Parish Life
St. Caspar Catholic Church is a family of faith with a 175-year history. Today we are home to a diverse and thriving faith community of disciples of Jesus Christ. We hope that what you see here on our Webpage will lead you to visit our parish in person!
First and foremost, the St. Caspar Parish family serves as a witness to Jesus Christ - His life, death, and resurrection. And, we wait in joyful hope for the Second Coming of our Savior!
Our primary purpose is to worship God. We worship in English and Spanish languages during Mass and other liturgical prayer opportunities. The parish faithfully ministers to the constant stream of people who come to worship God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We live life in the Church’s sacraments. We celebrate confirmations, baptisms, marriages, anointings of the sick, and funerals – and, of course, the regular celebration of Mass and reconciliation/confession round out our worship opportunities. All these continue the living story of St. Caspar Parish and make Jesus Christ present in our families and our world. Indeed, the life of St. Caspar Parish revolves around the Holy Eucharist, the Mass and the sacraments.
Over the years, the St. Caspar Parish has been the home of many significant ministries in the life of the people of Wauseon and the surrounding area. Religious Education has been an essential ministry of the parish from the beginning. St. Caspar Parish focuses on whole community catechesis – something for everyone. The youth are of special concern in formation and education. We educate Pre-School through Grade 12 during the school year. Adults participate in a number of faith formation and education opportunities as well, including a weekly Men’s Group and adult education sessions with the Pastor.
Service opportunities are formalized in our parish’s organizations: St. Vincent De Paul Society for the poor and needy, St. Caspar Rosary Altar Society-St. Therese Circle for care of the Parish Shrine and Prayer Garden and the on-going needs of the church, St. Caspar Rosary Altar Society-St. Bernadette Circle for help with the religious education youth, and the St. Caspar Parish Knights of Columbus Council #8829.
Many serve as ministers for Mass: Musicians and Cantors, Proclaimers of the Word, Eucharistic Ministers, Mass Servers, Videographers, Mass Coordinators, Sacristan, and Ushers.
Parishioners serve the parish family in formal groups: Pastoral Council sets the vision and mission for Parish Life, Finance Council helps us be good stewards of God’s blessings to us, and the Liturgy Committee coordinates liturgical ministries and decorates for the Liturgical Seasons.
Our Spanish language parishioners are served as well: Spanish Ministry Team coordinates Spanish language celebrations and out-reach ministries. Spanish Prayer Group is active in prayer and organizing missions and spiritual formation for our Spanish language parishioners. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Society helps to coordinate Spanish language ministries, especially the annual celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Other people serve as members of the St. Caspar Parish Cemetery Board. They manage and regulate our parish cemetery. The Maintenance Committee members aide our maintenance and custodian workers. Many more people volunteer to clean, create flower arrangements, wash linens, and care for the server robes and priest’s vestments.
We also have fun by large and small social gatherings, concerts, parish missions, and fundraisers. We have an unofficial parking lot gathering coordinated by Pastoral Council and St. Caspar Rosary Altar Society-St. Bernadette Circle for the Wauseon 4th of July fireworks. Another special annual event is our annual Shrine Mass and Picnic every August at the Parish Shrine and Prayer Garden. The Knights of Columbus keep us busy with Lenten Fish Frys and parish breakfasts among other activities. St. Caspar Rosary Altar Society-St. Therese Circle hosts a Palm Sunday’s Spring Plant Sale and June Strawberry Sales. St. Caspar Rosary Altar Society-St. Bernadette Circle hosts annual events for our young people in Religious Education: the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Halloween Trunk-or-Treat, and St. Nicholas visits ahead of Christmas among other activities. Our Spanish language groups celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe annually with Mass and a Fiesta. They also have a full schedule of other annual celebrations. We are blessed to have so many ways to share time together.