Sklba Remembered as Gentleman, ScholarRead Time 13 min

Bishop Richard J. Sklba talks with Fr. Michael Malucha during the 2023 Chrism Mass. (File photo)

Those who knew Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Richard J. Sklba recalled how gentle, intelligent and humble he was.

Bishop Sklba passed away in his sleep Nov. 21, 2024. He was 89 years old.

“Today, the Church has lost a true leader and an example of what it means to be a Christian gentleman,” Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki said.

Bishop Sklba was born in Racine on Sept. 11, 1935, and was baptized at Holy Trinity Parish on Sept. 30, 1935, the feast of St. Jerome, who is the patron saint of Scripture students. He was confirmed, also at Holy Trinity Parish, on June 2, 1946.

He spent two years at St. Catherine’s High School, Racine, before transferring to Saint Francis Minor Seminary, Milwaukee, to finish high school and begin college studies.

Fr. Joe Juknialis got to know Bishop Sklba well as close friends and sometimes helped the bishop in preparing his Herald of Hope columns.

“Besides being a wonderful friend, Bishop Sklba was always and without fail a scholar and a gentleman,” said Fr. Juknialis. “Not only was he a nationally recognized biblical scholar, his sense of Scripture permeated all he said and did. As a gentleman, he always treated others with the greatest respect, whether he agreed or disagreed, and made a person feel as if they were the only person in the world. He was someone who loved the outdoors, a member of our ‘gang of four’ who spent summer vacations camping and canoeing our national rivers and parks. In recent years, his love of the outdoors took the shape of his daily 2-mile walk along the Milwaukee River. His eagerness for life never seemed to fade.”

From 1954-60, he studied at the Gregorian University, Rome, completing an undergraduate degree in philosophy and a graduate degree in theology. He was ordained to the priesthood in Rome for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Dec. 20, 1959. He was assigned to St. Mary’s Visitation, Elm Grove, on Sept. 15, 1960, and served the parish as an assistant pastor for two years.

In 1962, he returned to Rome for three more years of study. While there, he attended the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, and completed the licentiate degree in Sacred Scripture. He completed his doctoral degree in biblical studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas of Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome. He was present in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, for the opening session of the Second Vatican Council on Oct. 11, 1962.

After returning to the United States, he spent the next 11 years teaching Scripture at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, St. Francis, and served at St. Veronica, Milwaukee, on weekends. On July 19, 1976, he was appointed rector of the seminary by Archbishop William E. Cousins.

“The first time I met Bishop Sklba was before he was ordained a bishop,” said current Auxiliary Bishop James T. Schuerman. “It was 1976, and I was a freshman in Saint Francis de Sales College Seminary. At that time, Fr. Sklba was the rector of our major seminary. I happened to meet him in a corridor of the college when he came over to meet with the faculty of the college. He struck me as a friendly, joyful priest who was genuinely interested to know who I was and where I was from. I remember that I was very happy to meet his acquaintance. Later, when he was ordained as auxiliary bishop, I felt deeply that he was the right person for that role.”

Fr. James Lobacz, the current vicar for senior priests, had a similar experience upon meeting Bishop Sklba.

“I first met the then-Fr. Sklba in a classroom where he was teaching biblical theology,” Fr. Lobacz said. “I was 18 years old and in my first year of studies as a seminarian. I was swept up in his palpable enthusiasm and incredible knowledge of the Bible. I was in awe of this first-rate biblical scholar. He not only knew the Bible he also knew the human condition and always applied the message in the Sacred Scriptures to everyday life.”

Fr. Lobacz continued, “Years later, when he was appointed rector of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, my heart sank. I knew those responsibilities would crowd the time he usually spent in scholarly work with the Bible. He was a man who publicly proclaimed he wanted to live in the seminary library now in an office with enormous responsibilities. He loved the Bible. He loved the Church even more.”

He was ordained Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Dec. 19, 1979. He was also named the titular bishop of Castro.

An example of Bishop Sklba’s humility and sense of humor was shared by an archdiocesan employee. She had just started working at the Pastoral Center a few months prior and was standing in line next to Bishop Sklba at an event. They struck up a conversation, and Bishop Sklba coyly said, “My name’s Richard. I used to work here but I’m retired.”

It wasn’t until the employee returned to her office and shared the story with her co-workers of the conversation with the “nice man named Richard” did she realize it was, in fact, Bishop Sklba.

Over the years, Bishop Sklba served on various committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, including Priestly Life and Ministry, Doctrine, Liturgy, Permanent Diaconate, as well as Marriage and Family. He was appointed to several task forces, including the Teaching Function of the Diocesan Bishop and the subcommittee for Inclusive Language. He chaired the subcommittee on the Review of Scripture Translations from 1991 to 2001.

Bishop Sklba served as chair of the USCCB’s Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs from 2005-08. In that capacity, he had the privilege of introducing the nation’s religious leaders from several traditions, including Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain, to Pope Benedict XVI during the Holy Father’s historic pastoral visit to the United States in April 2008.

“He embodied a Christian believer,” Archbishop Listecki said. “His life depicted that Christian gentility. He was a true Christian gentleman, whether it was to other Catholics, whether it was those in the ecumenical community, whether it was those in the civic community in general. Everyone looked upon the wonderful character that was embodied in Bishop Sklba.”

He was a member of the Catholic Biblical Association of America and served as its president in 1982. Over the years, he also participated in several archaeological expeditions to sites in Israel.

Active in the Church’s ecumenical and interreligious relationships on a national and local level, Bishop Sklba co-chaired the national Lutheran/Catholic Dialogue beginning in 1998. In February 2006, Bishop Sklba was invited to attend the ninth General Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Porto Alegre, Brazil, as a member of the official Vatican delegation headed by Cardinal Walter Kasper. His many professional memberships include the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Society for Biblical Literature. Bishop Sklba also published articles, books, papers and occasional book reviews. In 1988, he was awarded the Catholic Theological Society of America’s John Courtney Murray Award for achievement in Theology.

Archbishop Listecki said Bishop Sklba’s scholarly works on the Scriptures were invaluable in helping numerous priests with their homilies. Bishop Schuerman was one of them.

“I can say without exaggeration that Bishop Sklba was the best preacher I have ever experienced,” Bishop Schuerman said. “His depth of knowledge of Scripture and the Church’s tradition was not something that he shared exclusively in classes and publications, but from the pulpit, as well. In his homilies, he was able to use his wisdom to bring the Scriptures to life, and to help the listener to understand how these sacred teachings related to day-to-day life.”

Bishop Sklba was elected archdiocesan administrator by the College of Consultors in May 2002, and served in that capacity until the then-Most Rev. Timothy Dolan was installed as archbishop of Milwaukee on Aug. 28, 2002. Bishop Sklba continued to serve the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as an auxiliary bishop and vicar general under Archbishops Dolan and Listecki. He also taught Scripture at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corners, from 2006-09.

On Sept. 11, 2010, the occasion of his 75th birthday, Bishop Sklba, as required by canon law, submitted his resignation. On Oct. 18, 2010, the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Bishop Sklba’s resignation.

“During these past few years, Bishop Sklba began to sort through his office and started giving away things that he knew he would no longer use,” Bishop Schuerman said. “He gave me a few books and manuscripts that he thought I might like. One day, when I was not in my office, he left a small seashell on my shelf, which I assume was a keepsake from one of his trips or pilgrimages. I do not know if he was thinking about this when he gave it to me, but the seashell is a symbol of my patron saint, St. James the Greater, Apostle, and it appears on my coat of arms. I cherish that little gift, because it reminds me that Bishop Sklba was a thoughtful, generous and self-giving soul. He will be greatly missed.”

Visitation will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3, 2024, at St. Richard, 1503 Grand Ave., Racine, with Evening Prayer at 6 p.m. Visitation will take place again from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 4, 2024, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson St., Milwaukee. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. Burial will be in the Cathedral crypt immediately following the Mass.

“Everyone who was notified about it has said it’s a loss for us,” Archbishop Listecki said. “That says it all, but they were grateful for having the opportunity to know someone like Bishop Sklba.”