Why are some Catholic schools in Milwaukee very geographically close?
To answer this question, we have to look closely at Milwaukee’s vibrant history. In the 1800’s and early 1900’s, a shift from commerce to heavy industry occurred in southeastern Wisconsin’s economy. This shift brought a huge influx of southern and eastern European Catholics to the area, making the city more ethnically diverse. Ethnic groups included: German, Italian, Polish, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Irish, Slovene, Bohemian, Croatian, Syrian and more. With their language and cultural differences, a demand was created for each group to build their own parish communities, even if they were only a few blocks apart.
