Kenosha Offers Another Homecoming for Archbishop Grob

Archbishop Jeffrey S. Grob receives the offertory gifts during a Mass of Welcome on Monday, Feb. 10, at St. Elizabeth, Kenosha. (Photos by Larry Hanson)

When Pope Francis named the Most Rev. Jeffrey S. Grob to be the 12th Archbishop of Milwaukee in November, it was hailed as a homecoming for the Cross Plains native to come back to his home state.

On Monday, Feb. 10, Archbishop Grob had another homecoming of sorts.

Archbishop Grob celebrated the fifth in a series of Masses of Welcome at St. Elizabeth in Kenosha, where he lived from 1981-85 while working as a funeral director.

“I lived in Kenosha at a time when this was St. George’s, and St. Casimir was across the way, and other churches had different names,” Archbishop Grob said. “It’s nice to be here at St. Elizabeth, knowing the church is still here and people gather for prayer and worship. Never in the years that I lived in Kenosha did I ever believe I would be here as the archbishop — proof positive that God has a sense of humor. That applies in so many of our lives: the actions and words of God.”

St. Elizabeth Pastor Fr. Sean Granger estimated between 450 and 500 Catholics attended the Mass, which was followed by a reception in the parish school, where everyone could greet the new archbishop personally and share snacks and fellowship.

“I was so shocked,” Fr. Granger said of his reaction when he found out his parish would be hosting the new archbishop. “I was honored, and I told the staff right away we have to make this work.”

Archbishop Grob spent more than an hour greeting parishioners and posing for pictures.

“He’s a very kind man,” Fr. Granger said. “He seems to be very genuine, and I think he really enjoys meeting with people.”

In the receiving line, St. Elizabeth parishioner Tessa Bruns told Archbishop Grob she greatly enjoyed his message. Archbishop Grob shared the “Doll of Salt” legend, which has a message of humility and sacrificing part of yourself to get to know Jesus.

“For me, it was a very special message,” Bruns said. “It was humility. He was speaking of humility and how we are supposed to look inside ourselves at what is the big picture.”

She said Archbishop Grob seems kind, humble and full of love for people.

“He acts like he’s one of us,” Bruns said. “He can just put himself in our shoes.”

Veronica Heiser was greeted by Archbishop Grob when she entered the church as he waited for the opening procession to begin.

“It’s always a blessing to have any kind of community engagement, but to meet the archbishop and get to know him and hear his homily (is nice),” Heiser said. “I was ecstatic that he was going to come here to my home parish.”

Vincent Savaglio has been attending St. Elizabeth for more than 50 years.

“I think he’s a man with a pastoral sensitivity,” Savaglio said.

That pastoral sensitivity showed in his homily, when Archbishop Grob brought things full circle, noting that like the doll of salt, our first step toward knowing the Lord is taken in the water, through our Baptism.

“God brings us where we need to be, sometimes in spite of ourselves,” Archbishop Grob said. “The Lord longs for us to be entirely and completely his.”

There are four more Masses of Welcome scheduled for Archbishop Grob: