
St. Florian Parish
Address
19315 Keystone Road,
Mason (Ino), Wisconsin 54856
Mass Times
2nd Sunday 11 AM
St. Florian has a cemetery on site. Contact the Pastoral Center Office to learn more.
History
The first settlers to arrive in Ino in 1909 were from Bohemia. The first priest to serve the spiritual needs of the community was Franciscan Fr. Francis Ramic. Fr. Florian Gerhardt, pastor at Washburn in 1913, is said to have planned and built the first Catholic church in Ino. Hence, the grateful parishioners named it St. Florian.
On the feast of Corpus Christi, in June 1916, the church was struck by lightning and destroyed by fire. The original altar stone was saved, along with the original statue of St. Florian. Prayer services were held at the homes of John Visocky and Karol Lavota until the Jednota School was built and used for services. Plans to rebuild St. Florian Church were completed in 1917, and the church was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Joseph M. Koudelka, a fellow Bohemian, who also donated the church altar.
In 1950, a full basement was added to the church, along with a water system and oil furnace. In 1952, Bishop Albert G. Meyer attached the Ino parish as a mission to Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Moquah and granted Benedictine Fr. Florian Herides permission to celebrate Mass at each parish. Fr. Herides served the community for 23 years, from 1948 to 1971. Other longtime pastors were Fr. Clement Sobr, 1971-1978, and Fr. Gabriel Zepczyk, 1980-1987; 1990-2002.