St Dennis History

Miss Esther DempseyEsther Dempsey & Father NiglisThe Baby Boom that followed World War II helped spawn the need for a new parish on Madison’s developing East Side. Answering the call to help get it started, Miss Esther Dempsey donated her family homestead – 11.5 acres of beautiful and expansive land alongside what is now Dempsey Road. On June 1, 1956, Bishop William O’Connor, the first leader of the Madison Diocese (which had been established just a decade earlier), presided over the founding of Saint Dennis Parish. In December 1956, a temporary steel fabricated building was dedicated as official worship space. More than six decades later, this structure still stands, serving at the heart of the present church complex as the chapel, sacristy and Fellowship Hall.

St Dennis Exterior Chapel, 1956The larger permanent church was dedicated in 1983, and the Saint Dennis Parish Center was added in 1999. In 2016, the Centered On Christ fundraising campaign began work toward bringing the baptismal font, altar, crucifix and tabernacle into alignment within the main church sanctuary to best represent the journey of faith. In September 2018, a newly renovated church opened, celebrating the theme of being Centered On Christ.

Fulfilling the parish mission of religious education, Saint Dennis School opened on September 7, 1960, under the leadership of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. For students in 4K through 8th grade, the school truly is a place that strengthens our faith in education.

Today’s parish is home to nearly 2,500 families. Our faith community thrives on building relationships and sharing talents with each other and with God. Saint Dennis is a place where we learn from our struggles, we give thanks, and we praise the One who makes it all possible

Our Beloved PastorsSt Dennis Interior Chapel, 1956

• 1956-1981 – Father Joseph Niglis
• 1981-1994 – Father Delbert Klink
• 1994-2013 – Father Kent Schmitt
• 2013-2023 - Father Randy Timmerman
• 2023- Father Gary Krahenbuhl

Saint Dennis at a glance (spelled Saint Denis in French):

• Bishop of Paris
• Martyr
• Born in Italy (little is known of the time or place, or of his early life)
• Feast day is 9 October
• Usually represented with his head in his hands. That is because, according to legend, after he was executed, his corpse rose again and carried the head for some distance.

The Undying Faith and Service of Saint Dennis

Born in third-century Italy, Dennis was recognized for his virtue, knowledge and faith when the pope sent him to what is now known as France. There, Christians were experiencing severe persecution. Dennis and two other missionaries settled on the island in the Seine River, in the heart of today’s Paris. They built a church and bravely and diligently preached the Gospel, converting countless followers.

The pagan priests were infuriated and, along with other angry citizens, demanded that the governor arrest the missionaries. Through numerous tortures, the captors tried in vain to kill the men, but their unbroken spirit and bodies remained faithful servants of the Lord. The captors finally were able to kill them on the highest hill in the area, now known as Montmartre (mountain of the martyr). The faithful of Paris later built a basilica in honor of Saint Dennis, and this magnificent church still stands.

Saint Dennis showed amazing faith and commitment in his love for God, squeezing more out of life and his service than seemed possible. His life inspires this holy truth: Faith will keep us going.

Saint Dennis, pray for us
as we try to follow
in your faithful footsteps.