Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

In yesterday’s Love One Another (LOA), I talked about an embarrassment of riches. And to my embarrassment, I discovered that I had inexcusably omitted other sets of brothers who are ordained priests, with at least one of them serving as a priest in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

With the first set of brothers, Jim and Dan Volkert, I share a history. It is usually the obvious that is missed. Father Jim is a respected pastor of three parishes in the Burlington and Lyons area. His brother, Father Dan, a student of mine at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, in Mundelein, Ill., was ordained for the Diocese of Madison and now serves the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Father Dan serves the parishes of St. John the Baptist, Plymouth and St. Thomas Aquinas, Elkhart.

Then there are the Weighner brothers. Father Bob is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and is pastor of St. Anne, Pleasant Prairie. His brother, Father Jim, is a priest of the Diocese of La Crosse. I ordained Father Jim to the priesthood, and Father Bob accompanied me to confirmations and liturgical events while I was bishop in the Diocese of La Crosse. He later joined us in Milwaukee and has been a real blessing for me and our archdiocese.

I was also informed that Father Carmelo Giuffre, current pastor of St. Charles Borromeo in Milwaukee, has a priest-brother, Father Frank, serving as a faculty member at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Father Carmelo will be leading a much-needed reorganization of parishes in the Bay View and South Milwaukee areas as he begins his new assignment in a few weeks.

Father Kevin Murphy, OSB is a member of the Saint Benedict Abbey in Benet Lake. His brother, Father Jim Murphy, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and former member of the Chicago Tribunal. The always affable Father Kevin has supported a number of our parishes.

Father Tom Venne, who does such great work as a senior priest at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, had a brother, Father Doug, who was a Maryknoll priest. Until his death, Father Doug did courageous missionary work in India.  

Father Mark Niehaus, a Schoenstatt priest serving as the pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Whitewater and supports the work of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Campus Ministry, also had two priest brothers. Father Thomas is currently working in the Diocese of Winona, Minn., and his brother, Father Jonathan, was also a member of Schoenstatt. Father Jonathan served in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee for a time, and is now deceased. May he rest in peace.

Father Ed Eschweiler had two brothers who were priests for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fathers Francis and Carl, now both deceased. Father Ed was ordained in 1948, the year before I was born. I recently called and wished him a happy 94th birthday.

Then, we also have two senior priests with deceased brothers who were priests: Father Robert Gloudeman (brother of the late Father Martin Gloudeman) and Father Edward Safiejko (brother of the late Father Joseph Safiejko).

This is just a sampling of the many blessings we have received. There are many other “brothers” in our history who served the Church in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee with great dedication – too many to list here – and more with “brothers” that served elsewhere in a religious order or other dioceses. I was not worried that the Volkert, Weighner, Giuffre, Murphy, Venne, Niehaus, Eschweiler, Gloudeman, or Safiejko families would be upset with me for my oversight. Some of these good priests have known for a long time of my admiration for their priestly service and the sacrificial works they have performed.

However, I was worried that their parishioners and friends who valued their contributions to the spiritual development of the lives of so many would picket the Cousins Center and demand that I dress in sackcloth and ashes in profound remorse for my mistaken oversight of their beloved priests. So, that alone warranted a “special edition” of my LOA.

I am indeed blessed. As I said yesterday, it is an embarrassment of riches for which I will not apologize. God bless their families and my gratitude for their service to the Church and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We have a real band of brothers. May all of the brothers who are priests, serve with distinction and dedication. Their priestly hearts inspire others to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the June 8, 2016 "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.