History
The Catholic Multicultural Center’s roots date back to 1946 when the organization was founded under a different name: Blessed Martin House. Blessed Martin, who became St. Martin in 1963, is the patron saint of interracial harmony. Father Jerome L. Hastrich (who later became Bishop of Gallup, NM) established the organization with the goal of promoting interracial unity between blacks and whites.
Blessed Martin House moved from W. Washington Ave. to the current Beld Street location in 1952. Led by Bishop Hastrich and his brother, Monsignor George Hastrich, volunteers built the Center. In its early days the Center offered an array of activities from sewing class to the Golden Gloves boxing club.
With the arrival of more and more Spanish-speaking migrant workers in Wisconsin, Centro Guadalupe was formed to aid the Latino population and worked alongside St. Martin House.
Blessed Martin House moved from W. Washington Ave. to the current Beld Street location in 1952. Led by Bishop Hastrich and his brother, Monsignor George Hastrich, volunteers built the Center. In its early days the Center offered an array of activities from sewing class to the Golden Gloves boxing club.
With the arrival of more and more Spanish-speaking migrant workers in Wisconsin, Centro Guadalupe was formed to aid the Latino population and worked alongside St. Martin House.
In 2002, Centro Guadalupe and St. Martin House officially united and became the Catholic Multicultural Center when the original building was torn down and the new Center was built. Bishop Bullock led the way in building the new Center in order to better suite the organization's needs. The new building was built to accommodate the services the Center offered, like the free meal program and various classes.
After 65 years, the Catholic Multicultural Center is still going strong, continually growing and changing to better serve the needs of the community.
