Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli Rectory, Grave -- Benton, Wis.

Destination: Whether planning a day trip or a summer vacation, a stop at Benton, Wis., on Wis. Rt. 81 near the Mississippi in southwest Wisconsin, is worth the detour. Across the street from a park that features a veteran’s memorial is the well-tended final resting place of a pioneer Dominican priest, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli.

Mass is offered at 8:30 a.m. Sundays at St. Patrick Parish. (The parish is served from St. Rose of Lima in Cuba City, Wis., and shares a website; see below.)

Photo: Top -- Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli lived in this tiny rectory in Benton, Wis. It sits at the back of the parking lot on the west side of St. Patrick Parish on Wis. Rt. 81 (Observer photos/Sharon Boehlefeld).

Middle -- Father Samuel Mazzuchelli’s grave is behind St Patrick Church.

Bottom -- Signs on St. Patrick Church in Benton, Wis., explain its history.

Why to go: Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P., now declared venerable, founded several parishes for Bishop Matthias Loras in the Dubuque (Iowa) Diocese, which originally crossed the Mississippi River and included parts of northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin. Father Mazzuchelli founded St. Michael Parish in Galena in 1832, the oldest in what would become the Rockford Diocese.

In the grave behind St. Patrick Parish, Father Mazzuchelli’s grave is surrounded by graves of many of the founding sisters of the Sinsinawa Dominicans, which he also founded. 

Born in 1806 in Milan, Italy, he arrived in the American frontier at age 22. He worked tirelessly for the Church as a Dominican priest until his death from pneumonia in 1864 in Benton.

He was a defender of religious liberty, having fought for the right of Catholic soldiers at Fort Mackinac, Mich., to attend Sunday Mass.

He also designed and built more than 24 churches and civic buildings before his death at the age of 57.

Admission: While the rectory is only open during special events near the anniversary of his death in February, it is possible to visit the grave and look into the rectory at any time.  Call ahead for possible open days.

Accessibility: Nicely leveled walkways make the sites accessible to most. 

(Grand) Kid friendly: If the weather is nice, this is a great place to plan a family picnic on a road trip. 

Info: Address — St. Patrick Church, 237 E. Main St., Benton, WI 53803
Phone — (608) 759-2131
Websites — (church) https://strosecubacity.weconnect.com/
(history) https://www.sinsinawa.org/mazzuchelli/mazzuchelli.html

— Sharon Boehlefeld wrote this story after visiting Benton, Wis.  

Send Destination ideas to seasonedobserver@rockforddiocese.org