Pope Francis has bestowed the honorary title of monsignor on an Archdiocese of Milwaukee priest who serves at the Vatican.
Msgr. Aaron Esch, who has served as an official at the Dicastery for Bishops in Rome since September 2020, was ordained in 2009.
“We congratulate Msgr. Esch on this great honor,” Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki said. “His exemplary work is one example of how Milwaukee priests are serving the greater Church.”
Monsignor is a title of distinction awarded as part of three distinct papal honors recognizing service to the Church. The title does not indicate an appointment or office.
Raised as a member of St. Patrick in Elkhorn, Msgr. Esch entered Saint Francis de Sales Seminary and attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome. After he was ordained a priest of the archdiocese in 2009 and completed his studies, he served as associate pastor of Lumen Christi, Mequon, from 2010 until he became associate pastor at St. Alphonsus, Greendale, in 2012.
Msgr. Esch was appointed administrator at St. Alphonsus in 2014, eventually serving as pastor until 2020, when the Archdiocese of Milwaukee released him for five years to serve the Church in Rome.
Msgr. Aaron Esch. (Photo courtesy of St. Alphonsus, Greendale)
