Gallagher Remembered as Tireless Catholic Leader

The eldest of 14 children, Maureen Gallagher got an early start on the leadership skills that later served the Archdiocese of Milwaukee very well.

Gallagher, 86, a Milwaukee area resident, passed away in January.

Devoted to her Catholic faith, Gallagher served in various leadership roles including director of Catholic education for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. She played an integral role in developing the Waukesha Catholic School System. She also served as Archbishop Rembert Weakland’s Delegate for Parishes and in the Office of Marriage and Family.

A Chicago native, Gallagher earned English, education, theology and art history degrees before earning her Ph.D. in adult education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was a member of the Sinsinawa Dominicans at one point.

As her pastor at St. Anthony on the Lake, Fr. Anthony Zimmer called Gallagher a loyal and dear friend and a faithful and dedicated leader in the archdiocese. The two were friends for 39 years, including the 15 years she worked at St. Anthony. They shared a love for food and art history.

“We broke bread together, and boy, was she a good cook. We had many long conversations at the dining room table solving all the world’s problems,” he said at her funeral homily. “She generously gave of her time and knowledge in helping our parish develop its first long-range strategic plan, which was something she would go on to do for many religious communities as they were called to reorganize.”

One of Fr. Zimmer’s fondest memories was working with Gallagher to honor the parish’s 100th anniversary.

Currently living in Colorado, Noreen Welte met Gallagher when she was 21 and a first-year teacher at a school in Madison. Welte later worked as a parish consultant for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

“We became lifelong friends — she was a leader in many areas. Our fathers knew each other, and we were in our 20s. Maureen became a Catholic school principal, and my dad mentioned to her dad that he thought she was too young for this role,” Welte said. “Her dad said she was born to do this as she was the eldest of 14 kids.”

A theologian and author, Gallagher wrote for Paulist Press and taught and worked for the Marriage and Family Life office for the archdiocese.

“She was very engaged in the synod that led to the reorganization of departments in the 1980s. She served as a delegate for parishes and had a brilliant career,” Welte said. “She also was responsible for getting computers into the schools and parishes so they could keep their data organized and online, and that led to the schools getting computers for the students.”

Welte said she often reminisced with Gallagher.

“I could always count on her for a good laugh; she was a character on many levels,” Welte said.

Eva J. Díaz, Director of Hispanic Ministry with the archdiocese, recalled Gallagher tapping her to become a parish consultant, a role Gallagher introduced to the archdiocese.

“I was already working for the archdiocese in the Multicultural Services Office. I was hired as a parish consultant during intense parish planning. Maureen capably led the team of parish consultants in their work. She was a supportive leader,” Díaz said.

For the past three years, Gallagher lived in assisted living at Clement Manor, the same retirement facility as her longtime friend, Fr. Leonard Barbian.

“I have known Maureen since the 1970s when I was director of the archdiocese’s Catholic Family Life program, and we met at a meeting in Madison where she served as the representative for Sadlier Publishing,” he said. “I was talking around the exhibits one day, and we hit it off.”

Fr. Barbian was looking to forgo administrative work and return to parish life. He also knew Gallagher was very gifted and looking for a position within the archdiocese. He met with Archbishop Weakland and asked to return to parish life and to put Gallagher in charge of the Catholic Family Life program.

“He interviewed her, and she got the job,” he said.

Their paths continued to cross over the years, and Fr. Barbian said he also enjoyed visiting with Gallagher at Clement Manor, where they lived on the same floor.

“I miss her. The Catholic community lost a great consensus builder. She had a way to bring people together where you never felt like you lost. She noted everyone’s response to her questions, and anyone who spoke up felt as if they had a hand in the end product,” he explained. “Maureen was also a strong advocate for Catholic education and supported the voucher program. Her passing is a loss for our community.”

Gallagher was preceded in death by her husband, David Woeste, in 2002.