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This period covers the latter part of Kiley's term, the
administration of Albert G. Meyer (1953-1958) and a portion of
the term of William E. Cousins (1959-1965).
The diocese in this period adjusted to the new status of
Catholics in the US. Significant events: end of World War II;
baby boom, G.I. Bill--which means that more Catholics can go to
college and there are more colleges for them. Upward social
mobility touched the Catholic community, reflected in the move
to the suburbs. By 1965, Catholics were better educated, better
paid, and more middle-class than the previous generation.
Growth was so great that in 1946 the diocese of Madison is
erected and the Western portion of the Milwaukee diocese is
given to the new See.
Archbishop Kiley was unable to cope with changes. His
reluctance to spend money on building projects left a huge
backlog of work for his successor, Milwaukee-born Albert G.
Meyer. Scores of new parishes, schools, and institutions were
erected during the 1950s. At this time as well, the Catholic
high school came into its own. Catholic colleges grew as
well--Marquette, Alverno, Stritch, Marian, Mount Mary and
Dominican. Meyer succeeded Cardinal Stritch in Chicago in 1958,
and the following year William E. Cousins became Milwaukee's
archbishop. The new prelate finished off Meyer's expansion
program-- eventually calling it to a halt in the late 1960s
when the rate of Catholic growth slowed down.
The fabric of Catholic life in this era was still heavily
devotional, reflected in popularity of devotional societies,
general diffusion of Marian Devotion (Marian Year 1954), and
opening of Archdiocesan Marian Shrine dedicated to Our Lady of
Fatima. A strong emphasis on proper dress was evidenced by
Archbishop Meyer's 1956 pastoral on "Decency and Modesty." The
"typical" setting for Catholics of the archdiocese was less and
less the urban neighborhood parish and more the suburb. This is
especially true of Milwaukee, but is also the case in other
urban centers of the archdiocese. Another factor, cities like
Milwaukee and Racine experienced a dramatic increase in the
numbers of African Americans taking up residence. White
Catholics began to move out of their old neighborhoods and into
suburbs.
There was major labor strife in Sheboygan (Kohler Strike),
involving Catholics on both sides of the issue. Catholic
elementary school enrollments peaked as did seminary and
religious numbers. There were continued stirrings of interest
in liturgical reform and lay participation in the Church. An
important center of lay formation opened in 1948, called the
Cardijn Center. This adult study center, book and gift shop was
the brainchild of Father John R. Beix. Many young Catholic men
and women received their first training in the rudiments of
Catholic doctrine, liturgy, and social justice at this center.
In many ways, the era of maturation and mobility represented a
real flowering of Catholic culture. When Vatican II convened in
October 1962, there was little awareness of the need for the
Council and the nature of its deliberations. This would change
in the following decades when every area of life in the Church
felt the forces of change set loose by the Vatican II Council. |
