A horrific chapter in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history came to a close after nearly five years when a settlement was reached between the archdiocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, allowing the archdiocese to emerge from bankruptcy.

With the legal proceedings behind it, the archdiocese was able to focus on new initiatives and ministries, including Dancers from St. Martin de Porres Parish in Milwaukee Tai Words Jones, leader of this dance group, left to right, Mikeela Jones, and 4-year-old Nyla Perkins-Jones lead worshippers to Mass at the Cousins Center in St. Francis on June 14, 2015. The worshippers gathered on the one-year anniversary of the Archdiocesan Synod in a “Return to the Upper Room.” 2015 saw the beginning of implementation of synod priorities. (Catholic Herald photo by Allen Fredrickson)implementation of 2014 Archdiocesan Synod priorities.

It was also a year that saw the church addressing troubles in the community through the appointment of Fr. Tim Kitzke as vicar general for urban ministry.

Following is a month-by-month look at the major local stories of the year, as reported by the Catholic Herald.

JANUARY

  • Milwaukee native Bishop Donald J. Hying was installed as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Gary, Indiana, Jan. 6.
  • The Wisconsin pro-life movement saw changes in leadership as veteran directors of the state’s pro-life organizations stepped down. Dan Miller assumed leadership at Pro-Life Wisconsin as outgoing director Peggy Hamill retired after 15 years; Heather Weininger assumed the role of executive director at Wisconsin Right to Life when Barbara Lyons retired after 27 years, and longtime volunteer at Milwaukee Birthright Inc., Judy Fecteau, succeeded Veronica Ceszynski as executive director at the pregnancy crisis center. Ceszynski had been with the organization since 1972.

February

  • Implementation of the results of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s 2014 synod began Feb. 3 when 60 people representing District 12 met to discuss synod priorities. It was the first of 10 district gatherings held during February.
  • A decision is pending in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin from Chief Judge Susan V. Kelley whether $10.3 million in proposed insurance payments may be used to compensate Class 9 claimants – those defined in the plan as an archdiocesan abuse survivor claim subject to statute of limitations defenses, who would receive a claim against the Insurance Litigation Trust. The plan lists 128 claims in that class.
  • Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki appeared on “On The Issues with Mike Gousha” to talk about the state of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He also explained that the synod was an attempt to articulate a vision for the church for the next 10 to 15 years.
  • Two St. Vincent de Paul Stores, in Greenfield and Waterford, opened in southeastern Wisconsin.


March

  • For one night the Marquette University High School kitchen and cafeteria were transformed into an elegant event for 100 homeless men, women and children. Complete with students acting as servers, the event was hosted by a new charitable initiative, North Star Providers.
  • On Monday, March 9, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit reversed Judge Rudolph Randa in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin in which he said that applying the U.S. Bankruptcy Code to the archdiocese’s transfer of $55 million from its general accounts to a trust earmarked for cemetery maintenance would violate Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki’s, as trustee for the cemetery trust, free exercise (of religion) under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and the First Amendment.
  • The Archdiocese of Milwaukee unveiled a new logo adapted from the logo of the 2014 Archdiocesan Synod.  
  • WIAA State Championships in basketball were celebrated by the Dominican High School boys team, and the girls teams from Divine Savior Holy Angels and Pius XI high schools.


April

  • Jesuit Fr. John Schlegel, pastor at Gesu Parish, Milwaukee, chose to approach his shocking pancreatic cancer diagnosis as “part of the Christian story.” A self-described “Easter person,” he traveled to Rome, and through connections of friends, celebrated Mass with Pope Francis in his private chapel on March 26. The former president of Creighton University (2000-2011) and the University of San Francisco (1990-2000) and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University (1984-1989) died Nov. 15.
  • Alverno University president Mary J. Meehan announced she will step down in June 2016 after serving in the position since 2004.
  • A year after a fire destroyed the historic St. Joseph Hall on St. Lawrence Seminary High School campus, construction to replace the building began in the spring and will include several classrooms, science facilities, space for “spiritual direction,” recruitment and other offices.
  • Providence Catholic School, in Paris Township in Kenosha County, announced it would merge with All Saints School, Kenosha, in the fall to become All Saints Catholic School – West.
  • Andy Land, a member of Holy Family Parish, Fond du Lac, was attempting to climb Mount Everest when an earthquake hit Nepal and he was evacuated from the mountain via helicopter. The earthquake killed more than 4,300 people and injured more than 6,000.  

Eight-year-old Akylah Adams-Pope enjoys dining at Marquette University High School, Milaukee on Feb. 28, 2015. Thanks to the generosity of a new charitable initiative, North Star Providers, guests were treated to a multi-course meal with music, flowers and comedy. (Catholic Herald photo by Allen Fredrickson)
May

  • Michelle Malkin, columnist and commentator, spoke at the Wisconsin Right to Life annual dinner April 16. “I absolutely consider myself Catholic,” she said. “Catholicism has had a profound influence on my work choices and it drives what I decide to do every morning.”
  • Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki celebrated his 40th anniversary as a priest. In a three-part Herald of Hope series, he wrote about his experience with faith, ministry and life.
  • Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay, underwent its first ever “facelift” to remodel and transform the Silver Spring entrance. The Eppstein Uhen design architect for the $10.5 million project, Chris Michaud, is an alumnus.
  • Marquette University High School revealed details of a 31,000 sq ft. addition, estimated to cost between $18 and $20 million, that will provide for a more college-based experience for its students, according to vice president of administration at MUHS, Kriss Schulz. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
  • Dennis Saran, a former pediatrician and widowed father of three, and Mauricio Fernandez Boscon, a Venezuelan native, are ordained priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki May 16 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee.


June

  • Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki named Fr. Tim Kitzke vicar general with a special emphasis on urban ministry, effective July 1. In this capacity, Fr. Kitzke is to establish priorities for the church to address in the urban community, direct formation on social justice,  and identify ministerial concerns and gaps in services and support within urban neighborhoods.
  • About 325 people marked the one-year anniversary of the Archdiocesan Synod with a “Return to the Upper Room” June 14. The three and a half hour event included talks, videos related to synod priorities, Mass and dance.
  • St. Vincent de Paul Meal Program was notified that its Meal Service Establishment Renewal Application for its South Side meal site could be denied. However, the city of Milwaukee licenses committee recommended approval of the license renewal at a public hearing.

JULY
■ Messmer High School, St. Michael Parish and Catholic Charities helped the family of Jay Ro, 49, who was shot to death June 25 in his Milwaukee home. Ro and his family came to the United States in 2011 after fleeing the turmoil of civil war in their native Burma. In addition to helping with funeral arrangements, the organizations established funds to help the family with future expenses.

■ The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist looked upon the July 9-12 Bastille Days celebration as an opportunity to evangelize by hosting a variety of events. During the festival, the cathedral opened its doors for visits and tours, offered “Coffee in the Garden” and hosted an “Evening in Paris” French dinner.

■ Attorneys for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed a request asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a March Federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision which said there was no First Amendment protection in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings for the approximately $65 million cemetery trust.

■ Catholic organizations, including All Saints Parish, Milwaukee, prayed for peace and searched for solutions to the increasing violence in Milwaukee’s central city. By year’s end, the city would record 145 homicides — its highest total in more than a decade.

■ Villa St. Francis, a Catholic assisted living facility adjacent to St. Francis Hospital, Milwaukee, celebrated its 25th anniversary.

AUGUST
■ More than four years and eight months after the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the archdiocese and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors reached an agreement for a plan of organization. In the announced plan, 330 abuse survivors will share $21 million.

■ Mary McIntosh, president of Notre Dame Schools, was named president of St. Thomas More High School, Milwaukee.

■ Approximately 130 students at the new Cristo Rey High School participated in a required business training camp to prepare them for the upcoming school year. The four-week camp culminated in an “NFL-style draft day” where they learned for which of the 22 participating local companies they would work during the school year.

■ Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki celebrated a “Mass for Peace” Aug. 13 at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Milwaukee, in response to the increased violence in the city. The celebration drew 600 people.

■ Sixteen congregations of Catholic sisters purchased advertising space on local buses in Wisconsin to raise awareness of the dangers of human trafficking in the state.

■ José Vásquez was named president of St. Anthony School, Milwaukee, the nation’s largest Catholic K-12 parental choice school, with nearly 2,000 students. He succeeded Zeus Rodriguez, who resigned in April to expand his nonprofit, Hispanics for School Choice.

■ Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki celebrated a Mass at St. Mary Church, Marytown, Aug. 1 to mark the coming together of St. Mary, with St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, Mt. Calvary, and St. John Parish, Johnsburg, as a cluster called the “Holyland Catholic Parishes.” Capuchin Fr. Gary Wegner, while continuing as pastor of St. Isidore, was installed as pastor of St. Mary and St. John. Additionally, the area’s lone Catholic school, formerly known as the “Consolidated Parochial Elementary Schools,” celebrated its new name, “Holyland Catholic School.”

SEPTEMBER
■ The Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed a 399-page disclosure statement and plan for reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Aug. 24. It will be up to the court’s chief judge, Susan V. Kelley, to decide whether to approve the plan. A hearing on a comfirmation of the amended plan was set for Nov. 9.

■ St. Francis Borgia Parish, Cedarburg, dedicated its 60,000-square-foot Education and Activity Center, an event 10 years in the making. The center features a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) lab and 26 classrooms that can accommodate 500 students. The project was supported by more than $10 million in funding from 1,350 donors.

■ Mary Kay Balchunas, mother of fallen Wisconsin Department of Justice Special Agent, Jay Balchunas, was honored by the Sisters of the Divine Savior Sept. 17 as their 15th

■ Committee of Unsecured Creditors reached an agreement for a plan of organization. In the announced plan, 330 abuse survivors will share $21 million.

■ Mary McIntosh, president of Notre Dame Schools, was named president of St. Thomas More High School, Milwaukee.

■ Approximately 130 students at the new Cristo Rey High School participated in a required business training camp to prepare them for the upcoming school year. The four-week camp culminated in an “NFL-style draft day” where they learned for which of the 22 participating local companies they would work during the school year.

■ Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki celebrated a “Mass for Peace” Aug. 13 at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Milwaukee, in response to the increased violence in the city. The celebration drew 600 people.

■ Sixteen congregations of Catholic sisters purchased advertising space on local buses in Wisconsin to raise awareness of the dangers of human trafficking in the state.

■ José Vásquez was named president of St. Anthony School, Milwaukee, the nation’s largest Catholic K-12 parental choice school, with nearly 2,000 students. He succeeded Zeus Rodriguez, who resigned in April to expand his nonprofit, Hispanics for School Choice.

■ Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki celebrated a Mass at St. Mary Church, Marytown, Aug. 1 to mark the coming together of St. Mary, with St. Isidore the Farmer Parish, Mt. Calvary, and St. John Parish, Johnsburg, as a cluster called the “Holyland Catholic Parishes.” Capuchin Fr. Gary Wegner, while continuing as pastor of St. Isidore, was installed as pastor of St. Mary and St. John. Additionally, the area’s lone Catholic school, formerly known as the “Consolidated Parochial Elementary Schools,” celebrated its new name, “Holyland Catholic School.”

SEPTEMBER
■ The Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed a 399-page disclosure statement and plan for reorganization with the U.S. Frs. Dennis Saran, left, and Mauricio Fernandez Boscon lay prostrate before the altar at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist during their Mass of ordination to the priesthood, May 16, 2015. (Catholic Herald photo by Peter Fenelon)Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on Aug. 24. It will be up to the court’s chief judge, Susan V. Kelley, to decide whether to approve the plan. A hearing on a comfirmation of the amended plan was set for Nov. 9.

■ St. Francis Borgia Parish, Cedarburg, dedicated its 60,000-square-foot Education and Activity Center, an event 10 years in the making. The center features a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) lab and 26 classrooms that can accommodate 500 students. The project was supported by more than $10 million in funding from 1,350 donors.

■ Mary Kay Balchunas, mother of fallen Wisconsin Department of Justice Special Agent, Jay Balchunas, was honored by the Sisters of the Divine Savior Sept. 17 as their 15th annual Woman of Faith.

■ A local family, Gina and Joseph Loehr, members of Shepherd of the Hills Parish, Eden, were chosen to be presenters at the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. Their Sept. 25 presentation was titled, “How Precious is the Family: Advice from Pope Francis on How to Love.”

■ Fr. Tim Kitzke, newly appointed vicar general for urban ministry, met with more than 40 people at St. Martin de Porres Parish, Milwaukee, Sept. 11 to discuss solutions to problems faced in urban parts of the archdiocese.
■ The St. Louis Jesuits performed their first Milwaukee concert ever at the Pabst Theater Sept. 20, a benefit for Cristo Rey High School, West Milwaukee. The sold-out performance raised approximately $125,000.

■ Milwaukee native, Bishop Raphael M. Fliss, died Sept. 21 at age 84. He was named the coadjutor bishop of Superior in 1979, and became that diocese’s ninth bishop in 1985. He served until his retirement in 2007.

■ St. Joseph Academy, Kenosha, began the school year with a new upper school principal, Karen Earle, and new dean of student life, Stephanie Davis.

■ Divine Savior Holy Angels graduate Rebecca Ruesch experienced Pope Francis’ visit to the United States up close. During his visit, Ruesch, a staff assistant with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, helped coordinate transportation.

OCTOBER
■ Another local woman, Geri “Nana” Fotsch, a member of St. Mary Parish, Elm Grove, met Pope Francis at St. Patrick Cathedral, New York, Sept. 24. The widowed mother of eight, grandmother of 30 and great-grandmother of four called it “a dream come true.”

■ Chief Judge Susan V. Kelley of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin approved the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s fourth amended disclosure statement Sept. 30, paving the way for the court to hold hearings on confirmation of the plan beginning Nov. 9.

■ St. Mary’s Visitation Parish, Elm Grove, was the only site in the Milwaukee Archdiocese to host major relics of St. Maria Goretti, Oct. 17-18. The saint, known as the “patroness of purity,” at age 11, is the youngest canonized saint in the Catholic Church. Organizers estimate 8,800 viewed the relics at St. Mary.

■ Approximately 9,500 walkers representing 95 schools participated in the third annual Soles for Catholic Education Walk at Mount Mary University Oct. 17.

■ More than 400 Hispanic youth from throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee celebrated their faith through an Ecuentro (Encounter) Oct. 24 at the Cousins Center, St. Francis.

NOVEMBER
■ Citing the fact that their sisters are aging and their numbers declining, Wheaton Franciscan Sisters announced they will transfer operations and related corporate services of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare to Ascension Wisconsin, a division of Ascension Healthcare. The sisters also announced the transfer of their housing properties under Franciscan Ministries, Inc., to Mercy Housing, based in Denver.

■ Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, St. Francis, reported a “modest increase” in enrollment with 45 men studying for priesthood. Of those, 33 are in formation for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, while 12 are studying for other dioceses.

■ A nearly five-year chapter in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s history concluded Nov. 9 when Chief Judge Susan V. Kelley of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin approved the reorganization plan that extricates the archdiocese from bankruptcy in which it had been immersed since Jan. 4, 2011. The plan calls for $21 million to be shared by 355 abuse survivors, while another 104 claimants were to receive $2,000 each.

■ Nearly 200 leaders from the black Catholic community gathered Nov. 8 to chart the future of the archdiocese. Termed the Black Catholic Summit, the event was in response to a call for a focus on cultural diversity that emerged from the 2014 Archdiocesan Synod.

■ John Huebscher, longtime executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, announced he will retire in January. Associate director Kim Wadas will succeed him.

■ Fr. Thomas Eichenberger, pastor of St. Francis Borgia Parish, Cedarburg, was fully restored to ministry. An allegation of abuse surfaced during the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings and Fr. Eichenberger stepped aside in September while the allegation was investigated. The Milwaukee County district attorney’s office did not file charges and an independent investigator turned results over to the Diocesan Review Board who also found no reason to substantiate the allegation. The board recommended the archbishop restore Fr. Eichenberger to ministry.

DECEMBER
■ Changes in the marriage annulment process went into effect Dec. 8, but Milwaukee’s judicial vicar Fr. Paul Hartmann predicted local couples pursuing a declaration of nullity will see little change in the process.

■ Fr. Ken Omernick, pastor of St. Charles Parish, Hartland, was appointed the archdiocese’s “missionary of mercy” by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. In this capacity, Fr. Omernick will promote the concept of mercy through retreats and talks, and a 12-part video series on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

■ To commemorate the Year of Mercy, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has commissioned two pieces of music to be used in parishes. “The Face of the Father’s Mercy,” is a hymn composed by Brian McLinden and “Your Tender and Terrible Mercy,” is a song composed by Jesuit Fr. Roc O’Connor.

■ Deacon David Zimprich, a retired law enforcement professional, retired as associate director for deacon services, a position he held for 17 years. Deacon Michael Chmielewski has succeeded him.