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 Wood.
 The Cathedral of St Joseph The Workman, the cathedral parish of the diocese. | |
| Location | |
| Territory | Western Wisconsin (19 counties) |
| Ecclesiastical province | Archdiocese of Milwaukee |
| Statistics | |
| Population - Total | 863,610 (206,191 catholics) |
| Information | |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| Established | March 3, 1868 |
| Cathedral | Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman |
| Patron saint | St Joseph the Workman - primary St Francis of Assisi - secondary |
| Current leadership | |
| Pope | Benedict XVI |
The corporate title of the diocese is the Diocese of La Crosse and the Latin title Dioecesis Crossensis. The Metropolitan for the diocese is the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The mother church is the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman, and currently the Bishop's seat is vacant. On November 14th, 2009, Bishop Jerome Listecki was appointed Archbishop of Milwaukee, where he would succeed Archbishop Timothy Dolan who was transferred to New York. Listecki was installed in Milwaukee on January 4, 2010. In 2006, Listecki succeeded Raymond Leo Burke, who became the Archbishop of St. Louis, Missouri and later the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest court. Burke had succeeded Bishop John Joseph Paul in 1994. [1]
History
The Diocese of La Crosse was established by Pope Pius IX on March 3, 1868 from territory that was taken from what was then the Diocese of Milwaukee. It included that part of Wisconsin lying north and west of the Wisconsin River. Michael Heiss, then head of St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, was named the first bishop and La Crosse the see.[2]
On May 3, 1905, territory from the Dioceses of La Crosse and Green Bay was taken to form the Diocese of Superior, reducing the diocese to the counties of Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Grant, Iowa, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Lafayette, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Richland, Sauk, Trempealeau, Vernon, and Wood, an area of 17,299 square miles.
At the establishment of the diocese there were 22 priests, who had to care for 23 churches and about 50 stations. Besides the English and German congregations, provision had also been made for Poles and Italians. Franciscan sisters and lay teachers had charge of six parish schools. During the twelve years of his administration in La Crosse, Heiss built several churches, including the cathedral, and the episcopal residence. On March 14, 1880, he was appointed coadjutor with right of succession to the Archbishop of Milwaukee, and succeeded, September 7, 1881. He died at La Crosse, March 26, 1890.
Kilian Flasch, second bishop, was born at Retzstadt, Bavaria, July 16, 1837, immigrated when he was ten years old, and settled near Milwaukee. He was selected as the successor of Bishop Heiss and consecrated Bishop of La Crosse, August 24, 1881. During his administration of ten years he worked to increase the churches and the schools of the diocese, dying after a long illness on August 3, 1891.
James Schwebach, his vicar-general, succeeded him as the third bishop, and was consecrated, February 25, 1892.[3]
On January 9, 1946, territory from the Dioceses of La Crosse and Green Bay and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee was taken to form the Diocese of Madison.[4]
Father Solanus Casey, of the Capuchin religious order, who was declared venerable by Pope John Paul II in 1995, was born in Pierce County, Wisconsin, which is part of the Diocese of La Crosse.[5]
Diocese today
As of 1993, the diocese has a total population of 863,610, of whom 206,191 are Catholic.[6] Throughout its 19 counties, there are 108 parishes with a resident pastor and 57 others without a resident pastor. There are 177 diocesan priests incardinated in the diocese, while another 15 belong to religious orders. As of July, 2009, 21 seminarians are currently studying to become priests of the diocese. There are also four religious brothers, 31 permanent deacons, five hermits and three consecrated virgins. 447 religious sisters belong mainly to two large religious orders: the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis in Stevens Point and the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in La Crosse. Other active religious are the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in La Crosse and the Cistercians in Sparta. The Sisters of St Francis of the Martyr St George also have a convent in La Crosse.
In 2006, there were 2,482 infant baptisms; 281 adult conversions; 1,002 marriages, of which 655 were Catholic and 347 were of mixed faith; and there were 2,033 deaths.
Ordinaries of the Diocese of La Crosse
The following is a list of the Bishops of the Diocese of La Crosse and their terms of service:
- Michael Heiss (1868–1880)
- Kilian Caspar Flasch (1881–1891)
- James Schwebach (1891–1921)
- Alexander Joseph McGavick (1921–1948)
- William Richard Griffin (Auxiliary Bishop) (1935–1944)
- John Patrick Treacy (1948–1964)
- Frederick William Freking (1965–1983)
- John Joseph Paul (1983–1994)
- Raymond Leo Burke (1994–2003)
- Jerome Edward Listecki (2004–2010)
Diocesan institutions
Among the institutions in the Diocese of La Crosse are 10 Catholic-affiliated hospitals; Viterbo University, which enrolls 2,167 students; St. Rose of Viterbo Convent, the motherhouse of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Crosse. The first Mass was held at the Shrine on July 31, 2008. Prairie du Chien was home to the Jesuit-run Campion High School until its closing in 1975.
High schools
- Aquinas High School, La Crosse
- Assumption High School, Wisconsin Rapids
- Columbus Catholic High School, Marshfield
- Madonna High School, Mauston (closed in 1966)
- McDonell Central Catholic High School, Chippewa Falls
- Newman Catholic High School, Wausau
- Pacelli High School, Stevens Point
- Regis High School, Eau Claire
Elementary/middle schools
The diocese's 74 elementary schools enroll 8,717 students.
Publications
The Diocese of La Crosse publishes a bi-weekly newspaper, The Catholic Times, which has approximately 35,000 subscribers.
See also
Sources
- Fisher, Father Gerald Edward. 257 Things You Should Know About the Diocese of La Crosse: A Celebration of the Diocese of La Crosse: 125 Years - 1968-1993: Bishop John J. Paul 50th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination: 1943-1993, 1993.
- Fisher, Father Gerald Edward. Dusk Is My Dawn: The First Hundred Years of the Diocese of La Crosse, 1969.
- Ludwig, Sister M. Mileta. Right Hand Uplifted: A Biography of Archbishop Michael Heiss, Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, 1968.
- Brickl, Father Frank. Brickbats & Bouquets: Memories of a Parish Priest, edited by James L. Alt, 1990. (Information about the personalities of the Bishops of La Crosse from Bishop McGavick to Bishop Freking.)
- Riverfront Times, St Louis, Missouri. (Alternative newspaper articles and letters about Archbishop Burke of St Louis.) See the discussion section for the article about the Diocese of La Crosse for the letters and articles.
- La Crosse Public Library archives, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
- Aquinas High School archives, La Crosse, Wisconsin. (Involvement of the Bishops of La Crosse from Bishop McGavick onwards with the school.)