If so, you don’t have to choose between Roman Catholicism and a completely different form of Christianity in which the altar has been replaced by a stage and the historic liturgy by a worship set.
There is another old Christian tradition in Door County.
We’re Lutheran.
Saint Peter’s Is Unapologetically Lutheran
We aren’t trying to be “Catholic-lite,” and we aren’t embarrassed by the Reformation.
Saint Peter’s believes that the Bible is God’s Word and that salvation is God’s gift to sinners through Jesus Christ. We believe Christ died for sinners and rose again, and that the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith through God’s Word and Sacraments.
We believe the best of the historic Christian tradition should be retained.
And we believe everything in the Church must finally be judged by Holy Scripture.
That’s why our worship looks old, while our theology is recognizably Lutheran.
Can a Catholic Visit Saint Peter’s?
Certainly.
Anyone is welcome to attend the Divine Service at Saint Peter’s. Visitors can follow along with the service, listen to the Scriptures and sermon, sing the hymns, and speak with the pastor afterward. Saint Peter’s current Sunday Divine Service is at 10:00 a.m. at 316 W. Main Street in Forestville.
Because Lutherans take Holy Communion seriously and believe participation at the altar is also a confession of a church’s doctrine, visitors should speak with the pastor before communing.
But you are very welcome to come and see what Lutheran Christianity actually looks like.
You might be surprised by how familiar it feels.
Looking for a Catholic Church in Door County?
If you’re a Roman Catholic vacationing in Door County and looking for Sunday Mass, there are plenty of options. St. Joseph, Corpus Christi, Sts. Peter and Paul, Holy Name of Mary, and the various Stella Maris churches serve Catholics throughout the peninsula.
But if your search for a Catholic church in Door County is really part of a larger search for historic Christianity—something liturgical, sacramental, reverent, biblical, and rooted in the Christian tradition—then we’d invite you to visit one more church.
Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church in Forestville.
We’re not Roman Catholic.
We’re not non-denominational either.
We’re Lutheran, and we’re quite happy being Lutheran.
Come visit us sometime.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Catholic Churches in Door County
Are there Catholic churches in Door County, Wisconsin?
Yes. Catholic churches and worship sites are located throughout Door County, including Sturgeon Bay, Institute, Maplewood, Fish Creek, Egg Harbor, Baileys Harbor, Jacksonport, Sister Bay, and Washington Island.
Where can I attend Catholic Mass in Sturgeon Bay?
Sturgeon Bay has several Catholic options. St. Joseph currently offers Mass Saturday at 4:00 p.m. and Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Corpus Christi offers Saturday Mass at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday Masses at 7:00 and 10:30 a.m. Sts. Peter and Paul in nearby Institute offers Sunday Mass at 8:00 a.m.
Are there Catholic churches in northern Door County?
Yes. Stella Maris Parish operates Catholic worship sites in Fish Creek, Egg Harbor, Baileys Harbor, Jacksonport, Sister Bay, and Washington Island.
Is there a Catholic church in Sister Bay?
Yes. Stella Maris Parish has a Sister Bay worship site, with Sunday Mass currently scheduled at 10:00 a.m.
Is there Catholic Mass on Washington Island?
Yes. Stella Maris Parish currently lists Sunday Mass on Washington Island at 1:00 p.m. Because northern Door County schedules can change seasonally, check the current parish schedule before attending.
Is Saint Peter’s Lutheran Church Catholic?
No. Saint Peter’s in Forestville is a congregation of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. It is a confessional Lutheran church, not a Roman Catholic parish. Its worship nevertheless retains many elements of historic Western Christian worship familiar to Catholics, including liturgy, creeds, Baptism, and weekly Holy Communion.
What’s the difference between Catholic and Lutheran churches?
Roman Catholics and confessional Lutherans share a number of historic Christian beliefs and practices, including the ancient creeds, Baptism, liturgical worship, and belief in Christ’s real presence in Holy Communion. Important differences remain concerning matters such as papal authority, justification, purgatory, invocation of saints, Marian dogmas, and the precise understanding of the Sacraments.