Bishop Grob Named Archbishop of Milwaukee

Good morning,
With ongoing gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the gifts given to the Church in southeastern Wisconsin, we now ask your prayers for the Most Reverend Jeffrey S. Grob, Archbishop-Designate of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Pope Francis announced his choice for the 12th Archbishop of Milwaukee on November 4, 2024.

Archbishop-Designate Grob is a Wisconsin native who has served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago since 2020.

Archbishop-Designate Grob is in Milwaukee today, Monday, November 4, to meet with Archbishop Jerome Listecki and Auxiliary Bishops Jim Schuerman and Jeff Haines. He will be introduced to the community at a media conference this morning at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. Archbishop-Designate Grob’s installation as Archbishop of Milwaukee will be January 14, 2025. Until that time, Archbishop Listecki serves as Apostolic Administrator of the archdiocese.

More information about Archbishop-Designate Grob is posted on the archdiocesan web site at www.archmil.org.

A prayer on the appointment of a new archbishop is available at
www.archmil.org/bishop-grob.

Please keep Archbishop-Designate Grob and the Church of southeastern Wisconsin in your prayers.

Peace,

Jerry Topczewski
Office of the Archbishop

Related:

JS:  Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Jeffrey Grob to succeed Listecki as Milwaukee archbishop in 2025

https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/local/milwaukee/2024/11/04/chicago-auxiliary-bishop-jeffrey-grob-named-next-archbishop-of-milwaukee/76042291007/

https://x.com/frhilderbrand/status/1853409070360781226?s=46&t=MxHIKWKqahp-HIVs9bmL4g

'a liberal Catholic voice who resigned amid scandal'

So says the key phrase in the lede to the entry for Archbishop Rembert Weakland in the entry for him in the article Remembering faith leaders who died in 2022: preachers, writers and interpreters of faith, by Adelle M. Banks, at Religion News Service.

Critic of Vatican orthodoxy

At The New York Times, Archbishop Rembert Weakland makes the list, if not the subhed, of the review by month of Notable Deaths of 2022 and the review by category, Notable Deaths of 2022: Politics and Public Affairs.

Priests and Cars in Milwaukee:

"The popularity of the car reshaped Catholicism in the city, forcing churches to adapt their worship practices to attract newly mobile parishioners."

Livia Gershon at JSTOR Daily on "Riding with St. Paul in the Passenger Side": The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Enters the Automobile Age, 1920-1965" by Peter S. Cajka, American Catholic Studies, Vol. 121, No. 2 (Summer 2010), pp. 65-93.

Former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland will be honored with a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist

Sophie Carson reported at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"The current archbishop, Jerome Listecki, will celebrate a funeral Mass at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson Street, Milwaukee.

"Visitation will be held at the cathedral from 12 to 4 p.m. that day."

Presumably followed by interment in the Cathedral crypt.

Update: Sophie Carsons's report, above, has been updated .

"Weakland will be buried in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, at St. Vincent Archabbey, where he attended high school, college and seminary and eventually became archabbot."

Bishop Haines's surmise that Archbishop Weaklands remains would likely end up in the Cathedral crypt turned out to be wrong.

Meanwhile, Bruce Murphy, at Urban Milwaukee, reminds us,

"In 2014, he [Weakland] sought to move to the St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he began his seminary studies as a boy in 1940 and later ran it as the archabbot, but the plan was opposed by the current archabbot, who feared this would cause negative publicity."

Modern Apologists Strengthen Our Understanding

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki starts with some history in the Herald of Hope column of a recent issue of the Archdiocese's of Milwaukee's Catholic Herald.

"From the earliest beginnings of the Church, individuals came forward in the defense of the Church’s teachings. They were referred to as 'apologists.' They present the reasonableness of the Church’s position. We sometimes forget that we have a duty to defend the Church’s teaching. Many of the early Church Fathers presented the teachings of the Church, which were not only convincing but compelling. It encouraged the Christian faithful to live the teachings in the face of society’s opposition."

He eventually names names.

"Matthew Kelly, whose multiple books are free and widely distributed, much like the pamphlets of the evangelicals, is one. But Kelly, an Australian, is unabashedly Roman Catholic, and his works not only give insight to the reasonableness of the professed Catholic faith but a basis for the promotion of the faith in the communities in which we live. He is proud to be a Catholic and resonates with Catholics who love their Church. Kelly has a popular following and has been a tireless promoter of the faith."

By "free" I assume he means available for purchase in bulk for free distribution. A generous member of my parish has done this a number of times.

"Patrick Madrid’s daily national program is heard on Relevant Radio. He has authored a multitude of books, one which is actually entitled, How to do Apologetics. I particularly enjoyed Pope Fiction, a 1999 work that deals directly with answers to myths and misconceptions about the papacy. He tackles Church teachings on Purgatory, the importance of tradition and the saints, to mention a few. He is well worth reading and arms the faithful in thoughtful responses to today’s criticisms."

Not all apologists are lay.

"Bishop Robert Barron of 'Word on Fire' is a committed intellectual and advocate of the importance of the Church Teachings. Bishop Barron, who is a longtime friend, has been a consistent champion of interpreting the positions of the Church in a manner acceptable and understandable to our younger generations. He has been a great voice at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for the importance of communications to the next generation of Catholic leaders. His philosophical training grounds his approach. I would encourage you to view his website, Word on Fire' and listen to his Sunday homilies. He is a teacher who excites his listeners. He has a group of devoted followers who understand the importance of sharing the faith."

And finally,

"But before Kelly, Madrid and Barron, was Peter Kreeft. During the period of the 70s and 80s, there was a lack of attention to Catholic Teachings. Catholics, who at one time knew their catechism by rote, now were hard-pressed to answer simple questions about the faith. It was into this vast wasteland that Peter Kreeft was an almost lone voice directing individuals in their understanding of the importance and reasonableness of the Church’s teachings."

Dr. Kreeft's website includes links to Featured Writings and Featured Audios and to his books available for purchase.

The village of Pewaukee has filed a lawsuit against Queen of Apostles to block the razing of a historic Catholic church

The village of Pewaukee filed a lawsuit and temporary restraining order May 8 to block Queen of Apostles Congregation from demolishing St. Mary's Church. 

St. Mary's Church, 449 W. Wisconsin Ave., is owned by Queen of Apostles and was built in 1858. In late April, the church was designated a historic landmark by the village of Pewaukee Historic Preservation Commission.

Under the village's municipal code, Queen of Apostles cannot be granted a permit to demolish the church without the written approval of the village board. The complaint also noted that Queen of Apostles had not filed a petition under the historic preservation ordinance for demolition.

continue at JS

I'll try to find some time to follow this closer.  

From a reader:

Everything is quickly coming to a tipping point with the legal dispute between the parish and the local government, the court date tomorrow and the demolition equipment already in position around Saint Mary's.

It is frustrating in the sense that we are so rapidly seeing parishes close these beautiful historic buildings because they are too small or "obsolete" or whatever when it looks like the newer megachurch style parishes which came in with urban sprawl to replace the old parishes only see a handful of baptisms and weddings a year and their massive seating capacities wont really be needed in year 2030 or 2040 and we will probably wish that we had kept more of those picture perfect 19th century gothic type parishes.

Update: 

Update on the court hearing, there is a temporary reprieve, another hearing will be held on June 8.
Feast of the Sacred Heart

The Catholic Comeback

Under that heading, the Archdiocse of Milwaukee has issued Return to Mass Directives, Guidelines and Considerations, beginning Sunday, May 31, 2020. It's three single-spaced pages of bullet points, made up of 47 "Directives" and 6 "Considerations". Among them,

 
    • The use of facemasks should be encouraged. ...
    • The obligation to attend Sunday Mass is dispensed through Sunday, July 5. ...
    • Mass attendance should be organized in some way.
      o Designate Mass time by household name (A to H, Mass 1; I to O, Mass 2; P to Z, Mass 3);
      o Provide a sign-up system either on the parish website or by calling the parish office;
      o Assign a Mass time per registered family; ...
    • Attendance at each individual Mass is limited to no more than 25 percent of your Church’s Occupancy Permit.

Last I checked, no counterpart had yet been posted at the Diocese of Green Bay, Diocese of La Crosse, Diocese of Superior, or Diocese of Madison.

State plans to drop charges against a Pewaukee priest accused of sexually assaulting a teenager

Eddie Morales and Steven Martinez reported at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"The Rev. Charles Hanel, 62, was charged with second-degree sexual assault of a then-13-year-old girl at Queen of Apostles Church in Pewaukee.

"But Assistant District Attorney Mike Thurston filed a letter on Wednesday, stating his intent to drop the charges at the next hearing on June 29."

The case has been pending since Fall 2018.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918

Fr. Steven M. Avella used internet resources and the archive of the Milwaukee Catholic Citizen newspaper to prepare this account, published in this week's issue of the Milwaukee Catholic Herald.

"On Oct. 10, 1918, State Health Officer Dr. Cornelius Harper ordered the closure of schools, taverns, public entertainments, and churches in Wisconsin. Factories, offices and workplaces were exempted."

Perhaps taverns came to be regarded as "essential" after Prohibition and Repeal.

"Archbishop Sebastian G. Messmer sent a message to the priests of the archdiocese closing all churches and schools. 'There will no public services in our churches, Sundays or weekdays. The main doors of the church will be locked.' He forbade the ringing of church bells, except the Angelus. Funerals and marriages could be performed 'with a low Mass provided only near relatives of the party are present.' He also canceled Confirmations. All public and parochial schools were closed."

My parish church has no bells, but it is open 8am to 1pm for private prayer. A neighboring parish has continued perpetual adoration.

"In churches, the sad strains of the 'Dies Irae' were heard frequently as priests, sisters, and beloved parish members met the end of their days."

The most common Catholic experience of the Dies Irae in recent decades is probably the Amadeus soundtrack.

Restrictions were loosened somewhat in late November, tightened after a flare-up in infections, and removed January 4, 1919.

Holy Week in the Domestic Church

And email yesterday afternoon from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee informed me that it has posted website links to Resources for Holy Week including download of "Holy Week in the Domestic Church: An At-Home Guide for Individuals and Families", and information about "Masses & Liturgies" providing times and links for television broadcasts and live streaming of Archdiocesan Holy Week celebrations.

Archdiocese of Milwaukee suspension of public Masses extended through April 3rd

An email today from Archbishop Listecki includes,

"Effective Wednesday, March 18, I am suspending the public celebration of Masses throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, through Friday, April 3. This includes weekday and Sunday Masses. I ask that priests still celebrate Mass in their parishes, without an assembly, including the Sunday “pro populo” Masses as required by canon law.

"...Schools are discontinuing face-to-face instruction this week and Religious Education programs should also stop for the time being. All of these measures will be re-evaluated on April 1, with additional communication at that time."

Elm Grove's School Sisters of Notre Dame historic church and convent to be converted into apartments

A historic Elm Grove church and convent is being sold to a local development firm that plans to convert much of that space to apartments.

Mandel Group Inc. has agreed to buy the School Sisters of Notre Dame complex, it was announced Monday. The 30-acre property is at 13105 Watertown Plank Road.

Mandel has done some preliminary work on plans to redevelop the site, but hasn't yet determined how many apartments could be built there, said Dan Romnek, a development associate at the firm.

continue at JSOnline

Also BizTimes: Mandel to buy, redevelop School Sisters of Notre Dame’s Elm Grove campus

Three Brothers Who Are Priests Show the Power of a Family Dedicated to God

Earlier this month Jerry and Bernadette Strand celebrated the priestly ordination of their son, Vincent. However, this was not the first time one of their sons became a priest. Over the past seven years, all three of their sons (Luke, Jacob and Vincent) completed seminary studies and were ordained in service to the Church.

While it may be surprising to hear about three brothers becoming priests, their story is not unique. There are countless stories of brothers responding to the same call of God to the priesthood.

continue at Aleteia

JS: The Seton network vowed to transform Catholic education in Milwaukee. Four years later, troubles mount

When the Archdiocese of Milwaukee launched its Seton Catholic Schools network in the fall of 2015, it vowed it would transform Catholic education in southeastern Wisconsin.

The experience at Prince of Peace isn't what anyone had in mind.

In the almost three years since it joined Seton, parents say, the south side elementary school has been spiraling downward.

It lost its extracurricular activities and more than a fourth of its teachers. There's no library and no playground equipment. Kids play on a grassy lot that is checked for used condoms and needles, parents say, after they complained last year. Enrollment is down. And the school dropped a grade on its latest state report card, leaving parents fretting about their children's high school prospects.

"We want to know what they're doing with the money," Prince of Peace parent Elizabeth Nolasco said of the $16 million a year Seton schools bring to the network in taxpayer-funded voucher payments alone.

"They said they would be in the community recruiting. ... There'd be more teachers. Test grades were going to go up. Report cards were going to go up. All these things were promised and nothing was fulfilled."

Nolasco is part of a group of parents threatening to pull their children from Prince of Peace unless the archdiocese allows it to secede from the network. Two other schools already have bailed — Divine Mercy in South Milwaukee and St. Matthias in West Allis — and parents and teachers elsewhere have raised similar concerns.

continue at JS

If you don't have just the web subscription to the JS, I suggest getting one, it's really reasonable. 

Urban spelunking: Milwaukee Cathedral Crypt open this week for tours

As a fan of architecture and an occasional traveler to Europe and its many churches, I've seen a fair number of crypts – burial chambers beneath houses of worship – but I've never seen one quite like the crypt beneath Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson St.

The crypt is open for free tours on Saturday, May 4, from 12:30 until 3:30 p.m., as part of the Milwaukee Archdiocese's 175th anniversary celebration in Cathedral Square Park.

continue at OnMilwaukee

1965 Chrism Mass in Milwaukee

Arch MKE

Milwaukee Archdiocese shares details on website on abuse history

Milwaukee Archdiocese

St. Catherine's in Racine to create STEM lab with $500K grant from SC Johnson

RACINE — St. Catherine’s High School has plans to create a science, technology, engineering and math lab with the help of a $500,000 grant from SC Johnson.

The grant will support the high school, one of the Siena Catholic Schools of Racine, in creating learning environments that aim to best prepare students to integrate into a rapidly changing workforce.

“Our goal at St. Catherine’s is to prepare our students to be college, career and community ready upon graduation,” stated Todd Willems, Siena Catholic Schools of Racine’s chief academic officer. “Creating a well-rounded STEM program, complete with a highly functional STEM learning space, provides opportunities for our students to tackle rigorous real-life problems in creative and collaborative ways — preparing them for any career path that they may choose to pursue.”

continue at Journal Times

Archdiocese of Milwaukee to Celebrate 175th Anniversary in Cathedral Square on May 4

MILWAUKEE (Tuesday, April 2, 2019) – The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is kicking off Milwaukee’s festival season with its 175th anniversary celebration – 175 Alive. The free event will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 4 in Cathedral Square.

This won’t be an ordinary church festival. Attractions include food trucks, the traveling Sprecher Beer Garden (in its first appearance of the season), music from Wisconsin polka icons the Squeezettes, a 3-on-3 youth basketball tournament and yard games for all ages. Mass will be led by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki from 11 a.m. to noon at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. The cathedral will be available for tours after 12:30 p.m.

The event will kick off at Pere Marquette Park, where – during a performance by the Marquette UniversityGospel Choir – Archbishop Listecki will arrive via boat, commemorating Bishop John Henni’s landfall in Milwaukee 175 years ago. Listecki and Marquette University President Dr. Mike Lovell will then speak about the legacy of Bishop Henni, founder of both the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and Marquette University.

continue at UrbanMilwaukee

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