SS. ANDREW-THOMAS SCHOOL HISTORY

Placing You On the Path of Enlightenment

Our parish history begins in 1836 when Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P. came to Potosi and united area Catholics to form St. Thomas Parish. He built a log cabin church where the St. Thomas parking lot now lies.

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Our first pastor was appointed by Bishop Matthias Loras of Dubuque, Iowa. Father James Causse became the first pastor in 1840. Father Causse built the first school building in 1843. Our tradition of Catholic education has continued in our community ever since.

Tragedy struck in 1849 when cholera wiped out a quarter of the population of Potosi. Most of the remaining miners left to seek their fortunes in gold in California. St. Thomas soon became a small mission parish of Dutch Hollow (now Tennyson).

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German speaking immigrants established their parish in the mid-1840's, in what is now known as Tennyson. Father Andrew Tusch was the founding pastor of St. Andrew in 1846. In 1847, the first St. Andrew School was built.

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Father Nicholas Thill was pastor during the construction of the present St. Andrew Church during the years of 1874 - 1877. In 1921, Father Joseph Scheffer founded St. Andrew High School, an institution which lasted 40 years.

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St. Thomas and St. Andrew continued as separate and distinct parishes into the middle of the 20th century. In 1946, the parishes became part of the newly created Diocese of Madison.

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In 1964, the parishes jointly built the new SS. Andrew-Thomas School on Highway 61.

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In 1971, the two parishes were combined into SS. Andrew-Thomas Parish with a single pastor and a single system of parish administration and accounting.

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Father Richard Leffler is the current pastor of SS. Andrew-Thomas Parish.