Samuel Mazzuchelli Movie and Resources

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Samuel Mazzuchelli Movie

And other resources on Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli
- The Diocese of Madison is pleased to offer a new film called
  Mazzuchelli: Called for Great & Difficult Work as a free catechetical resource for parishes and schools!
- Premiered at the Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli Day in Benton on November 3, 2024, this film was produced by the Diocese of Madison and Different Heart Productions and features Bishop Hying, Fr. Samuel Hakeem, OP, several Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, and young people who attended a past Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage, all reflecting on the heroic witness to missionary discipleship that Fr. Mazzuchelli has entrusted to us in the Diocese of Madison.
Film discussion questions
- Start a discussion at your parish or enter into deeper personal reflection on the life and example of Fr. Mazzuchelli with the attached discussion and reflection questions!
  Ideal for small groups or for those who are looking to deepen their commitment to missionary discipleship following the example of
  Fr. Mazzuchelli.
  
  Click the image to the left for a downloadable PDF.
  
  A discussion guide on the film for teens can be accessed here!
Images from the 2024 Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli Day
- "In truth we have no lasting country on earth; a Christian's own land is where God calls him."
  Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli
A brief biography of Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli
- Carlo Gaetano Samuele Mazzuchelli was born November 4, 1806 in Milan, Italy, the 16th of 17 children, though only a handful of his siblings survived past childhood. He was educated at a boarding school in Switzerland, and at age 17, he decided to join the Dominican friars, at a time when the order was suffering from the effects of the French Revolution. During his studies, he heard the pleas of Bishop Edward Fenwick of Cincinnati, himself a Dominican, who begged for priests to serve in the remote stretches of his diocese where Catholics did not have a priest to minister to them. Brother Samuel requested to be assigned to this mission territory, and in 1828, he set sail for America. He completed his studies for the priesthood and was ordained in Cincinnati in 1830 at the age of 23. His first assignment was in Mackinac Island, Michigan and Green Bay, Wisconsin. He made several trips between these settlements in order to instruct both the white settlers and the Native Americans in the Catholic faith, and he built what would become the first Catholic church in the state of Wisconsin: St. John the Evangelist in Green Bay.
  After 5 years in Mackinac and Green Bay, Fr. Mazzuchelli moved westward to the Mississippi River area of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Iowa. He ministered primarily to the Irish Catholics, who quickly adopted him as one of their own by calling him "Father Matthew Kelly."
  Fr. Mazzuchelli built several churches in this region and established many more parish communities without building churches. After a brief trip back to Italy in 1843-1844 to recover his health and write his memoirs, he returned to Wisconsin. He purchased the Sinsinawa Mound in southwest Wisconsin and there he founded schools for both men and women, and the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. He settled in Benton in 1849 and completed St. Patrick Church in 1852, his final church-building project. From Benton, he continued his work of preaching and teaching, this time with a congregation of sisters at his side.
  
  On a bitterly cold day in February 1864, Fr. Mazzuchelli received a call to give Last Rites to a dying parishioner in Benton. He did not wear sufficiently warm clothing in his travels, however, and he developed pneumonia from exposure to the cold. He suffered his illness for about a week and died in his rectory in Benton on February 23, 1864 at the age of 57. He was buried in the cemetery behind St. Patrick Church. News of his untimely death spread far and wide across America, with tributes pouring in even from the coasts.
  
  In 1964, 100 years after his death, the Diocese of Madison petitioned the Vatican to begin an investigation into the life and holiness of
  Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli with the hopes of him being named a saint one day. This process took several years to complete, and in 1993, Pope John Paul II declared Fr. Mazzuchelli to be "Venerable." One Vatican-approved miracle attributed to his intercession is needed for him to be called "Blessed," and two are needed to name him a Saint.
A Prayer for the Beatification of Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli
- Lord Jesus, You called your servant Samuel, even in early youth, to leave home and all for a Dominican life of charity in preaching Your Holy Gospel. You gave him abundant graces of Eucharistic love, devotion to Your Holy Mother of Sorrows, and a consuming zeal for souls. Grant, we beseech You, that his fervent love and labors for You may become more widely known, to a fruitful increase of Your Mystical Body, to his exaltation, and to our own constant growth in devoted love of You, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit live and reign, One God, world without end. Amen.
  
  (with ecclesial permission)
- Those who receive favors through the intercession of Fr. Mazzuchelli are asked to communicate with:
  MAZZUCHELLI GUILD
  585 County Road Z
  Sinsinawa, WI 53824-9701
  608-748-4411
  [email protected]
Extant churches in Wisconsin built by Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli
- The following churches were built by Fr. Mazzuchelli in Wisconsin and are still in existence today.
  St. Augustine in New Diggings is no longer a functioning parish and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the only church built by Fr. Mazzuchelli that has not been altered or expanded in any way; it is a true Fr. Mazzuchelli original, and the Knights of Columbus have been maintaining and restoring it so that it looks exactly as the pioneer priest built it in the 1840s. It is open for tours on Sunday afternoons from the last weekend of May to the first weekend of October.
  St. Patrick in Benton and St. Gabriel in Prairie du Chien are still active parishes and are generally open during daylight hours for private prayer and exploration.
- St. Augustine, New DiggingsHill Street
  Shullsburg, WI 53586
- St. Patrick, Benton237 E. Main St.
  Benton, WI 53803
- St. Gabriel, Prairie du Chien506 N. Beaumont Rd.
  Prairie du Chien, WI 53821
Fr. Mazzuchelli Rectory and Gravesite
- Benton, Wisconsin is where Fr. Mazzuchelli lived for the last 15 years of his life, in a small rectory that he built himself, and it is where he is buried. Fr. Mazzuchelli's rectory can be toured by request in the warmer months and is sometimes open for special events.
  His grave can be visited at any time.
  St. Patrick Parish and Cemetery
  Fr. Mazzuchelli Rectory Museum
  237 E. Main St.
  Benton, WI 53803
  To request a tour of the rectory, call 608-759-2892
Extant parishes in Wisconsin founded by Fr. Mazzuchelli
- While these parishes in Wisconsin no longer retain Fr. Mazzuchelli's original church buildings, they all trace their foundations back to him and are still active parish communities today.
  St. John the Evangelist, Green Bay
  St. Rose of Lima (formerly St. Rose of the Prairie), Cuba City
  St. Thomas, Potosi
  St. Matthew, Shullsburg
  St. Francis de Sales, Hazel Green
Extant churches outside of Wisconsin built by Fr. Mazzuchelli
- St. Michael, Galena, IL (second version of the church, built by Fr. Mazzuchelli after the first burned down)
  St. Anthony, Davenport, IA (second-oldest Catholic church in Iowa and the oldest still in existence)
  St. Mathias, Muscatine, IA (no longer a functioning parish; part of St. Mary and Mathias Parish in Muscatine)
Other notable locations connected to Fr. Mazzuchelli
- Cathedral of St. Raphael, Dubuque, IA: Fr. Mazzuchelli founded the parish and built its first church, which quickly became too small as its congregation grew. Shortly after its foundation, Rome created the Diocese of Dubuque, appointing Fr. Mathias Loras as its bishop and naming St. Raphael as its cathedral. The current cathedral was dedicated in 1861, and Fr. Mazzuchelli was present at its dedication.
  Jo Daviess County Courthouse, Galena, IL: Fr. Mazzuchelli served as the contractor for the original building, which was completed in 1844.
  Shullsburg, WI: In addition to building the original St. Matthew Church in Shullsburg, Fr. Mazzuchelli helped to plan the section of town surrounding the church, naming streets after Christian virtues such as Charity, Justice, and Truth.
  St. Anne's Catholic Church, Mackinac Island, MI: Fr. Mazzuchelli's first assignment as a priest.
The Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters and Sinsinawa Mound
- The Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters began in 1847 when Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli founded the congregation with two women, Sr. Seraphina and Sr. Ermeline. The Sisters and Fr. Mazzuchelli founded the St. Clara Academy for young women in Benton, which would become the forerunner of Rosary College (now Dominican University in Illinois) and Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin.
  More women quickly joined the community, and its membership grew to 23 by Fr. Mazzuchelli's death in 1864. By the
  mid-1870s, there were more than 100 sisters serving schools in five dioceses. Since its founding, nearly 3,400 women have taken vows as Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, inspired by Fr. Mazzuchelli's legacy of preaching, teaching, and spreading the Gospel.
  You can learn more about the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters by visiting sinsinawa.org.
  
  The Sinsinawa Dominicans' motherhouse, known as The Mound, is a popular destination for spiritual seekers and for those wishing to learn more about Fr. Mazzuchelli. The Mound is undergoing extensive renovations and most of its public spaces are currently closed to visitors. Please visit sinsinawa.org/moundcenter to learn more and for the latest construction updates.
Resources on Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli
- Samuel Mazzuchelli: American Dominican by Sr. Mary Nona McGreal, OP
  Note: This book is only available for purchase through the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. Their online bookstore is currently closed. Contact them for more information: 608-748-4411 or [email protected]
  
  The Memoirs of Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP (also available for purchase through the Sinsinawa Dominicans)
  Visit this webpage for an electronic version of his memoirs!
  
  Medicine for Wildcat: A Story of the Friendship between a Menominee Indian and Frontier Priest Samuel Mazzuchelli by Robert Riordan
  This is a short novel, reconstructed by the author from Fr. Mazzuchelli's records of his travels and ministry in Mackinac Island and Green Bay. It is suitable for adults and youth. The Vocations Office currently has a few copies available to borrow; please contact Lorie Ballweg at [email protected] or 608-821-3088 if you would be interested in checking out a copy.
  
  Tracing a Journey: Celebrating the Life of Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP (a video from the Sinsinawa Dominicans)
  
  Select Catholic Herald articles about Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli:
  Ongoing Sainthood Cause for Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP by Sr. Toni Harris, OP (Feb. 19, 2025)
  Some Lessons from the Life of Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP by Erin Daly (Nov. 1, 2023)
  Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli Inspires Us by Fr. Donald Lange (Feb. 19, 2020)
  Fr. Mazzuchelli Inspires Us Today by Bishop Donald J. Hying (Aug. 8, 2019)
  Parishes Come Together to Celebrate the Life of Venerable Fr. Mazzuchelli by Kevin Wondrash (March 5, 2014)
  Venerable Father Samuel Mazzuchelli: God's Bridge of Love to Others by Fr. Donald Lange (Feb. 19, 2014)
  
  More resources will be added soon!
Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage
- For the last few years the Vocations Office of the Diocese of Madison has offered a walking pilgrimage in the footsteps of
  Fr. Mazzuchelli. The first pilgrimage route lasted for three days and started at St. Raphael Cathedral in Dubuque, Iowa and ended at St. Patrick Parish in Benton, Wisconsin. After a few years, a one-day route was added.
  In 2024, a modified pilgrimage lasting just one day was sponsored by the St. Dominic Pastorate in southwest Wisconsin, traveling from New Diggings to Benton to Cuba City.
  
  More information about future pilgrimages will be shared as it becomes available.
Images from the 2024 Mazzuchelli Pilgrimage
- "Let us wake up then, open our eyes in apostolic charity, and if we are called, set out for any place where the work is great and difficult."
  Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli

"In truth we have no lasting country on earth; a Christian's own land is where God calls him."

"Let us wake up then, open our eyes in apostolic charity, and if we are called, set out for any place where the work is great and difficult."