Rev. Henry N. Kalscheuer followed Rev. Nicholas Feyereisen as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in 1971.

A Major Influence
Rev. Kalscheuer accomplished many goals during his six and one half years as pastor of St. Joseph Parish.

Rev. Kalscheuer arrived in Waterloo in 1971. America was fully embroiled in the Vietnam War, a cloud of tear gas seemed to hang over the plethora of antiwar protests within the City of Madison, and "All in the Family" topped the Nielsen ratings. These were indeed difficult times.

The Name of the Game is Bingo
The parish began summer picnic festivals in 1964 and held them on their new school grounds until 1971. The 1971 festival was the first to be held in Firemen's Park along with all others through the June 23, 1974 festival.

In the Spring of 1974, Wisconsin legalized bingo. Bob Dolan, Ed Dolan, Frank Hillebrand, and Rev. Kalscheuer met to structure bingo gaming for St. Joseph Parish. The main objective was fund raising, play was envisioned for every second and fourth Sunday per month, and the start date was set for September 1974.

The response was beyond the bingo committee's wildest dreams. By November 1974, attendance was so high (a peak of 618 players) that the storage of tables and chairs required the construction of a 20x20 foot garage at a cost of $9,960.

A Crucial Vote
On October 24, 1974, a committee was established to study the feasibility of remodeling the old church versus building a new one. Remodeling costs were determined at $125,000. The cost of building a new church was estimated at $225,000. On April 20, 1975, an open parish meeting was held to address this issue. The meeting was attended by 116 parishioners. A vote was held and it was decided to establish a new building program.

New Church and Rectory Construction
Thern & Associates was awarded the architect's contract and Motl Construction the general contract for the construction of the new St. Joseph Church. Ground breaking took place on December 7, 1975. All out construction began in April 1976.

The construction of the new rectory by Hotmar Construction began in May 1976.

The cost of the entire project came to $325,000:

• $255,000 for the church
• $50,000 for the rectory
• $20,000 for black topping and landscaping

Hello, Good-bye, and a Full Schedule
The last Mass said in the old St. Joseph Church was on September 6, 1976 — the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

The first Mass, first baptism, first wedding, and the first funeral all occurred during the first ten days in the new St. Joseph Church. The series of first's involved:

• September 11, 1976 — First Mass in new church
• September 12, 1976 — Baptism of Tori Marie Teubert
• September 18, 1976 — Wedding of Thomas Urroz and MaryAnne Quamme
• September 20, 1976 — Funeral for Helen Zibell

The dedication of the new church occurred on November 13, 1976. Bishop Cletus O'Donnell presided. It was followed by an informal buffet in the school hall.

Sponsorship of Vietnam Families
In June 1975, meetings were held to discuss the possibility of St. Joseph Parish sponsoring some of the 140,000 displaced Vietnamese who had arrived in the United States in May 1975.

On July 30, 1975, twenty-nine displaced Vietnamese arrived at St. Joseph's. Through the efforts of Rev. Kalscheuer, parishioners, and townspeople, the Vietnamese were settled into their own homes and jobs. One year later, Mary Loan Nguyen was baptized as the first American of Vietnamese decent in Waterloo.

The First Cursillo
American history was written when the first known Cursillo for handicapped people was held at St. Joseph Church during June 4 through June 6, 1976. The program of events required special adaptation to the handicapped and was considered a huge success by those who attended.

Farewell Rev. Kalscheuer
As fate would have it, and after so much work and achievements, Rev. Kalscheuer was transferred to St. Joseph Parish in Dodgeville, Wisconsin in 1977 where he remains pastor to this day.