Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

I am sure that if many of you looked around your office, kitchen, bedroom or living room, your eye would come upon an object that represented an event that occurred in your life, or perhaps a symbol of a relationship, family member or friend. It would have little or no meaning to anyone else until the object was explained and the story was told. As I am looking around my office, there are so many objects in my immediate sight that it’s hard to choose just one.

There’s the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) model bus which is a reminder of my father, a CTA bus driver. I also have a crazy shaped pen holder mug that was given to me by a patient in the hospital unit at Lutheran General where I worked, and a commodore’s hat, reminiscent of the time I was Bishop of La Crosse and was gifted with a paddle boat to cruise the Mississippi.

By themselves, these objects have little or no meaning, but connected to the story or the experience, they put a smile on my face, bring back a pleasant memory of the event or allow me to recapture a dream.

Last year on the Feast of Pentecost, we had a significant moment in the history of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee: the 2014 Synod. People gathered from all over the archdiocese to express their love for the Church, contribute their insights and establish priorities for the archdiocese for the next 10 to 15 years. Some stated that it was the most significant archdiocesan religious event in the last 20 years and certainly one that imparted a lasting impression on the participants. At the closing Mass on Pentecost Sunday, I challenged the congregation to ignite, renew and energize our Church, just as the Holy Spirit ignited the disciples, renewed their commitment to Jesus and energized them for their mission.

If there is one sign or symbol that is immediately associated with the Synod, it would be the Synod logo. There was a great deal of thought that went into the creation of the logo, mindful that it was attempting to capture the spirit of the moment and the sense of the Church.

The most current logo of the archdiocese is the outline of the State of Wisconsin with a cross superimposed and an outline of the 10 counties that make up southeastern Wisconsin, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Because the Synod created a new moment in the history of the archdiocese, it is now time for a new logo, a new sign which will reflect the importance of this moment in our history. This new archdiocesan logo is an adaptation of the 2014 Synod logo with only a slight modification.

We desired that the new logo reflect the essence of our Catholic identity and the richness of our faith. Embodied in the new logo is an acknowledgment of the Trinity. This central mystery of our faith is our belief in one God – a Trinity of persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father is symbolized by the gentle wind seen in the breeze which appears on the red flame (this is the modification and acknowledgment of 1 Kings 19:12). The cross represents Jesus Christ, the Son of God (God so loved the world…), and the dove symbol is of the Holy Spirit referred to in the Gospels (and the Spirit like a dove descended upon Him).

We are fully initiated into the sacramental life in the reception of baptism, Eucharist and confirmation. Baptism is seen in the blue water. The Eucharist is represented in the host and confirmation in the red flame is symbolic of the descent of the Holy Spirit. The logo bears the image of the cross, a sign of our redemption in Christ Jesus (by His cross and resurrection He has set us free) and the flame captures our openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit and the burning desire to evangelize the world.

Watch for the new logo, which officially and appropriately launches during Holy Week. It expresses our belief and the fact that as a Catholic community, we are poised to ignite, renew and energize the work of our Church as we LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the March 24, 2015 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.