July 23, 2026

News Release

For Immediate Release

Contact: Sandra Peterson 414-769-3461

Purchase of New Pastoral Center Building 

An Investment in the Church’s Mission and Future 

St. Francis, WI — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is pleased to announce the purchase of an office building which will serve as its new pastoral center with space that meets its current operational needs and represents an enduring investment in the Church's mission and future.

"This decision reflects our commitment to responsible stewardship and to the long-term mission of the Church,” said The Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob, Archbishop of Milwaukee. “By relocating to a modern, appropriately sized facility, we are reducing future operating costs while creating a pastoral center that better supports collaboration, accessibility and service to our parishes, schools and ministries."

The 120,000 sq. ft. office building located at 6744 S. Howell Avenue in the City of Oak Creek was previously occupied by Master Lock as its Milwaukee headquarters and subsequently purchased by a real estate holding company commonly owned with and managed by the private investment firm Kaiser, LLC. 

The current Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center in St. Francis is costly to maintain and faces substantial deferred maintenance requirements. After careful evaluation, the archdiocese determined that investing in a newer building that is approximately one-third the size of the current location provides a more sustainable and cost-effective solution. 

Renovations of what will become the new Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center, including the addition of a private chapel, will begin immediately. The staff will relocate and begin using the new location in phases, starting in the fall of 2026. A blessing of the chapel and building is expected in Spring of 2027.

The archdiocese is evaluating future use of the current location at 3501 S. Lake Drive, St. Francis, WI that align with its mission: to spread the Gospel and bring people closer to Christ. Inquiries about this property should be directed to Kevin Barry, CCIM at the Barry Company:  414-254-8206, [email protected]. 

Kevin Barry and Jim Barry of the Barry Company represented the archdiocese in the transaction and Rachel Schmidt and Tim Janusz of Newmark represented Kaiser LLC.

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The Archdiocese of Milwaukee encompasses 10 counties in southeast Wisconsin. It includes 181 parishes that provide spiritual care to more than 500,000 Catholics, 101 schools serving 27,000 students, and six cemeteries. Its mission is to spread the Gospel and bring people closer to Christ by accompanying, supporting and enhancing the ministries of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The Mary Mother of the Church Pastoral Center, located in St. Francis, is the main office for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee is its mother church. The archdiocese also provides pastoral support for its sister parish, La Sagrada Familia, in the Dominican Republic.