Fabian Bruskewitz
Encyclopedia
Fabian Wendelin Bruskewitz (born September 6, 1935) is an American
prelate
of the Roman Catholic Church
. He is the eighth and current Bishop of Lincoln
, Nebraska.
, to Wendelin and Frances (née Talsky) Bruskewitz. He has a sister, Collette, who is a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis. He attended a local parochial school
before studying at St. Lawrence Seminary High School
in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin
and at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical North American College
and the Pontifical Gregorian University
in Rome
, where he was ordained
to the priesthood
by Luigi Cardinal Traglia on July 17, 1960, at the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli
.
Upon his return to the United States
, Bruskewitz served as an assistant pastor
in parishes
near Milwaukee. He later returned to the Gregorian for graduate study
, earning a doctorate
in dogmatic theology
in 1969. He briefly taught at St. Francis Seminary before being assigned to the Congregation for Catholic Education
in the Roman Curia
, where he worked for eleven years. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor
in 1976, becoming an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1980. That same year, he became pastor
of St. Bernard Parish in Wauwatosa
.
, Nebraska
. He received his episcopal consecration
on May 13, 1992, from Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan
, with Bishops Glennon Flavin
and Leo Brust
serving as co-consecrators
, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.
The diocese has the highest priest-to-Catholic ratio in the United States. Father Robert Matya and Monsignor Timothy Thorburn attribute this fact to Bruskewitz' emphasis on orthodoxy, though the Catholic News Agency
credit part of the success to the presence of a seminary within the diocese and points out that the adjacent diocese of Omaha has the second highest ratio. With regard to Lincoln and other dioceses with many priests, it has been noted: "Fidelity to the magisterium and traditional spirituality are strikingly manifest." Bruskewitz himself notes that "the orthodoxy, conservatism, and enthusiasm of the clergy, both young and old, bear witness to the splendor of the Catholic priesthood in southern Nebraska."
Bruskewitz is considered one of the most conservative bishops in the Church, having described homosexual acts as "intrinsically disordered" and as not coming "from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity". Furthermore, his diocese is currently the only one in America where female altar servers are not allowed.
Bishop Bruskewitz published a book entitled Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz: A Shepherd Speaks.
. Before Summorum Pontificum
, Bishop Bruskewitz was singled out in an article in The Wanderer as one of the few U.S. bishops "...who have been generous in the Ecclesia Dei
indult application, as requested and emphasized repeatedly by the late Pope John Paul II." The others being Archbishop Raymond Burke
of St. Louis, Bishop Álvaro Corrada del Rio
of Tyler, Texas; and Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Illinois.
. For example, he rejected an audit by the Conference's National Review Board of his plans to implement national guidelines on sex-abuse
programs, making reference to both the Review Board and the former president of Pace University
:
The issue brought his diocese to national attention. Bruskewitz was the only one of 195 bishops attending a June 2002 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who refused to sign the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
His pronouncement was appealed to Rome, but in 2006 the ruling was upheld by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
.
The controversy created by the decree was one of the factors that led Cardinal Joseph Bernardin to initiate his unsuccessful Common Ground Project to bring the warring American Catholic factions together. It was Bernadin's belief that "limited and occasional dissent" from the Magisterium of the Church was "legitimate."
to Catholic politicians who supported abortion, including the 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He is the eighth and current Bishop of Lincoln
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln is a Roman Catholic diocese in Nebraska, and comprises the majority of the eastern and central portions of the state south of the Platte River. The episcopal see is in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was established on August 2, 1887, by Pope Leo XIII...
, Nebraska.
Early life and ministry
Fabian Bruskewitz was born in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, to Wendelin and Frances (née Talsky) Bruskewitz. He has a sister, Collette, who is a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis. He attended a local parochial school
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
before studying at St. Lawrence Seminary High School
St. Lawrence Seminary High School
St. Lawrence Seminary High School is a preparatory high school operated by the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. The school is within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee...
in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin
Mount Calvary, Wisconsin
Mount Calvary is a village in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 956 at the 2000 census, up from 558 residents from the 1990 census.-Holyland:...
and at St. Francis Seminary in Milwaukee. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical North American College
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College is a Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy educating seminarians for the dioceses in the United States and providing a residence for American priests studying in Rome. It was founded in 1859 by Blessed Pope Pius IX and was granted pontifical...
and the Pontifical Gregorian University
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University is a pontifical university located in Rome, Italy.Heir of the Roman College founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola over 460 years ago, the Gregorian University was the first university founded by the Jesuits...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, where he was ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Luigi Cardinal Traglia on July 17, 1960, at the Basilica dei Santi Apostoli
Santi Apostoli
The Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles is a 6th century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St. James and St. Philip and later to all Apostles...
.
Upon his return to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Bruskewitz served as an assistant pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
in parishes
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
near Milwaukee. He later returned to the Gregorian for graduate study
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
, earning a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology
Dogmatic theology is that part of theology dealing with the theoretical truths of faith concerning God and his works, especially the official theology recognized by an organized Church body, such as the Roman Catholic Church, Dutch Reformed Church, etc...
in 1969. He briefly taught at St. Francis Seminary before being assigned to the Congregation for Catholic Education
Congregation for Catholic Education
The Congregation for Catholic Education is the Pontifical congregation of the Roman Curia responsible for: seminaries and houses of formation of...
in the Roman Curia
Roman Curia
The Roman Curia is the administrative apparatus of the Holy See and the central governing body of the entire Catholic Church, together with the Pope...
, where he worked for eleven years. He was raised to the rank of Monsignor
Monsignor
Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...
in 1976, becoming an Honorary Prelate of His Holiness in 1980. That same year, he became pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
of St. Bernard Parish in Wauwatosa
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin
Wauwatosa is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States, and was incorporated on May 27, 1897. As of the 2006 census estimate, the city's population was 44,798. Wauwatosa is located immediately west of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is a part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area...
.
Episcopal career
On March 24, 1992, Bruskewitz was appointed the eighth Bishop of LincolnRoman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lincoln is a Roman Catholic diocese in Nebraska, and comprises the majority of the eastern and central portions of the state south of the Platte River. The episcopal see is in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was established on August 2, 1887, by Pope Leo XIII...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on May 13, 1992, from Archbishop Daniel E. Sheehan
Daniel E. Sheehan
Daniel Eugene Sheehan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Omaha from 1969 to 1993.-Biography:Daniel Sheehan was born in Emerson, Nebraska, and ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1942....
, with Bishops Glennon Flavin
Glennon Patrick Flavin
Glennon Patrick Flavin was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Lincoln from 1967 to 1992.-Biography:...
and Leo Brust
Leo Joseph Brust
Leo Joseph Brust was the Roman Catholic titular bishop of Suelli and the auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee....
serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.
The diocese has the highest priest-to-Catholic ratio in the United States. Father Robert Matya and Monsignor Timothy Thorburn attribute this fact to Bruskewitz' emphasis on orthodoxy, though the Catholic News Agency
Catholic News Agency
The Catholic News Agency is a provider of news related to Catholicism to an English speaking audience worldwide. It is headquartered in Denver, Colorado....
credit part of the success to the presence of a seminary within the diocese and points out that the adjacent diocese of Omaha has the second highest ratio. With regard to Lincoln and other dioceses with many priests, it has been noted: "Fidelity to the magisterium and traditional spirituality are strikingly manifest." Bruskewitz himself notes that "the orthodoxy, conservatism, and enthusiasm of the clergy, both young and old, bear witness to the splendor of the Catholic priesthood in southern Nebraska."
Bruskewitz is considered one of the most conservative bishops in the Church, having described homosexual acts as "intrinsically disordered" and as not coming "from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity". Furthermore, his diocese is currently the only one in America where female altar servers are not allowed.
Bishop Bruskewitz published a book entitled Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz: A Shepherd Speaks.
Tridentine Mass
Bishop Bruskewitz was one of the earliest proponents of the Tridentine MassTridentine Mass
The Tridentine Mass is the form of the Roman Rite Mass contained in the typical editions of the Roman Missal that were published from 1570 to 1962. It was the most widely celebrated Mass liturgy in the world until the introduction of the Mass of Paul VI in December 1969...
. Before Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum
Summorum Pontificum is an Apostolic Letter of Pope Benedict XVI, issued "motu proprio" . The document specified the rules, for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, for celebrating Mass according to the "Missal promulgated by John XXIII in 1962" , and for administering most of the sacraments in...
, Bishop Bruskewitz was singled out in an article in The Wanderer as one of the few U.S. bishops "...who have been generous in the Ecclesia Dei
Indult Catholic
Indult Catholic was a term used to denote a traditionalist Catholic who preferred to attend the older Tridentine form of Mass instead of the ordinary present-day form of the Roman-rite liturgy, the Mass of Paul VI, but who attended only those celebrations that had the explicit approval of the...
indult application, as requested and emphasized repeatedly by the late Pope John Paul II." The others being Archbishop Raymond Burke
Raymond Burke
Raymond Burke may refer to:*Raymond Burke , a New Orleans jazz clarinetist*Raymond H. Burke, United States politician from Ohio...
of St. Louis, Bishop Álvaro Corrada del Rio
Álvaro Corrada del Rio
Álvaro Corrada del Rio, S.J. is an Puerto Rican-American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the second and current Bishop of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico...
of Tyler, Texas; and Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford, Illinois.
National guidelines on sex-abuse programs
Bruskewitz is willing to express himself forcefully and is occasionally at odds with the United States Conference of Catholic BishopsUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
. For example, he rejected an audit by the Conference's National Review Board of his plans to implement national guidelines on sex-abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
programs, making reference to both the Review Board and the former president of Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
:
Some woman named Patricia O'Donnell Ewers, who is the chair of something called 'A National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young People,' has said that her board 'calls for strong fraternal correction of the Diocese of Lincoln.' The Diocese of Lincoln has nothing to be corrected for, since the Diocese of Lincoln is and has always been in full compliance with all laws of the Catholic Church and with all civil laws...The Diocese of Lincoln does not see any reason for the existence of Ewers and her organization.
The issue brought his diocese to national attention. Bruskewitz was the only one of 195 bishops attending a June 2002 meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops who refused to sign the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.
1996 Decree of Automatic Excommunication
Bruskewitz gained national attention in 1996 for asserting that membership by Catholics in his diocese in the groups listed below, which he described as "totally incompatible with the Catholic Faith", would incur automatic excommunication.- The Catholic group Call to ActionCall to ActionCall to Action is an organization that advocates for a variety of liberal causes to change the Catholic Church. Call to Action's goals include women's ordination, an end to mandatory priestly celibacy, a change in the church's teaching on a variety of sexual matters, and a change to the way the...
and its Nebraska affiliate Call to Action Nebraska. Call to Action works to change church teachings in such areas as mandatory celibacy for priests, the male-only priesthood, the selection process for bishops and popes, and opposition to artificial contraception - Planned ParenthoodPlanned ParenthoodPlanned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
and its affiliate Catholics for a Free ChoiceCatholics for a Free ChoiceCatholics for Choice , formerly Catholics for a Free Choice , is a Catholic pro-choice organization based in Washington, D.C. that was founded "to serve as a voice for Catholics who believe that the Catholic tradition supports a woman's moral and legal right to follow her conscience in matters of...
, for pro-choicePro-choiceSupport for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
activities. - The Hemlock SocietyHemlock SocietyThe Hemlock Society USA was a national right-to-die organization founded in Santa Monica, California by Derek Humphry in 1980. Its primary missions included providing information to dying persons and supporting legislation permitting physician-assisted suicide. In 1992, following the publication of...
(now renamed Compassion & ChoicesCompassion & ChoicesCompassion & Choices is a nonprofit organization in the United States working to improve patients' rights and choices at the end of life...
), for its advocacy of euthanasiaEuthanasiaEuthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
. - The Society of St. Pius XSociety of St. Pius XThe Society of Saint Pius X is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation, founded in 1970 by the French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre...
and the St. Michael the Archangel Chapel for "fraudulently advertising themselves in Lincoln as 'in full union with Rome,' causing confusion, ambiguity, and uncertainty on the part of many of the faithful in Lincoln..." The Society of St Pius X opposes the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and celebrates the Mass in the Tridentine rite without authorization.
- The FreemasonsFreemasonryFreemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and their affiliate organizations (Job's Daughters, DeMolay, Eastern Star and Rainbow Girls), for beliefs and practices that the Vatican considers incompatible with Catholicism.
His pronouncement was appealed to Rome, but in 2006 the ruling was upheld by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, the Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops
Congregation for Bishops
The Congregation for Bishops is the congregation of the Roman Curia which oversees the selection of new bishops that are not in mission territories or those areas that come under the jurisdiction of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches who deal with the Eastern Catholics, pending papal...
.
The controversy created by the decree was one of the factors that led Cardinal Joseph Bernardin to initiate his unsuccessful Common Ground Project to bring the warring American Catholic factions together. It was Bernadin's belief that "limited and occasional dissent" from the Magisterium of the Church was "legitimate."
Denial of Communium to Politicians who Support Abortion
Bruskewitz's was one of the bishops who said that he would deny the EucharistEucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
to Catholic politicians who supported abortion, including the 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
.