Ad Limina Review

Most Reverend Timothy M. Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee

I selected this wonderful Gospel phrase as my motto upon becoming bishop. St. Peter asked the question of Jesus, highlighting our Lord as the one true savior who alone has the words of everlasting life. I can think of no better words to guide me in shepherding this great archdiocese.

Today, nearly 2,000 years since those words were first spoken, I prepare for my visit "ad limina apostolorum" - literally, "to the threshold of the Apostles," and to the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul. I go, as required of all diocesan bishops throughout the world every five years, to meet with the successor of St. Peter, our Holy Father Pope John Paul II, and make a personal report to him on the state of the Church in southeastern Wisconsin.

I have submitted my written report, as is required, to the Holy Father, and in May, I will travel with Bishop Richard Sklba to meet with various members of the curia, the pope's advisory council, and finally with the Holy Father himself.

As I make this visit, I want to share with you my thoughts and perspectives on this vibrant Church of southeastern Wisconsin. What a great opportunity this is to step back and look at the bigger picture of our ministry! I share my reflections according to the aspects covered in the Ad Limina Review:

Overview

The overall statistics of our archdiocese are included elsewhere in this annual report. However, I am pleased to point out that the Catholic population in southeastern Wisconsin is on the rise. This is due to the birth of babies into strong Catholic families, conversion to Catholicism (usually through our fine RCIA process), and the welcome arrival of new immigrants.

Currently, there are two critical processes underway examining long-range planning, one for our central administrative structure, the other for our parishes. As you will read in the Strategic Planning article, the central offices of the archdiocese are looking at ways to more efficiently and effectively serve our parishes, schools, and programs of charity and service.

Like many of our parishes, schools, organizations and ministries, we face the financial pressures of the times. This calls for a simplification of services and a return to our elementary mission to reach people under the three mandates of the Church: to teach, to sanctify and to serve.

The main source of funding for many of our outreach and service ministries is the Catholic Stewardship Appeal. Thanks to you, that Appeal went over its goal the last two years and I am hopeful we can do so again in 2004. Last year, you gave more than ever. To realize that this unprecedented generosity came in tough times economically and in the midst of scandal in the Church makes me so grateful.

I observed to the Holy Father that the City of Milwaukee, like many urban areas, has lost population over the years to its suburbs, and the heavy industrial and manufacturing base responsible for well-paying jobs has declined as well.

Family farms, as the heart of our American society, are disappearing, and the problems of contemporary culture are present, particularly the attacks on marriage and family, racism, drug abuse, and violence. The Church is called to be involved in addressing these issues, working in collaboration with our ecumenical partners and civic leaders. Gambling has also become a problem and hurts the poor.

I am often asked, "Archbishop, what are your priorities?" In reply, I observe that they just are not my priorities, but a discernment, through the workings of the Holy Spirit, of God's priorities, revealed to us in His Word, in the teachings of the Church, and especially in the Second Vatican Council. What is God asking of me, of us, of the Church in southeastern Wisconsin?

It is my prayer that together, through these planning processes, both at the parish level and at the central office level, we will be able to better focus on what God is calling us to do to address the various needs in our Church and in our community.

Liturgy

I have been pleased to find that our parishes believe that the joyful, reverent, proper celebration of Sunday Eucharist, with full participation of the people of God, is at the heart of our identity as a Church.

There is strong adherence to Vatican II principles regarding full, active and conscious participation in the liturgy. To me, this reflects the unity of the entire Body of Christ. I think the Archdiocese of Milwaukee can be proud of the efforts to provide liturgical education and formation to the faithful.

I am concerned, however, about the number of Catholics who do not attend Sunday Mass. Our weekly attendance rate hovers around 40 percent, which is simply not good enough. If I could issue one pastoral challenge to Catholics in southeastern Wisconsin for the upcoming season of Lent, it would be this: Go to Mass each Sunday!

I am also pleased that there seems to be an increase in participation in the sacrament of Reconciliation. What a great gift this sacrament is, and I pray that it remains readily available in our parishes and is often utilized by the faithful as a way of deepening their relationship with God through interior conversion.

Likewise I am pleased with a renewed devotional life among our people, evident in, for instance, the rosary, Eucharistic Adoration, and Scripture prayer groups.

Education

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has much to be proud of when talking about its long tradition of Catholic education. In our Catholic schools and religious education programs, formation in the faith for our children is of the highest priority. Did you know that we have two seminaries, five Catholic colleges/universities, 120 elementary schools and 13 high schools in southeastern Wisconsin? What a tribute to all of you!

Our challenge is to keep these schools full, academically rigorous, spiritually inspiring, and catechetically solid.

On the elementary and secondary levels, I am concerned about declining enrollment. School choice has bolstered some of our city schools, but in many cases it appears the middle class is being squeezed out of Catholic education because of rising costs. Attention must be paid to how best to ensure that Catholic schools maintain their academic quality, and their focus on formation of faith, morals, and character.

I'd like our seminaries to be full as well - - both with men studying for the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and men and women studying for lay ministries.

The promotion of vocations to the priesthood, consecrated religious life, the diaconate, and lay ecclesial ministry continues to be a priority. We have seen the results of the hard work of parish leaders, vocation teams, and our vocations office in the slowly increasing number of seminarians studying at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary.

One vocation we especially need to promote, defend, and strengthen is to lifelong, faithful, life-giving marriage.

Our religious education programs serve 70,000 elementary and high school students led by more than 2,700 catechists in the archdiocese, with a strong association of religious education directors. The association members work hard to ensure we have quality religious education programs, and they actively promote professional development for catechists. Catechetical materials are available in English and Spanish, and also Hmong, Laotian, Korean, Polish, and Vietnamese.

Campus ministry programs at our colleges and universities serve students at a time when many young people drift from their faith. There are eight campus ministry centers in the Archdiocese. We need to do a better job of keeping in touch with our college students. Expecting them to be part of a parish structure may be unrealistic, but a priority should be to remain connected with college students and other young adults as they advance in their spiritual journey, and creative endeavors such as Youth Days and "Theology on Tap" are effective.

Evangelization

When Jesus gave us the Great Commission - "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations" (MT 28:19), he created an evangelizing Church. As an archdiocese we continue to pursue the best ways to teach the faith, combined with consistent concern for the content of the teaching, acknowledging the normative role of Church teaching.

It is good to see that more and more of our parishes offer Bible study sessions for adults, and "vacation Bible school" for our children. I would like to see an examination of the "best practices" of our parishes who have found creative and effective approaches to engaging teens in faith. Those practices should be shared widely across all of our parishes. The need for youth, teens and young adults to be engaged in community, in faith, in prayer, and in service is a common element of effective evangelization.

We need to welcome those who come to us from other countries, especially from Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and Poland, helping them find in the Church a warm spiritual home.

Life and Ministry of Clergy and Religious Life

This latest phase of parish planning reinforces once again that the number of priests we have is diminishing and will continue to shrink in the short-term as more and more men reach retirement age.

Our retired priests are a great gift to the Church. Many serve parishes and institutions in spite of being retired. They help out at weekend Masses and other sacramental celebrations. We are grateful to them for their years of service and we must also treat them justly in their retirement years.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee has 20 religious orders of men and 25 religious institutes of women serving in southeastern Wisconsin, continuing a long tradition of religious men and women in ministry here. How blessed we are to have them!

The Missions

By her very nature, the Church is missionary. She is Catholic, universal, global. Our World Mission ministry seeks to strengthen this universal mission through a variety of educational activities and experiential programs. In keeping with the spirit that the Christian community is never closed in upon itself, we have 45 parishes in "twinning" or "sister" relationships with local churches in five African countries and 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Our own diocesan sister parish is La Sagrada Familia in the Dominican Republic where Father Martí Colom serves as pastor. This relationship has existed for more than 20 years. More than 100 priests, deacons, sisters, brothers, and lay leaders from southeastern Wisconsin are serving the Church's missions.

I am amazed how the use of cyber-technology has broadened the educational possibilities for mission. I hope we, as the Catholic community of southeastern Wisconsin, can be increasingly aware we are members of the universal Church.

The Laity

This archdiocese has a very positive and strong foundation of lay participation and lay leadership. I understand that sometimes people get frustrated with the perception that the laity is not being heard. Just as the Church could not sacramentally exist without an ordained priesthood, the Church could not flourish without an active, committed laity.

This participation extends beyond Mass attendance and leadership roles within the Church to every walk of society. Lay Catholics hold political office, run companies, lead organizations and have prominent roles in academia. Catholics can be found practicing law, as judges, in health care, in the arts, and in industry.

All of these individuals are called to be a leaven in the workplace and in society, and look to the Church for spiritual nourishment and formation. Many participate in Catholic professional societies, while others belong to lay associations such as the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic Knights or the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Ecumenism and Other Religions

During the past five years, the strength of our ecumenical and interfaith relationships has continued to grow, thanks in no small part to my predecessor, Archbishop Rembert Weakland, O.S.B., and to Bishop Richard Sklba. Our primary partners are the Lutheran, Anglican and United Methodist Churches, and 2003 marked the 10th anniversary of our Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic Covenant.

We continue to seek ways to work with the African American churches and other churches not typically part of ecumenical relationships. The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, where we cooperate with Jewish, Islamic, and other Christian leaders, has been helpful in this dialog. I also am always pleased when I hear of parishes that have started conversations with communities of other denominations in their neighborhoods.

In our world, these are difficult times and there is tension surrounding the issue of the Middle East. Yet, even though as a faith community we struggle with how to respond, it is significant that we continue our positive dialog with the Muslim and Jewish communities.

Pastoral Care of the Family

Marriage and family ministry must continue to be a priority for our Church. Divorce rates remain too high - in society and among Catholics. The dignity and importance of the family are emphasized in various ministries and services provided from our diocesan offices. Still, the Church needs to help people understand that they cannot grow as children of God and human beings without living in communal structures, primarily in marriage and family. We emphasize that growth comes through sacrifice and being faithful to our responsibilities and commitments. Marriage and family demand an enormous amount of sacrifice to be patient in faithful love and raising children. The Church needs to affirm parents and families for the commitment, generosity and faith they share with one another and the Church, while continuing to hold up the ideals for which we all strive. As one woman observed at a recent meeting of our archdiocesan pastoral council: "The greatest vocation shortage today is to faithful, life-long, life-giving marriage. If we have strong marriages and families, we will have all the priests and sisters we need."

Social Justice

Our Church of southeastern Wisconsin must acknowledge that there are concrete problems in our archdiocese in the area of social justice. Institutional racism continues to be a fact of life for African Americans and other minorities. This was one of the primary issues that arose during the 1987 Synod, but I think many in the Church and in our society would agree that little progress has been made.

Housing patterns continue to be segregated, and there is always some resistance to affordable housing, especially in suburban areas. There is the question of whether minorities are treated equitably in the criminal justice system.

I am hoping that through continued discussion, education and activism we can make progress in this area during the next five years.

The Church is also affiliated with other community-based organizations that advocate for the poor and marginalized. Our parishes do commendable work in this area as well, both for their parishioners and in "twinning" relationships with other parishes in the archdiocese.

Programs that address active non-violence, pro-life activities, opposition to abortion and the death penalty, restorative justice, and the needs of those suffering from drug addiction, are a sampling of what I've witnessed of the Church's presence in the community.

We remain committed to these community and ecumenical collaborations that keep us connected beyond our church walls.

The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is strong and vibrant in so many areas. Catholic population continues to grow. The faith of our people is strong, resilient in spite of recent scandals. People love the Church in spite of the evident sinfulness of some of her leaders and members. Our structure of parishes and schools is sound and effective. A heritage of lay collaboration and extensive collegiality among bishops, priests, deacons and laity is a genuine blessing. The Church is respected in the community and in ecumenical ventures. Our priests work hard and take their duties seriously. Sunday Eucharist is the center of our faith. People are eager for spiritual nourishment and have generous hearts.

We certainly have our challenges. Financially we are in the "black," but that is becoming harder and harder to maintain. We need to revive a culture of vocations, and promote more vigorously the "culture of life," in a society tempted to embrace a "culture of death." We must defend and strengthen the vocation of marriage and propose the virtue of chastity to our young people.

The "new evangelization," renewing the faith of fallen-away Catholics, attracting new disciples, and bringing the light of the Gospel to a society which can find it less than credible, lies ahead of us. To be faithful to God's Word and Church teaching in a climate of doubt and dissent is a genuine challenge.

May God continue to bless this great Archdiocese. Through the intercession of Mary, our Mother, and St. John the Evangelist, the patron of this Archdiocese, may we bring to fulfillment the good work God has begun within us!