Little can be found in parish records to determine the characters of the founders of St Augustine Parish. Only one thing is certain- they were IRISH!
The Blackhawk war ended in 1832 and was followed by slow growth in Rock County. Since the railroad reached Footville first and was the “end of the tracks” it was only natural that some of these Irish born laborers would settle in the area. Since the Irish Catholic had no Church in Footville, they attended Mass at St Patrick’s parish in Janesville.
In August of 1866, St Augustine Parish was established. The first Masses were celebrated in parishioners’ homes by Fr. James Doyle, Pastor of St Patrick. In 1869 parishioners built the first Church located between S. Gilbert and Edward streets for a cost of $1000. After its completion, St Augustine became a mission of St Rose of Lima, Brodhead. During the 1870’s, the congregation grew and the Church became too small and in 1878 an addition was put in.
Over the years St Augustine has been served by many pastors and as time has gone by our Irish Catholic beginnings have become a melting pot for many other nationalities. We continue to grow and thrive while remaining committed to the mission of Christ’s Church to make disciples of all nations.