Jerome Mersberger was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on October 8, 1917 to parents Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Mersberger. He completed his elementary education at St. Peter Claver and Holy Name Schools. Mersberger graduated from St. Lawrence High School and Preparatory Seminary in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. He studied Theology at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., and received a Bachelor of Arts from the Seminary of St. Francis de Sales in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1940. After being ordained in 1942, he served as associate pastor of St. Edward parish in Racine, and St. Bernard in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1950, he was appointed as the first pastor of the newly established Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) parish in Monona, Wisconsin. Father Mersberger served at IHM for 18 years, resigning in 1968. Upon his resignation, he was reassigned to St. Mary's Church in Palmyra, Wisconsin. He served as pastor at St. Mary's until 1976 when he began to devote all his efforts to directing the Green Scapular Crusade, which encompassed a shrine-museum and the Green Scapular Travel Club. He directed the shrine and travel club until 1996, leading many pilgrimages and travel expeditions around the world. He passed away in Stoughton, Wisconsin, on December 2, 1998.
From the description of Father Mersberger and the Shrine of Our Lady of the Green Scapular collection, 1931-2010 bulk 1960-1978 (University of Dayton). WorldCat record id: 730450207
