Jerome Edward Listecki
Encyclopedia
Jerome Edward Listecki is an American
archbishop
of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop
of the Archdiocese of Chicago
(2001-2004) before serving as Bishop of La Crosse
(2004-2009). He was named Archbishop of Milwaukee
by Pope Benedict XVI
on November 14, 2009. He was installed on January 4, 2010 by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, Archbishop Pietro Sambi
. As Archbishop of Milwaukee, the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Wisconsin, he received the pallium
on June 29, 2010 from Pope Benedict XVI.
. His father (d. 1986) owned a tavern before working as a bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority
. Jerome received his early education at the parochial school of St. Michael the Archangel Church
before attending Quigley Preparatory Seminary South
, from where he graduated in 1967. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree from Saint Joseph College Seminary
in 1971, and completed his theological studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
(in Mundelein, Illinois
). During his summers as a seminarian
, he worked in a blast furnace
centering plant in the US Steel mills near Chicago. He was ordained
to the priesthood
by Cardinal John Cody on May 14, 1975.
After studies in canon law
and moral theology in Rome, Listecki earned a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Angelicum. He previously earned a law degree from DePaul University
, making him the holder of degrees utriusque juris as Doctor of Canon and Civil Law. During his service to the Archdiocese of Chicago, he taught at both Quigley Preparatory Seminary North (later Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
) and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, served in a number of Chicago parishes and as pastor of St. Ignatius Church, worked within the Archdiocesan Chancery as an Appellate Judge for the Matrimonial Tribunal and separately as in-house legal counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1985-87, and served as the chaplain to the Catholic Physicians' Guild of Chicago.
His media experience included co-hosting the Chicago radio station WIND program "Catholic Conversation" from 1978-79, his regular participation as celebrant for the WGN TV "Mass for Shut-ins", as well as service as a producer for several other television programs. On November 7, 2000, he was appointed auxiliary bishop
for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Pope John Paul II; he was consecrated on January 8, 2001.
On December 29, 2004, Listecki was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, succeeding Bishop Raymond Leo Burke
, who became archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri
in St. Louis, Missouri
. On March 1, 2005, he was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.
At La Crosse he initiated a $50 million fundraising campaign, a planning process to restructure ministry and parishes in the diocese, and was instrumental in the development of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
, a project initiated by his predecessor, Bishop Burke. On January 3, 2010, Listecki was installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee and on January 12, 2010 he testified before the Wisconsin State Senate opposing a bill to remove time limits on sex abuse cases, claiming the bill was designed to bankrupt the church.
Listecki served as an Army Reserve Chaplain in the United States Army Reserves for 20 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
(SNAP) criticized Archbishop Listecki on January 6, 2010, for allowing retired archbishops Rembert Weakland
of Milwaukee and Daniel Edward Pilarczyk
of Cincinnati to say Mass at St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee. On January 12, 2010 during a hearing of the Wisconsin State Senate on a bill to extend the statute of limitations for reporting abuse as supported by Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm, State Senator Glenn Grothman joined in this criticism, and also questioned Listecki why he allowed Weakland, who had been accused of moving around abusive priests, to keep his title as Emeritus Archbishop of Milwaukee, and for retaining the name Weakland Center on the pastoral center at St. John's Cathedral. Listecki testified against the bill, saying it would single out Catholic institutions and bankrupt the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
Listecki was publicly criticized in February 2010 by Jerry Matysik, the Eau Claire
Police Chief and SNAP for allegedly misleading the Wisconsin State Legislature about the LaCrosse diocese abuse notification procedure in Listecki's testimony against extending the statute of limitations, stating,"Archbishop Listecki appears more interested in protecting the organization than he is in protecting children," and again in August, 2010 by SNAP for passing up action on an abuse claim due to lack of evidence.
The Archbishop apologized to victims of clergy sexual abuse in a statement made on March 30, 2010, in which he declared that both the individual perpetrators, as well as the bishops who failed to stop the abuse, "go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent." He credited the bravery of "victim-survivors" who persisted in bringing their cases to light and forcing the Church to change. "We owe these victims/survivors our deep gratitude and we acknowledge our own actions have not always expressed that gratitude adequately." He defended Pope Benedict XVI's role in the matter, saying, "...[M]istakes were made in the Lawrence Murphy case. The mistakes were not made in Rome in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The mistakes were made here, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, by the Church, by civil authorities, by Church officials, and by bishops. And for that, I beg your forgiveness in the name of the Church and in the name of this Archdiocese of Milwaukee".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
archbishop
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Roman Catholic Church. He was an auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of the Archdiocese of Chicago
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
(2001-2004) before serving as Bishop of La Crosse
Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse
The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse covers an area of west-central Wisconsin, including the city of La Crosse and 19 counties: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, and...
(2004-2009). He was named Archbishop of Milwaukee
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, as well as the counties of Dodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington and Waukesha, all...
by Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
on November 14, 2009. He was installed on January 4, 2010 by the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America, Archbishop Pietro Sambi
Pietro Sambi
Pietro Sambi was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who served in the Vatican's Secretariat of State. At the time of his death, he was the Titular Archbishop of Bellicastrum and the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States....
. As Archbishop of Milwaukee, the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Wisconsin, he received the pallium
Pallium
The pallium is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Roman Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the Pope, but for many centuries bestowed by him on metropolitans and primates as a symbol of the jurisdiction delegated to them by the Holy See. In that context it has always remained unambiguously...
on June 29, 2010 from Pope Benedict XVI.
Biography
Jerome Listecki was born in Chicago and raised on the Southeast SideSoutheast Side, Chicago
The Southeast side of Chicago unofficially begins at about 75th Street and S. Saginaw Avenue , in other words, from Rainbow Beach southwards. It extends south and east to the city limits, generally keeping between Lake Michigan and Lake Calumet...
. His father (d. 1986) owned a tavern before working as a bus driver for the Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority
Chicago Transit Authority, also known as CTA, is the operator of mass transit within the City of Chicago, Illinois and some of its surrounding suburbs....
. Jerome received his early education at the parochial school of St. Michael the Archangel Church
St. Michael's in Chicago
St. Michael - historic church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago located at E. 83rd Street and S. South Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois....
before attending Quigley Preparatory Seminary South
Quigley South
Quigley Preparatory Seminary South was a United States high school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago from 1961 through 1990...
, from where he graduated in 1967. He earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Saint Joseph College Seminary
Saint Joseph College Seminary
Saint Joseph College Seminary is a college of Loyola University Chicago and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago.Saint Joseph College Seminary, formerly Niles College Seminary at Loyola University, is the undergraduate or college seminary for the Archdiocese of Chicago...
in 1971, and completed his theological studies at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary
University of Saint Mary of the Lake
University of Saint Mary of the Lake, also called Mundelein Seminary, is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, governed from Chicago, Illinois in the United States. It is recognized as the first institution of higher...
(in Mundelein, Illinois
Mundelein, Illinois
Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 31,064.-History:The community now known as Mundelein has been inhabited since at least 1650, when the Potowatami Indians were known to have been trading with French fur traders....
). During his summers as a seminarian
Seminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
, he worked in a blast furnace
Blast furnace
A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally iron.In a blast furnace, fuel and ore and flux are continuously supplied through the top of the furnace, while air is blown into the bottom of the chamber, so that the chemical reactions...
centering plant in the US Steel mills near Chicago. 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 Cardinal John Cody on May 14, 1975.
After studies in canon law
Canon law
Canon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
and moral theology in Rome, Listecki earned a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the Angelicum. He previously earned a law degree from DePaul University
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, making him the holder of degrees utriusque juris as Doctor of Canon and Civil Law. During his service to the Archdiocese of Chicago, he taught at both Quigley Preparatory Seminary North (later Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood...
) and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, served in a number of Chicago parishes and as pastor of St. Ignatius Church, worked within the Archdiocesan Chancery as an Appellate Judge for the Matrimonial Tribunal and separately as in-house legal counsel for the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1985-87, and served as the chaplain to the Catholic Physicians' Guild of Chicago.
His media experience included co-hosting the Chicago radio station WIND program "Catholic Conversation" from 1978-79, his regular participation as celebrant for the WGN TV "Mass for Shut-ins", as well as service as a producer for several other television programs. On November 7, 2000, he was appointed auxiliary bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Pope John Paul II; he was consecrated on January 8, 2001.
On December 29, 2004, Listecki was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, succeeding Bishop Raymond Leo Burke
Raymond Leo Burke
Raymond Leo Burke is an American Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church. He is the current Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, having previously served as Archbishop of St...
, who became archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Louis
The Archdiocese of St. Louis is the Roman Catholic archdiocese that covers the City of St. Louis as well as the following Missouri counties: Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry, Saint Charles, Saint Francois, Ste. Genevieve, St...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. On March 1, 2005, he was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.
At La Crosse he initiated a $50 million fundraising campaign, a planning process to restructure ministry and parishes in the diocese, and was instrumental in the development of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Catholic shrine located in La Crosse, Wisconsin. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Construction of the Shrine Church began on May 13, 2004, with a dedication on July 31, 2008. The grounds include a...
, a project initiated by his predecessor, Bishop Burke. On January 3, 2010, Listecki was installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee and on January 12, 2010 he testified before the Wisconsin State Senate opposing a bill to remove time limits on sex abuse cases, claiming the bill was designed to bankrupt the church.
Listecki served as an Army Reserve Chaplain in the United States Army Reserves for 20 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Criticism
The Survivors Network of those Abused by PriestsSurvivors Network of those Abused by Priests
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is the oldest and most active support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters in the United States...
(SNAP) criticized Archbishop Listecki on January 6, 2010, for allowing retired archbishops Rembert Weakland
Rembert Weakland
Rembert George Weakland was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. He is the author of A Pilgrim in a Pilgrim Church: Memoirs of a Catholic Archbishop, which explores Church reform issues, his homosexuality, and the child abuse crisis....
of Milwaukee and Daniel Edward Pilarczyk
Daniel Edward Pilarczyk
Daniel Edward Pilarczyk is an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1982 to 2009.-Early life and education:...
of Cincinnati to say Mass at St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee. On January 12, 2010 during a hearing of the Wisconsin State Senate on a bill to extend the statute of limitations for reporting abuse as supported by Milwaukee District Attorney John Chisholm, State Senator Glenn Grothman joined in this criticism, and also questioned Listecki why he allowed Weakland, who had been accused of moving around abusive priests, to keep his title as Emeritus Archbishop of Milwaukee, and for retaining the name Weakland Center on the pastoral center at St. John's Cathedral. Listecki testified against the bill, saying it would single out Catholic institutions and bankrupt the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
Listecki was publicly criticized in February 2010 by Jerry Matysik, the Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Eau Claire is a city located in the west-central part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 65,883 as of the 2010 census, making it the largest municipality in the northwestern portion of the state, and the 9th largest in the state overall. It is the county seat of Eau Claire County,...
Police Chief and SNAP for allegedly misleading the Wisconsin State Legislature about the LaCrosse diocese abuse notification procedure in Listecki's testimony against extending the statute of limitations, stating,"Archbishop Listecki appears more interested in protecting the organization than he is in protecting children," and again in August, 2010 by SNAP for passing up action on an abuse claim due to lack of evidence.
The Archbishop apologized to victims of clergy sexual abuse in a statement made on March 30, 2010, in which he declared that both the individual perpetrators, as well as the bishops who failed to stop the abuse, "go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent." He credited the bravery of "victim-survivors" who persisted in bringing their cases to light and forcing the Church to change. "We owe these victims/survivors our deep gratitude and we acknowledge our own actions have not always expressed that gratitude adequately." He defended Pope Benedict XVI's role in the matter, saying, "...[M]istakes were made in the Lawrence Murphy case. The mistakes were not made in Rome in 1996, 1997 and 1998. The mistakes were made here, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, in the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s, by the Church, by civil authorities, by Church officials, and by bishops. And for that, I beg your forgiveness in the name of the Church and in the name of this Archdiocese of Milwaukee".