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This period of Milwaukee Catholic history encompasses the
reigns of three bishops: John Martin Henni (1843-1881); Michael
Heiss (1881-1890); Frederick Xavier Katzer (1890-1903).
These three bishops, all German speaking, established the
infrastructure of Catholic life: social welfare institutions,
parishes, schools, seminary, Catholic press, and administrative
offices.
John Martin Henni, the first bishop of the diocese, stamped a
strong German character on the new jurisdiction. This
"Germanization" policy was continued by his two successors,
Michael Heiss (1881- 1890) and Frederick Xavier Katzer
(1890-1903) and to a lesser extent by Sebastian Messmer
(1903-1930.) Strongly believing in the aphorism (perhaps coined
by Henni himself) "language preserves faith," German Catholics
sought to build a secure, homogeneous religious community
wherein German language and ethnic traditions would be
preserved. Assisting them were the generous benefactions from
missionary societies in France, Bavaria and Austria. The most
salient characteristics of German Catholicism were transferred
and reproduced in the diocese of Milwaukee. Handsome church
structures were built and decorated elaborately. Examples of
such structures are Old St. Mary's in Milwaukee, St. Joseph's
in Racine and Holy Name in Sheboygan. Attention to the richness
of liturgical and devotional life enhanced by a vibrant
tradition of church music and community singing were an
important part of the life of typical German congregations.
Most importantly, schools were one of the highest priorities of
German Catholics, and they established them soon after the
foundation of their parishes. To staff them, German speaking
religious orders were invited to take up residence in the
diocese. The most notable of these communities would be the
School Sisters of Notre Dame, the Racine Dominicans, the School
Sisters of St. Francis, the Capuchins, and the Redemptorists.
Henni also built the elegant St. John's Cathedral on the site
of the first church built in Milwaukee. It was dedicated in
1852.
German organizational life was everywhere in evidence. Every
congregation had its "vereins" i.e. church organizations for
every conceivable group in the parish, married, unmarried,
youth, etc. Moreover, German churches formed a host of
benevolent associations: burial societies, widows' benefits
societies, etc. All these were the only "safety net" of social
welfare many enjoyed before the advent of social security and
government programs.
St. Francis Seminary had begun in 1845 in the home of the
bishop. Due to the indefatigable fund-raising of Dr. Joseph
Salzmann, a new building was erected on the south shore of
Milwaukee in 1855 and the seminary specialized for many years
in the education of German-speaking youth for service to German
Catholics in the Midwest and elsewhere. Social welfare
institutions blossomed as well. St. Mary's Hospital and St.
Rose Orphan Asylum were opened early in Henni's career, as was
St. Aemillian's orphanage; academies in Racine and Fond du Lac
were opened. The Jesuits opened Marquette Academy on land
purchased by Bishop Henni. The Catholic population swelled
considerably, resulting in the breaking off of the diocese of
Green Bay and La Crosse in 1868. (The Diocese of Superior would
be formed in 1905 and the Diocese of Madison formally erected
in 1946.) In 1875, the Holy See elevated Milwaukee to
metropolitan status and Henni became its first archbishop.
Not everyone was happy with the German domination of the
diocese, and there were conflicts between German and non-German
clergy. English-speaking clergy and laity felt slighted by
German hegemony and worked assiduously to have English-speaking
bishops appointed in 1881 and 1890 respectively. Germans grew
very defensive about this, and Milwaukee played a role in a
larger national debate about the Americanization of Catholics
in the United States. Germans generally reacted unfavorably to
calls by Irish bishops that Catholics ought to assimilate into
American society. Rather, they insisted that their schools and
religious life remain distinct. Moreover, they demanded
German-speaking bishops to minister to their needs. In the
course of this national debate, a Milwaukee Father Peter
Abbelen, spiritual director to the largely German School
Sisters of Notre Dame, drafted a memorial letter to the pope
urging protection for German Catholics and insisting on the
rights of German parishes. The Archbishops of Milwaukee were
generally perceived as the head of the conservative/Germanizing
faction in the hierarchy. However, there were those in
Milwaukee who favored a much more conciliatory attitude toward
assimilation. Among these was a distinguished Catholic layman,
Humphrey J. Desmond, who jousted with the German power elite on
the pages of the Catholic Citizen, a privately owned newspaper,
which reflected the concerns of English-speaking Catholics. The
German dominance held strong throughout the declining years of
the century, successfully turning back a series of challenges
to German cultural expression. United German opposition forced
the repeal of the Bennett Law in 1890, a piece of legislation
which mandated instruction in English in all public schools.
By the end of this period, however, the German hold on
Milwaukee began to weaken. Indeed, there continued to be strong
German parishes in each city of the diocese. However, in the
1880s, the shift of the economy of southeastern Wisconsin from
commerce to heavy industry brought a huge influx of southern
and eastern European Catholics to the area, which made it more
ethnically diverse. Bohemians had already come in sufficient
numbers to form their own parish in Milwaukee in 1862 (St. John
de Nepomuc.) Poles, Italians, and other ethnic groups began
appearing in Milwaukee to work in the growing number of
industries that were opening in the city. Already in 1866, the
parish of St. Stanislaus had been founded by Polish immigrants.
From this church would spin off numerous other Polish-speaking
congregations that would dominate Milwaukee and establish a
presence in the other industrial towns in the archdiocese. By
1903, the Catholic community was largely in the cities.
Milwaukee held the largest number, while the growing towns of
Sheboygan, Racine and Kenosha also held considerable numbers. |
