Archbishop signs retirement letter to send to pope
When Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki turns 75 on Tuesday and formally submits a retirement letter to Pope Francis, it will not be his last day on the job. A secretive, extensive search process for his replacement will begin, and it could be several months or longer before a new leader for Milwaukee’s half million Catholics is named.
A Chicago native and canon lawyer, Listecki has led the archdiocese since he was installed in 2010, filling the vacancy created when now-Cardinal Timothy Dolan was appointed the archbishop of New York. Listecki had been the bishop of La Crosse, and before that an auxiliary bishop in Chicago.
Here are answers to key questions around Listecki’s retirement.
How big is this?
Listecki’s 75th birthday is noteworthy in that it sets into motion the end of his tenure as Milwaukee’s archbishop.
But all Catholic bishops are required to submit their resignation to the pope when they turn 75. Pope Francis can choose to accept it whenever he has selected a replacement. Some bishops continue serving for years after their 75th birthday. The deadline is when they turn 80. The new archbishop would become Milwaukee’s 12th prelate, overseeing a 10-county archdiocese in southeast Wisconsin with 187 parishes and 101 schools.
As is the case for leaders of the Catholic Church nationwide, the next archbishop’s plate would be full. Among his major responsibilities: Slowing the trend of declining Mass attendance, maintaining Catholic schools’ enrollment numbers, contending with shifting public attitudes on social issues such as LGBTQ rights and abortion, reaching out to the poor and vulnerable, and continuing strides toward transparency on clergy sex abuse.
How long is it likely to take to replace Listecki?
Recent history indicates it could be
quite a while, although the Vatican could always speed up the process.
Listecki is among several American archbishops at, or nearing, retirement age. One year from now, leaders in 12 of the United States’ 33 archdioceses will be at least 75 years old.
Among them are several prominent names. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston is 79, and Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington is 76. Next week, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich turns 75. Dolan, in New York, turns 75 next February.
The Midwest, in particular, has the potential for a major makeover, if Francis takes action. In addition to Milwaukee and Chicago, the archdioceses of Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City and Omaha will be due for new leaders by next year.
Even with a unique opportunity to cement his legacy in the American Church, Pope Francis, 87, has been moving more slowly than some expected in naming bishops to open seats.
“If the recent past is precedent, a dramatic overhaul is anything but guaranteed,” writes Jonathan Liedl, an editor for the National Catholic Register, a conservative news outlet, in reporting on U.S. archbishops near retirement.
The Rev. Steven Avella, a priest, Marquette University history professor and a historian of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, said that he does not expect Milwaukee’s open seat to be lost in the shuffle of the bigger dioceses with openings.
The pope’s ambassador to the United States, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, who researches candidates and prepares files on his top three recommendations for the Vatican’s Congregation of Bishops, is not a stranger to Milwaukee, Avella said. He has visited the Sacred Heart Seminary in Franklin several times.
“I think they’ll move deliberately, but in the end, I think we’ll get a new archbishop, I hope, before the end of the year,” Avella said.
The last time this happened in Milwaukee, Listecki was named Dolan’s replacement in November 2009, nine months after Pope Benedict XVI appointed Dolan archbishop of New York.
Who is likely to replace him?
The search process is highly secretive, and the selected bishop generally doesn’t know he is in the running until he is told that he has been chosen, said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit priest, journalist and expert on the Vatican’s inner workings.
Candidates for archbishop are typically a bishop at a smaller diocese, an auxiliary bishop from another archdiocese, or a prominent priest within the archdiocese.
Based on Milwaukee’s previous archbishops, they are likely to have a connection to the Midwest and to skew slightly younger than the national average — five of the eight since 1900 were in their 50s, and Listecki was 60.
Generally, Pope Francis has been appointing people who are pastoral and are concerned about the poor, Reese said, rather than seeking out people who are theologically progressive.
Avella agreed. Francis prefers candidates who have served as pastors and “experienced what it’s like to live in a parish and live with people,” and who exhibit compassion and understanding, he said.
“He takes a very gentle and caring view towards people who are on the margins,” Avella said of Francis. “I would expect the new archbishop of Milwaukee would have some of those bona fides.”
The person also must fit with the style and needs of the diocese, he said. “Somebody who might be good in Las Vegas might not be good in Milwaukee,” Reese said.
Neither Avella nor Reese wanted to speculate on names publicly. But the guessing game has already begun in Milwaukee’s Catholic circles.
One obvious name is Madison bishop and West Allis native Donald Hying, 60, who was previously the bishop of Gary, Indiana, and an auxiliary bishop in Milwaukee under Listecki.
He also was the pastor of Our Lady of Good Hope Parish in Milwaukee and has remained well-liked in the archdiocese.
The Very Rev. Tim Kitzke, the popular pastor of Milwaukee’s east side parishes who recently was named the vicar for urban ministry and rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, could be another candidate. Avella also noted that Milwaukee historically has been a landing place for auxiliary bishops from Chicago.
One of them, the Most Rev. Jeffrey Grob, attended grade school and high school in the Madison area.
Milwaukee’s auxiliary bishops are the Most Revs. Jeffrey Haines and James Schuerman. Both are 65 years old.
What is Listecki’s legacy?
Listecki, who holds civil and canon law degrees, has been a stabilizing force and a straightforward communicator.
“He’s a very forthright man,” Avella said. “What you see is what you get. I think he’s made a good-faith effort to meet the people here in Wisconsin and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as faithfully and honestly as he could.”
He carried the archdiocese through its Chapter 11 bankruptcy and created a capital campaign that is set to raise $150 million in donations, according to the archdiocese. His 2013 pastoral letter, “Who Do You Say That I Am,” became the foundation for an archdiocesan synod.
While not as publicly visible and outgoing as Dolan was, Listecki is a friendly person and funny storyteller who has stayed true to his humble Polish Chicago roots, Avella said.
On social issues, Listecki has tended to express more conservative viewpoints that reinforce church teachings, rather than calling for progressive reforms. And while priests in the archdiocese may have diverging opinions about his ideological stances, most generally don’t have a “passionately negative” impression of him, recognizing that he has tried to be fair to everyone, Avella said.
His nearly two decades teaching canon law and moral theology at a Chicago seminary shaped his perspective to be clear about church teachings, Avella said.
To celebrate Listecki’s birthday, the archdiocese is holding a series of Masses in his honor April 9 to June 9. For dates, times and locations, go to archmil.org/Bishops/Listecki.htm.