Archbishop-Designate Knocks, Milwaukee Answers

Archbishop-Designate Jeffrey S. Grob knocks three times on the door of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee, on Monday, Jan. 13, the eve of his installation as the 12th Archbishop of Milwaukee. (Photos by David Bernacchi)

St. Hilary of Poitiers, a fourth-century bishop, shepherded his flock amidst a Church fiercely divided. A tireless opponent of heresy, St. Hilary endured persecution and even exile as part of his lifelong efforts to bring the light of truth to the early Christian Church.

Could there be a more fitting model for a new archbishop? The year may be 2025, not 353, but divisions amongst the faithful run as deep as they ever have. And the need is great for a leader who speaks truth and love across the chasms driven deep within the Body of Christ.

On the eve of his installation as the 12th Archbishop of Milwaukee, which happened to take place on the Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers, Most Rev. Jeffrey S. Grob was received to the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee, in a Solemn Evening Prayer Service.

“The challenge before us in this next chapter is not unlike what that holy bishop faced whose memory we keep today,” Archbishop-Designate Grob told the congregation, referring to St. Hilary. “We, too, are called to work for unity, to share our faith and to respond to the urgent need for evangelization.”

The Evening Prayer was preceded by the archbishop-designate’s reception to the mother church and seat of ecclesial authority in his new diocese — a tradition that calls for him to stand outside the cathedral on North Jackson Street in downtown Milwaukee and knock at the doors, which he did using a special hammer. The three clear knocks resounded through the Cathedral, and the door was opened by its rector, Fr. Tim Kitzke.

As the archbishop-designate stepped into the Cathedral, Fr. Kitzke presented him with a crucifix laid upon a pillow of gold-trimmed velvet. After venerating the crucifix, Archbishop-Designate Grob blessed himself and those present with holy water in a gesture recalling the unity of their common Baptism.

After making his way past the altar and stopping to greet the Papal Nuncio, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, Archbishop-Designate Grob made a visit to the Eucharistic Chapel, where he spent a few moments in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

The Memorial of St. Hilary is an optional memorial, but Archbishop-Designate Grob purposefully selected one of the common readings for the day (1 Peter 5:1-4) that speaks to the role of a pastor: “God’s flock is in your midst; give it a shepherd’s care. Watch over it willingly as God would have you do.”

Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki then delivered his final homily before a new shepherd assumes leadership of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, over which he has kept a faithful watch for the past 15 years.

“Leadership for the flock is foisted upon your shoulders, Archbishop-elect, and no bishops ever feel adequate to the task,” Archbishop Listecki told Archbishop-Designate Grob. “It demands a confidence in God, constant prayer and a willingness to sacrifice as his son for the love of the people he serves. It demands a keen attention to the movement of the Holy Spirit among the people that you govern, always adhering to the mystery, which is the Church established by our Lord Jesus Christ to lead us to salvation.”

The road, Archbishop Listecki noted, will not always be easy.

“In today’s world, so many entities compete for the attention of the souls in our society. Many false ideologies lay claim to truth, but there is but one truth, which as archbishop, you must proclaim tirelessly — and that is the person of Jesus Christ, the hope of the world.”

This will not always be a welcome message. “At times you will be scoffed at. Your words will be demeaned, rejected and even ignored,” Archbishop Listecki said. “But remember that ‘blessed are you when they insult you, persecute you, and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus, they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’”

Archbishop Listecki quoted Pope John Paul II in reminding Archbishop-Designate Grob to “be not afraid.”

“Jeff, God has fashioned this path for you. He knows your priestly heart and desire to serve his Church as shepherd,” he said. “I know that you will lead your clergy, religious and faithful to lives of holiness as you follow Jesus’s commandment, always, to ‘love one another.’”

Shortly before the Evening Prayer, Archbishop-Designate Grob made a Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity in the Cathedral’s Blessed Sacrament chapel. This was witnessed by the archbishop-designate’s family members, including his mother, Bonnie, as well as Auxiliary Bishops Jeffrey R. Haines and James T. Schuerman, and Archbishop Listecki.

In his remarks at the conclusion of the Evening Prayer, Archbishop-Designate Grob described this new beginning as an invitation for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and all those within it to “ponder seriously who is that Word in our lives, living among us, guiding our hearts, shaping our decisions.”

“For those who call themselves Christian, Jesus Christ is the center, the trajectory by which we live our lives,” said the archbishop-designate. “Is he recognizable in what we do and say — in who we are?”