Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This last Saturday I celebrated Mass for the annual Women of Christ conference. There were approximately 1,700 women who gathered together to listen to spiritual talks, pray, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation, participate in Adoration, and attend Mass. Women of Christ has been a great force in the commitment of dedicated women to the witness of the faithful to Christ and His Church. I have been a part of every conference since my appointment to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. This Women of Christ conference has been a source of spiritual sustenance to women throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and beyond. I encountered women from Chicago, the western part of Wisconsin, Indiana, and the Diocese of Green Bay. There is a hunger in our souls to be fed. There is such a richness to our faith which inspires us to live more fully the faith we profess.
When I first arrived in Milwaukee fifteen years ago, amidst crisis and controversy, what most impressed me was the depth of faith that I found in the faithful. There was a confidence in Our Lord to be with us through all our difficulties. This confidence gave me the strength to face the issues knowing that together we would meet our challenges and do whatever God placed before us. It would make us stronger.
Recently, during the Eucharistic Congress, I was reminded how proud (in the best sense of the word) people are to be Catholic and publicly witness to their faith. At the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis the old and young, families, religious women and men, priests, bishops, archbishops, and cardinals represented a microcosm of the universal Church. They were all there because of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. I experienced the potential of the power of faith which, in the truest sense, we could with Christ transform the world.
In my earliest years as an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, I was tasked with the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Immaculate Conception. After prayers in each vicariate, the final celebration was a Mass held in the Holy Name Cathedral. It was filled with over two thousand people. One of the priests was disappointed and commented that the evening Mass did not have many men. I responded that these were the people of faith that would confront the tanks if they rolled down Michigan Avenue attacking our Church. Remember Tiananmen Square in China (1989) during which one brave unarmed individual confronted a tank, pounding on its armor as his statement for freedom. Throughout our history it was not the strongest or the most powerful but young children, women, and the powerless that stood for Christ and His Church. They were true believers.
May our archdiocese be a continued source of spiritual strength. The various religious devotional groups assist us in living our faith and sharing our faith with others. May we take the challenge of the next phase of the Eucharistic Revival, which is to evangelize and Walk With One, inviting a brother or sister to grow in the faith. As we commit ourselves to follow Jesus’ command to LOVE ONE ANOTHER
Sincerely,
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
Note: This blog originally appeared as the November 19, 2024, "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.