Milwaukee native Al Dickenson has spent much of his life interested in history. But when he went looking for a comprehensive account of the city’s historic Catholic churches, he discovered something was missing.

He decided to write it himself.

Al Dickenson’s first book, “Historic Catholic Churches of Milwaukee,” documents the history of the city’s Catholic churches through photographs and stories gathered from parishioners, archives and historical collections. (Courtesy of Arcadia Publishing)

“I’ve been interested in history my whole life, and there was no encyclopedia of historic Catholic churches in Milwaukee,” Dickenson said.

The result is “Historic Catholic Churches of Milwaukee,” his first book, published Oct. 6 by Arcadia Publishing as part of its “Images of America” series.

Dickenson had seen similar books about Catholic churches in Detroit and New York and wondered why Milwaukee, with its rich Catholic heritage, shouldn’t have one of its own.

But the project was about more than filling a gap on a bookshelf.

“So many of these churches that are featured in this book have been torn down, have merged into other parishes, or are slowly dying for whatever reason,” he said.

Some parishes date back 150 years or more, with histories spanning multiple church buildings, changing neighborhoods and generations of parishioners.

“I want to preserve some of this history that I can,” he said.

For Dickenson, the subject is personal.

He grew up attending St. Veronica Parish in Milwaukee before gravitating toward St. Augustine of Hippo Parish in Bay View, which he now considers his home parish.

He was drawn to St. Augustine’s older church building, traditional atmosphere and music. That connection helped deepen his interest in the history of Catholic churches and the communities surrounding them.

A writer by profession, Dickenson spends his workdays producing technical manuals for consumer products and industrial equipment. Writing about Milwaukee’s Catholic heritage offered a considerably different challenge.

He approached Arcadia Publishing with the idea for the book. The publisher was receptive but suggested narrowing the scope from Milwaukee County to churches within the city itself.

With the project approved, Dickenson began researching during the summer of 2025. He finished the manuscript in late spring 2026.

Much of that time was spent searching for photographs and historical records.

The Milwaukee Public Library, local historical societies and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s archives provided valuable resources. Shelly Taylor, an archivist for the archdiocese, was among his principal contacts.

But locating information about churches that closed decades ago proved especially challenging.

Some congregations had left few records. Others had merged repeatedly, making it difficult to determine where their historical materials had gone.

“Some of them — it seems like nobody knows where these records are,” Dickenson said.

The greatest help, however, often came from people still connected to the parishes.

Parishioners shared photographs and memories. Parish secretaries, priests and other community members helped him piece together histories that might otherwise have remained incomplete.

“The people who really made this book what it is were the people at the parishes themselves,” Dickenson said. “It wouldn’t be possible without the people of the parishes,” he said.

The research also changed how Dickenson understood Milwaukee’s development.

He had long known that immigrant communities established many of the city’s Catholic parishes. What surprised him was how thoroughly those churches served as centers of neighborhood life.

“This is where the language was spoken and taught, this is where the dances were held, this is where the meals were cooked,” he said.

Those connections continue today, he said, in African American Catholic communities on the North Side and Hispanic Catholic communities on the South Side.

Another discovery was how frequently congregations repurposed existing buildings and materials.

Dickenson pointed to the Basilica of St. Josaphat, which incorporated materials salvaged from Chicago’s former federal building, and an early church used by St. John the Evangelist Parish that had previously served as a synagogue.

Such discoveries helped him see how closely the growth of Milwaukee and its Catholic parishes were intertwined.

Although the book contains approximately 200 photographs and brief histories of numerous churches, Dickenson doesn’t consider it a definitive account.

Instead, he hopes it encourages others to explore and preserve their own histories.

“My hope is that somebody will pick up this book and read it and be inspired to write their parish history or their family history or something along those lines,” he said.

He also hopes the book reaches people whose connections to Milwaukee’s Catholic churches stretch back generations, including former parishioners and families who have moved away.

For someone who attended a parish school decades ago or whose grandparents married in a church that no longer exists, an old photograph can reconnect them with an important part of their lives.

“That’s really the hope: to connect current parishioners with former parishioners and current parishioners with their parish history,” Dickenson said.

Dickenson already has ideas for additional books, including a possible companion volume exploring Catholic churches elsewhere in Milwaukee County.

Finding time may be another matter. He and his wife, Jessica, have a 7-month-old daughter.

Still, he doesn’t expect “Historic Catholic Churches of Milwaukee” to be his final project.

“This is not my last book,” he said. “It’s just finding time to write more.”

“Historic Catholic Churches of Milwaukee” is available through Arcadia Publishing and booksellers for $24.99.