This month, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee honors its native son, Cardinal James M. Harvey, on the 50th anniversary of his priesthood.
A member of the class of 1975, Cardinal Harvey has served the Church universal, the Church outside of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, for most of these 50 years. This has been a true sacrifice both on the part of Cardinal Harvey and the archdiocese. It is an honor when a young priest is asked to serve in the Vatican — however, not without its cost. He must leave his family, his home diocese and often adopt a foreign language and culture different from his own. The priest often does this because he loves the Church. There is little doubt in my mind that this was Cardinal Harvey’s motivation.
Cardinal Harvey studied at the Academia in Rome, a school that prepares a young priest for service in the diplomatic office of the Vatican Secretary of State. There are some who, when they leave their home diocese, cut their ties to it, but Cardinal Harvey continued to be knowledgeable about the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and invest himself in its growth and formation.
Many in our archdiocese may not know it, but our relationship to our parish La Sagrada Familia in the Dominican Republic is due to Cardinal Harvey who — when serving in the nunciature in the Dominican Republic in the 1980s — sought the assistance of then-Archbishop Rembert Weakland for archdiocesan priests to staff a parish. It was an extension of the missionary spirit in the Church. This proud activity of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee continues to this very day.
During his time in service to the Church, Cardinal Harvey occupied the position of the head of the papal household for over 14 years under Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. He was ordained a bishop (1998) and became an archbishop (2003) under Pope John Paul II and named a cardinal (2012) under Pope Benedict XVI. Imagine — he had the privilege of working next to a saint, John Paul, and with one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century, Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger). If any world leader or important international personality wanted an audience with the pope for 14 years, they did so through Cardinal Harvey. Certainly, it would be easy for anyone in that position to develop a large personal ego, but Cardinal Harvey never lost his sense of service to the Church and his familial connections. His humility was and has been well noted by those who have served for and with him.
His family is rooted in the Milwaukee community. I attended his dad’s funeral when I was Bishop of La Crosse, and I also had the privilege as Archbishop of Milwaukee, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, to perform his mother’s funeral. Sadly, Cardinal Harvey had to attend remotely from Rome through a livestream. He has been blessed to have two sisters and two brothers who live in the Milwaukee area.
Cardinal Harvey is the third native son to be elevated to the rank of cardinal, “a prince of the Church.” The first was Cardinal Aloisius Joseph Muench, who was ordained a priest for the archdiocese in 1913. He served as rector of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary and was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Fargo. He was instrumental in charitable aid for the Catholic Church in Germany and Europe and assisted American troops in the post-World War II era. He was made a cardinal by Pope John XXIII (now St. John XXIII) in 1959.
Cardinal Albert Meyer was the second native Milwaukee priest named a cardinal by Pope John XXIII in 1959. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1926. A classical linguist and scriptural scholar, he taught at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary and later became rector. In 1946, he was named the sixth Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin. In 1953, he was installed as the seventh Archbishop of Milwaukee. In 1958, he was named the Archbishop of Chicago — at that time, the largest Roman Catholic diocese in the country. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal in 1959 and was a significant leader during the Second Vatican Council. Cardinal Meyer was the archbishop when I entered the minor seminary. I can personally testify to the deep respect the priests and Catholic community in Chicago held for Cardinal Meyer.
It is difficult to measure the influence of 50 years of priesthood, especially when one’s positions are as diverse as Cardinal Harvey’s. But all who have contributed to the Catholic environment in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee share in the participation of his ministry. There is tremendous pride in knowing that one of our own serves Christ’s Church with such distinction.
Many from the archdiocese who have visited Rome have had the privilege of visiting the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Wall. Cardinal Harvey is entrusted with the care of one of the most beautiful churches in the world. Under his direction, the basilica has been refurbished, and some ancient digs have been created. His pastoral priestly roots are always evident in his care for this great church. I have had the privilege of celebrating with him as did the bishops of Region VII (Wisconsin, Indiana and Illinois) who gathered with Pope Francis for our “ad limina,” which is the required visit to the Holy See. We were treated by Cardinal Harvey as brothers who shared a common love for our family, the Church.
My own relationship with Cardinal Harvey goes back to 1979 in Rome when I was sent for studies. We share the same ordination year — 1975. We would tangentially meet one another in those early years. I was privileged to be named a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 2000, and our paths would begin to cross at various audiences.
Our true friendship started when I was named the 11th Archbishop of Milwaukee. We shared our love, hopes and dreams for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Church universal. I was fortunate that for many of those 15 years of my leadership in office, Cardinal Harvey stayed with me at the archbishop’s residence. Daily, I would receive an oral historical discourse on the events and personalities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. I often joked that if I wanted to know anything about the archdiocese, I would contact Cardinal Harvey. His interest in all things Milwaukee current and past was instrumental in my understanding of the priests, parishes and people of our great archdiocese.
An anniversary is a time to remember and give thanks. As an archdiocese, I know that we are grateful for our relationship with the Church in Rome through our faithful native son, Cardinal James Harvey. He mentors our seminarians when in their studies in Rome. He welcomes many of our priests and parishioners to the eternal city. In Cardinal Harvey, it is as if the people of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee had a proud family member who connected us to the very center of Christianity.
It is only proper for us to celebrate our son and brother Cardinal James Harvey, who has given his life for the Church and whom we proudly claim as our own.
