This is the fourth in a series of articles introducing you to the seven men who will be ordained priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee this year. Ordination for six of them, including Deacon Juan Manuel Camacho, a member of the Community of St. Paul, will take place on Saturday, May 19, while the seventh will be ordained later in the year.

Deacon Juan Manuel Camacho, of Colombia, a member of the Community of St. Paul, pictured on the grounds of Saint Francis Seminary, St. Francis on Wednesday, April 11, will be ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Saturday, May 19. (Catholic Herald photo by Ernie Mastroianni)Each night while he was growing up, Deacon Juan Manuel Camacho’s mother would gather the family together to pray the rosary. It was a custom for his “very Catholic family,” and one that he couldn’t avoid, even if he happened to, conveniently, visit his grandmother at that time.

“I would skip my house to go to my grandmother’s and then she would make me pray the rosary, so there was no going around (it),” Deacon Camacho said, laughing.

The now-deacon, who sometimes tried to bow out of rosaries and stopped being an altar server in his teenage years at his home parish, La Purificacion, in Valle de San Jose, Colombia, would gradually make his way back to the altar by discerning a vocation to the priesthood – surprising his family, friends and even himself.

A cousin on his father’s side and an uncle on his mother’s side of the family are priests, but it was expected because they were altar servers and went from high school into the seminary; Deacon Camacho’s altar server days ended at age 12 and he didn’t attend the seminary after high school.

“When I kind of decided to move, to leave the country and be a priest … they were not that happy in the beginning,” Deacon Camacho said of his family. “They didn’t expect that from me.”

Thought he’d harvest coffee for a living

Being the only boy in his family and the eldest of three children, Deacon Camacho spent a lot of time helping out on the farm, harvesting coffee with his father, Juan Francisco Camacho.

While his mother, Luz Marina Porras, was the spiritual leader of the family, Deacon Camacho thanks his father for giving him a hard-working mentality, and for teaching him about commitment and responsibility. But even those attributes and a major in agronomics couldn’t keep harvesting the drink he consumed since about age 5 in his future, though he struggled with feeling it should be since his grandfather and father are in the business.

“I basically felt like, ‘Well, this is my life so if I’m going to be doing this, I better learn the techniques about it….’ I expected just to leave all the farm and coffee and all that and get married and have a family,” he said, “and I never thought about – like growing up – I never though that ‘Oh, I’m going to be a priest and I’m going to go out of the country’ and all this stuff that has happened afterwards, but I guess it’s the way God really communicates – you never know how God works and how the Spirit moves you and all that.”

At age 15 or 16, Deacon Camacho’s uncle, a priest, started talking with him about the priesthood. But the words fell on his deaf teenager ears.

Intrigued by missionary priest

“I didn’t pay much attention to him, but that was probably the reason I went back to be involved in the parish in the youth group, and then I met this priest from the Community of St. Paul,” he said.

The priest, Fr. Pere Cane-Gombau, caught his interest as he was studying agronomics.

“He talks about the whole work of the Community of St. Paul as a missionary group and the work that they do helping the poor and the needy, and so I kind of fell in love with the whole social part of helping the poor and the needy and preaching the Gospel in that way,” said Deacon Camacho, “and so I joined the community and I decided to do mission work; I never thought about being a priest.”

Spent 5 years as missionary in DR

During the nearly five years he worked as a missionary in La Sagrada Familia, the sister parish of the Milwaukee Archdiocese in Sabana Yegua in the Dominican Republic, Deacon Camacho began to consider the option of priesthood.

“After much reflection and talking with the priests of the community and spiritual guidance, I discerned that God was calling me to be a priest and so I came up here (to Milwaukee) in 2008,” said Deacon Camacho, who also has a philosophy major.

Deacon Camacho said he learned from Fr. Marti Colom, team moderator of La Sagrada Familia Parish since 2003, how to serve the people of God and how to be a priest in a missionary country.

Fr. Colom has known the deacon since the 29-year-old joined the community in 2002, traveling from Colombia to Milwaukee, where he would accompany Fr. Colom to Prince of Peace Parish, on Milwaukee’s South Side, where he was associate pastor. 

“From the very beginning, that is after meeting him in 2002, I felt that his vocation was authentic and solid,” Fr. Colom wrote in an email to your Catholic Herald. “Juanma, as we call him, has obviously grown and matured in the past 10 years, but right from the start, he seemed to me to be a fine candidate to the priesthood.

He already had a pleasant personality that has grown with the years: he was then and (is) now always ready to take on a project, a responsibility and to do it with eagerness and care.”

Fr. Colom said that Deacon Camacho is someone who can be trusted and counted on, something he’s witnessed by working with him on pastoral and social projects in the Dominican Republic.

Grew to love intellectual side of faith

Fr. Colom has also watched Deacon Camacho grow during his formative years at Saint Francis Seminary.

“During the formative years at Saint Francis I have seen Juan Manuel falling in love with theology and the more academic and intellectual side of our faith,” Fr. Colom wrote. “Even if when he left the Dominican Republic to go to SFS he initially had a hard time getting ‘back’ to the classroom, and leaving the intense pastoral actvity here in La Sagrada Familia, a few months later he was already passionate about theology – just another example of his versatility and his willingness to take on a variety of challenges.”

Deacon Camacho’s vocation has been a process for his family, he said.

“The diaconate ordination was what gave the final push for them. They saw me and then they really felt that that was what I was going to do,” he said, noting that his sisters were young at the time, but have supported him.

Miguel Eduardo Martinez Rivera told your Catholic Herald in an email that he was enthusiastic to learn that his godson would become a priest.

“We see Juan Manuel like a person with a lot of calling and commitment to others and expect him to see their projects done in the midst of their joy and enthusiasm, a priest glad (in) everything he does and comprehensive,” he wrote in an email to your Catholic Herald.

Deacon looks forward to preaching Gospel

Rivera, who keeps in touch with Deacon Camacho at least twice a week through texts, emails, social networks or phone calls, will attend his May 19 ordination at the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Milwaukee.

His friends, disbelieving at first, are also excited for Deacon Camacho’s Mass of Thanksgiving to be celebrated June 3 at his home parish in Colombia, he said.

Nine members of his family, including his mother and other relatives, will attend his ordination in Milwaukee.

He will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 4 p.m., Sunday, May 20, at St. Patrick Parish in Racine, his teaching parish for the past four years.

As he nears ordination, Deacon Camacho said his biggest fear has now become what he looks most forward to: preaching the Gospel.

“As a priest, I really like the quote from St. Paul, like we preach the Gospel and we preach Jesus Christ and not ourselves, and I think that that’s key for me. …” he said. “As a priest, I look forward to (doing) that so that the most important thing is to preach the Good News of Christ to the people.”

Despite the heavy rainfall and low temperatures, about 1,200 people gathered at the Basilica of Holy Hill in Hubertus on Saturday, April 28, to celebrate Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan’s Mass of Thanksgiving.Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan distributes Communion during Mass at Holy Hill last Saturday. (Catholic Herald photo by Ernie Mastroianni)

A steady hum of excited chatter filled the church, and grew louder as the cardinal made a special stop before Mass to the side chapel where people with disabilities viewed the celebration on monitors, and again as he greeted people down the center aisle of the upper church. Cameras clicked nonstop as he flashed his smile, shared his greetings, hugs and firm handshakes.

The cardinal, who made his first public appearance in his former archdiocese since his elevation to the College of Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 18, shared a message of gratitude – and his red biretta - with the “shepherds” as he called people in the pews.

“It means a lot to my brother priests and bishops, it means a lot to me when you so thoughtfully tell us, or tell me that I’ve been a good shepherd to you. Thanks for saying that. I hope so – I tried. …” he said, noting that he learned during his seven years as archbishop of Milwaukee how to be a pastor. “You all have been very good shepherds to me as well.”

Cardinal Dolan said a lot has changed since his appointment as archbishop of New York Feb. 23, 2009, including his name – to “Timothy Cardinal Tebow,” he joked, adding he’d do the signature pose of New York Jets backup quarterback Tim Tebow, but wouldn’t be able to get back up.

Eliciting laughter from the crowd, Cardinal Dolan said that while his name, hair and waistline may have changed, one thing remained the same.

“One thing has not changed at all, and that’s my love for you and this wondeful Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and my deep gratitude, my gratitude for your loyalty and your friendship,” he said. “You stood with me those seven happy years and you’ve not forgotten me these past three, and I return as a grateful friend. It’s no wonder, I hope you’re not surprised that I wanted to come back to pray with you at Mass on this beloved holy hill.”

Cardinal Dolan said the announcement of his elevation to cardinal Jan. 6, and the red hat he received at the consistory, were “not about one Timothy Dolan at all; it was about Jesus Christ and his church and a summons to serve him and her better.”

Biretta on Miller Park?Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan asks visitors who are eager to greet him to allow him a few moments to pray to the Virgin Mary prior to a Mass of Thanksgiving at Holy Hill on Saturday, April 28. (Catholic Herald photo by Ernie Mastroianni)

The biretta, a tribute to the New York Archdiocese that the cardinal would put atop the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty, is also for Milwaukee, he said.

“This is as well a tribute to you of this Archdiocese of Milwaukee, for the man who knelt before the Holy Father in St. Peter’s Basilica on Feb. 23 to be made a cardinal was, yes, a St. Louisan, sure, now a New Yorker, but also a very proud and grateful Milwaukeean,” he said. And, if he could, he’d put his red hat on Milwaukee’s landmarks, too – the Allen-Bradley Clock Tower and home plate at Miller Park, “as long as the roof doesn’t leak anymore, all right?”

“If I could, I’d put this red hat on you, Archbishop Jerome Listecki, who is shepherding this archdiocese brilliantly with zeal and love and realism and hope,” Cardinal Dolan said, before adding, “Archbishop Listecki, if I could, I’d put this red hat on you, but being a Chicagoan, you’d probably keep it, right?”

He acknowledged and thanked everyone for their company, including Wisconsin bishops Donald J. Hying of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, William P. Callahan of the La Cross Diocese and David L. Ricken of the Green Bay Diocese; Carmelite fathers and brothers; priests; religious sisters; deacons; seminarians; Knights of Columbus; Knights of Malta; Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre; archdiocesan staff; family; and civic leaders, including Gov. Scott Walker, Congressmen Paul Ryan and Jim Sensenbrenner, Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clark and former Gov. Tommy Thompson and his former secretary of administration, James Klauser.

“Even the rain could not dampen our joy. …” Cardinal Dolan said, pointing to the about 900 listening from the pews, shrine chapel and seats lining the walls of the upper church, and the about 300 viewing Mass on a large video LED screen from within the lower church, St. Therese Chapel.

“Just to see you again brings a smile to my face and such happy memories and hear me, please, say that I love you all very much and I’m so grateful for your good company this afternoon,” he said.

Some waited for 10 hours or more

Some of the people in attendance waited 10 or more hours for their seats in church, arriving close to the time the basilica grounds opened at 5 a.m. Upon arrival, they were directed to seating in a heated tent, where they waited for red wristband distribution to begin at 1 p.m. for anyone with a disability and 1:30 p.m. for the general public. A wristband was the required “golden ticket,” as one attendee called it, granting entry into the church. While people could attend the regularly scheduled 6 and 11 a.m. Masses, the churches were cleared and closed at 12:15 p.m. in preparation for Cardinal Dolan’s Mass of Thanksgiving.

By 12:30 p.m., nearly all of the 510 chairs in the tent were occupied with many people donning hats and raincoats, their drenched umbrellas sitting next to their backpacks and bags. A shuttle transported people from their cars in the lower parking lots to the tent, where many talked, read books and used cell phones and iPads to pass the time outside and inside the church after being seated hours before Mass began.

Weather likely affected crowd size

Randy Nohl, coordinator of lay formation in the archdiocesan John Paul II Center, said that while the archdiocese prepared to seat about 2,000 people, the overflow seating outside the lower church and in the tent, with another large video LED screen, were not used.

“I think the weather kept the crowd a little smaller,” he wrote in an email to your Catholic Herald. “It was nice that the basilica was so full and the lower level was a great location for the overflow crowd.” He estimated about 300 people viewed Mass in the lower church that had room for 400 to 500 people.

“Even though we did not use the tent for the Mass, it worked out great for people waiting to get into the basilica,” Nohl wrote. “No one had to wait outside, which was fantastic given the weather.”

Media advisories sent prior to the event said the archdiocese anticipated large crowds and expected to reach the “maximum capacity attendance.”

Julie Wolf, communications director for the Milwaukee Archdiocese, said the archdiocese didn’t know what to expect in terms of the number of people who would attend the event, but she also said the weather was probably to blame for the empty seats.

Wolf said the archdiocese was happy that Fox 6 offered live Mass coverage on digital Channel 6.2 for people unable to attend. Coverage was also available through Relevant Radio 100.1 FM, Time-Warner Cable Channel 986, Charter Cable Channel 967 and in a live Internet stream at fox6now.com and jsonline.com.

The event, which the archdiocese and the Carmelites had been planning since about mid-February, went “relatively smoothly,” and they were happy with the turnout, Wolf said.

“I think you can tell that the atmosphere is just joyful and the air is full of energy,” she said “and you can tell that the people here truly want to be here.”

At the end of Mass, Cardinal Dolan offered his love and prayers and gratitude to all of the people in attendance and watching on television, inviting them to visit him for Mass at St. Patrick Church in New York, before adding, “and just know I meant it, you’ve got a permanent place in my heart.”

Rich HarterIn this position, which will be under the auspices of the John Paul II Center, Harter will coordinate what he termed “the ongoing vision and direction” of the archdiocese’s evangelization efforts. The summit was a preliminary step to the Year of Faith, which will run Oct. 11, 2012, to Nov. 24, 2013. An archdiocesan synod is planned for 2014.

Part of his work will be as a resource for parishes and to train leaders in evangelization; he will also oversee Theology on Tap – the summer speaker series for young adults, be involved in adult faith formation and work with other directors of John Paul II Center programs.

Harter, 55, told your Catholic Herald May 7, that he is “totally on fire for the Catholic Church and the New Evangelization.”

“Catholics are poised, ready to experience a rebirth in the Spirit,” he said. “There’s a new commitment to be passionate and creative about.”

Harter, whose boyhood parish was St. Mary, Menomonee Falls, has been a lay ecclesial minister for 32 years. Other than an 18-month stint as a youth minister at a parish in Minnesota, all of his work has taken place in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

He taught theology at St. Joseph High School, Kenosha, and Pius XI High School, Milwaukee. For 15 years he was a pastoral associate at Good Shepherd Parish, Menomonee Falls, where his work included adult and family ministry, and human concerns. He also served as parish director at St. Mary Immaculate Conception Parish, West Bend, for two years. At St. Dominic Parish, he oversees administrative services and coordinates adult and family ministry.  

Harter holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minn., and a master’s degree in theological studies from Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, St. Francis.

He and his wife of nearly 32 years, Georgia, are the parents of Amy, a North Sheboygan High School English teacher, and Michael, who will begin doctoral studies in electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame this fall.

As he prepares for his new job, Harter is optimistic about evangelization, despite challenges, e.g., the clergy sexual abuse crisis, the church has faced.

“The faith and people’s commitment have not flagged. We will find a passion to coalesce around,” he said. “This is a beautiful moment in the church; our time is now.”

His brother, Fr. Frank Malloy, recalled that the priest wasn’t eager to pack his bags.

On Oct. 23, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI meets with officers of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the Vatican. Pictured from center are: Cardinal Francis E. George, then-president of the conference; Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas of Tucson, Ariz., then-vice president; and Msgr. David Malloy, then-general secretary, who will be ordained bishop of the Diocese of Rockford, Ill., Monday, May 14. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano) “He was reluctant to leave the diocese,” he said. Asked what changed his brother’s mind, Fr. Frank Malloy replied, “Rome gave him a reporting date.”

On March 20 of this year, Rome gave him another reporting date when Pope Benedict XVI appointed him as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Rockford, for which he will be ordained on Monday, May 14.

As he prepares for the episcopacy, he does so with a prayerful heart.

“It is not only beyond me, but beyond anyone to be a successor to the Apostles,” Bishop Malloy told your Catholic Herald April 23. “You trust that God’s grace and a lot of help will be coming your way. It’s very humbling.”

Much is said about the environment in which the seeds of vocations to the priesthood will find root: Prayerful, church-going family where faith is taught by example. Parish priests whose holiness and service make an impression. Young David Malloy grew up in that environment.

“We were very much focused on the parish and on church,” Bishop Malloy said. “(After) we made our first Communion, we regularly went to Mass every morning.”

Geography might have had something to do with it, too. Mary and the late David Malloy and their six children – the bishop is the oldest of the five boys – lived a block and a half from Christ King Parish, Milwaukee, where there were four daily Masses. The parish also offered Mother of Perpetual Help devotions and eucharistic adoration on First Friday.

“You do that for your whole youth, and it has an impact on your formation and grace,” he said. “It had a lot to do with it, but not in some overt way.”

While his family was “very much focused on the parish and church,” Bishop Malloy said that commitment had to be seen in the context of an array of activities in their lives. He ran track and participated in other sports at the parish elementary school.

“It wasn’t like we were living in an abbey,” he said of is Catholic upbringing. “It was just part of life.”

Fr. Robert Talaska, who served as an associate pastor at Christ King from 1969 to 1975, recalled the oldest son and second of the six children in the Malloy family.

“He stood out as a serious student,” the senior priest said. “He had a great personality, open and joking, but he was a serious student.”

The future bishop is grateful for the opportunities Wauwatosa East High School provided to him, including a place where he could live his faith.

“There was a lot of good reinforcement there,” he said. “Some of the teachers were particularly good people devoted to good values, shared across the board, Catholic or not.”

It may also have been a place where he learned skills that would help him years later in church diplomatic work.

“You also learned to defend yourself against the influences that were there,” he said. “And sometimes you were able to work with others to articulate something good when there were values to be challenged.”

The starting point guard for the Red Raiders basketball team in his senior year, Bishop Malloy and his fellow Catholics brought their faith into the locker room.

“We would routinely ask the coach to stay outside after the game and only the players would put their hands together and say the Our Father,” he said. “Win, lose, or draw which, for us, was mostly lose.”

His senior year, the team lost 13 straight games. Yet, the player nicknamed “Deacon” by his teammates – another teammate was “Padre” – didn’t lose his cool or alter his vocabulary.

“There wasn’t an awful lot of blue language coming out of his mouth,” Fr. Malloy, a priest of the Milwaukee Archdiocese who is a chaplain at the VA Medical Center in Bay Pines, Fla., told your Catholic Herald April 30.

The priest noted that when his brother was serving at his first parish, St. John Nepomuk, Racine, he coached basketball, including a future Marquette star and NBA player, Jim McIlvaine.

“He once told me that David helped him with his footwork when he was in eighth grade,” Fr. Malloy said. “I always thought David would have made an excellent basketball coach a la John Wooden or Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski).”

Bishop Malloy attended UW-Madison for a year before transferring to Marquette, where he was involved in the Catholic Information Center.

“I think the environment in Madison was a little more open than he was looking for,” Fr. Malloy said. “At any rate, he used to head off to Mass at St. Paul’s every morning. After a few weeks, the priest noticed that David was there earlier than he was, so he gave David a key to let himself in.”

As part of the Vatican Diplomatic Service, Bishop Malloy served in Pakistan, Syria and the papal household. In 2001, he was appointed assistant general secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; five years later, he became secretary.

In that role, he worked alongside and learned from dozens of bishops.

“The one thing that always seems to stand out is the prayer life they have, and the manner in which everything they have to do at those high levels of responsibility came together with their prayer life,” Bishop Malloy said.

Like the first bishops, Bishop Malloy is a fisherman.

“He’d come home from Rome or Washington and be out every night on the pontoon boat seeing what he could catch,” Fr. Malloy said. “Mostly it’s been northern pike and big mouth bass on a catch-and-release basis. He likes to fish like other guys like to golf.”

Sr. Susan Rosenbach“I didn’t want to be just a psychologist; I wanted to be able to combine that with a sense of spirituality,” she said. “So whenever I try to get a position as a therapist, I always try to do it within a faith context.”

Sr. Susan is a licensed clinical professional counselor with a bachelor’s degree in education from Alverno College, 1967; master’s in counseling psychology from Loyola University in Chicago, 1974; master’s in pastoral theology from the University of Notre Dame, 1976; and a doctorate of ministry from St. Mary of the Lake University, 1982.

Prior to coming to the archdiocese, she was a private clinician in Illinois. Upon hearing about the need for a victim assistance coordinator in the archdiocese, she was intrigued with the combination of faith and counseling.

“It looked like a ministry that would be a compassionate ministry and also one in which I could utilize my skills to help people heal,” Sr. Susan said.

She said that before she could start working in that position, she had to learn what has happened and what was happening.

“I spent these first couple of months doing a lot of listening and a lot of talking and inviting people to have conversations,” she said. “I’ve talked to some victims on the phone. I’m talking to people in the archdiocese who have worked with the victims over the past several years.”

For years, Sr. Susan said, she wanted to work with the poor and other voiceless members of the community.

“I’ve always had a sense of a call to stand with people who need representation,” she said. “It’s not without reason that I find myself working in a situation within the church where there’s a different kind of poverty — the people who have somehow been disenfranchised have been abused.”

Born and raised in Chicago, she was involved with issues of poverty and the Hispanic community. She worked as a therapist for priests and nuns in Chicago. Although she has plenty of experience, she admits she is also learning on the job.

“I do know from my own reading and studying that in the past 10 years the statistics tell us the number of abuse by priests (in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee) has gone way down,” she said. “Part of that has to do with the cycle of sexual education that’s being offered and screening of the candidates who come into the seminaries.”

Sr. Susan said she realizes the importance of her office.

“This position, not just me, this position is a critical piece of the diocese right now,” she said. “The next step, I think, will hopefully be healing the wounds that have been inflicted and focusing more on the parishes and the faithful who have been hurt by this.”

She added that the perpetrators also need healing.

Such an emotional job can exact a hefty toll, and Sr. Susan acknowledged she’ll need to monitor her own health.

“This is serious business and it saddens me,” she said. “I’m going to have to know how to take care of myself doing this job. I think I can get pulled into a sadness.”

Since she started, she said people in the archdiocese and Cousins Center have been very supportive and gracious to her.

By helping the archdiocese move on to help the victims, Sr. Susan said the emphasis on systemic change will continue to inform her ministerial activities. She added that she will spend a lot of time talking to other victim assistance coordinators in other dioceses to know how to move forward in the proper way.

ELM GROVE — Three St. Mary Visitation teachers recently returned from Texas where they rode on the “Vomit Comet.”

St. Mary Visitation School, Elm Grove, teachers, Michael Falk, left to right, Kathy Biernat and Kylie Daemmrich, pose for a photo at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The teachers were selected to participate in NASA’s Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program where they conducted experiments aboard a NASA reduced-gravity simulator. (Submitted photo courtesy St. Mary Visitation School)Yes, you read that right.

Junior high science teacher Kathy Biernat, sixth-grade math teacher Michael Falk, and fourth-grade teacher Kylie Daemmrich traveled to Johnson Space Center in Houston in February to conduct experiments aboard a NASA reduced-gravity simulator. The aircraft allows passengers to experience the sensation of weightlessness, hence the nickname.

“We had been given anti-nausea shots prior to the flight and, thankfully, the meds worked,” said Daemmrich. “The flight was amazing. There really aren’t words to describe it.”

Biernat agreed, and explained that NASA officials encouraged the pre-flight injections due to the high probability of nausea.

“We were told that without the shots, a third would be severely affected, a third a little affected and a third would not be affected,” she said. “We all took it, and out of 35 of us on the flight, there were still three who did get sick and that was with having the shots.”

St. Mary’s educators were one of 14 NASA Explorer School teams selected for the honor. The teams performed scientific investigations aboard a modified aircraft which produces weightlessness for approximately 20 seconds at a time by executing a series of parabolas – a steep climb, followed by a free fall, over the Gulf of Mexico. During the free falls, the participants were able to gather data in the unique environment and experience near-weightlessness.

Each year, NASA’s Reduced Gravity Education Flight Program (RGEFP) gives undergraduate students and K-12 educators the opportunity to propose, build and fly a reduced-gravity experiment. NASA Explorer School participants flew experiments provided by the agency. These three experiments, which included how liquids react in microgravity and how the absence of gravity affects mass and weight, were replicated by the teachers in their classrooms, allowing students to gather data that was compared to the data the teachers obtained during their flight.

The trip was the culmination of months of work for the teaching team, as well as the junior high and fourth-grade students. According to Daemmrich, the grades collaborated to conduct experiments at 1g or regular Earth gravity.

“The students had been making and modifying predictions about the results of these same experiments in 0g and 2g environments,” she said. “Their discussions were truly insightful.”

While this is the second year St. Mary Visitation participated in the NASA Explorer School project, it was the first time the teachers were selected to travel on the all-expense paid trip to Houston. The project is aimed at providing teachers of grades four to 12 with authentic learning experiences centered around the NASA missions.

The opportunity stemmed from Biernat’s involvement with the NASA Explorer Program last summer when she spent a week in California reviewing NASA curriculumKathy Biernat, junior high science teacher at St. Mary, with the assistance of a NASA instructor, floats in the zero gravity simulator. (Submitted photo courtesy St. Mary Visitation School) and participating in webinars.

“When I came back in the fall, my eighth-graders were able to manipulate a 32-meter radio telescope in California from my classroom,” she said. “They Skyped with NASA scientists and discussed their data. One of my students said that he felt so empowered to be able to do this.”

Through her experience, Biernat was qualified to write and sell St. Mary School as a team of three teachers who would work together throughout the year on a variety of experiments and, if selected, would travel to Houston to perform the same experiments.

“I figured we wouldn’t get selected for this because there were 1,300 schools eligible for this, but we ended up getting chosen,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it, they paid for our airfare, hotel, car, food and the $41,000 an hour plane ride while we were there. It was incredible.”

While working on the experiments during the year, students learned from their real-world experiences, which enhanced their understanding of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In addition, students were able to participate in video conferencing with NASA scientists, role-play and problem solve.

“On the flight, we had little glass stations with gloves in them and manipulated the experiments,” said Biernat. “We did five trials of each in hyper-gravity and five in hypo-gravity and analyzed the data. We also brought toys along with us that the kids had voted on and played with them in zero gravity and in hyper-gravity. We brought along a rubber popper that hardly went at all in hyper-gravity, a bolero game, a toy called a firefly that spins and shot colors out and a Slinky. We did 33 parabolas up and down and had 45 dives – it was great.”

At zero gravity, the participants began to float and at 2g or double the Earth’s gravity, bodies sank quickly to the floor of the aircraft. Some participants sat against the walls and some chose to lay down, but surprisingly, no one experienced an uncomfortable pressure.

“Zero g was incredible,” admitted Daemmrich. “There was no feeling of falling. You just floated. You also had no control over where your arms, legs and torso went. Sometimes your feet just floated above your head and you couldn’t get them down without help. It was weird and different to see people bouncing along the ceiling or just hanging like spiders or lizards along the walls. The fact that you didn’t feel like you were falling made us adventurous and willing to embrace the novelty of this extraordinary opportunity.”

In fact, Biernat took advantage of her upcoming 50th birthday to convince NASA officials to allow her to perform a couple of flips during the 23 seconds the plane descended into hypo-gravity, or zero gravity.

“I was all for hanging onto the straps and all, but I also wanted to have some fun, too,” she said. “They discouraged me from doing the flips because they were dangerous, but I was persistent and they finally allowed me to do it. It was incredible.”

The following day, students at St. Mary Visitation Skyped with their teachers and were able to ask questions about the flight and the results of the experiments. The teachers also toured three JSC buildings: the Neutral Buoyancy Lab, the Precision Air Bearing Facility and Mission Control. They participated in professional development with NASA engineers and astronauts, and networked with math, science and technology teachers from around the country.

“The trip inspired and energized us to continue the paths we are on and incorporate more STEM activities in our classes,” said Daemmrich. “As an educator, I came away from this experience with a renewed passion for math, science, and technology and how to bring them to life for my students. These have always been my favorite subjects to teach, but now I’m focusing on how I can meet the standards through student-centered activities that will encourage my kids to become lifelong learners and problem solvers.”

This is the sixth in a series of articles introducing you to the seven men who will be ordained priests of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee this year. Ordination for six of them will take place on Saturday, May 19, while the seventh will be ordained later in the year.Deacon Brad Krawczyk pictured at Saint Francis Seminary, St. Francis, on Tuesday, April 17, will be ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on Saturday, May 19. (Catholic Herald photo by Ernie Mastroianni)

ST. FRANCIS — Sometimes he wonders why he didn’t answer the call to the priesthood earlier. It certainly was something Deacon Brad Krawczyk had considered – early and often. In fact, he remembers at age 7 at Midnight Mass at St. Adalbert Parish, Milwaukee, feeling a strong desire to be part of what was taking place in a deeper way.

Had he entered the seminary earlier, he would be a priest already.

“Sometimes I think, man, I could have done this 10 years earlier and I’d be a priest for all these years,” said the 39-year-old deacon who, along with five other men, will be ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist this Saturday.

“But then another part of me – the stronger voice – tells me I’m where God wants me now. I think I’ll be a better priest, a better, future pastor as a result of my life experiences. Some guys will be great from the get-go, but for me personally, in the role of priest, I have developed the capacity for more empathy and developed an understanding of people’s lives and have learned compassion and patience.”

For example, Deacon Krawczyk said, as a former homeowner, he’ll be more understanding if a parishioner comes late to a meeting or can’t be there at all if a home emergency arises.

“I know how hard it can be to come to a meeting if bathroom repairs need to be done or if the grass has to be cut, and, of course, that’s amplified when you have a family, and kids who have to be taken to sporting events,” he said, adding he expects his experiences will help him “respect people’s time in a different way and will help me appreciate their efforts when they come and do something at church.”

Always involved in church activities

For Deacon Krawczyk, being involved in church activities is second nature. In fact, he ruefully noted that his vocation story is rather mundane.

“Some guys have a Paul experience (of conversion) or the sky parts and something wonderful happens when they know God is asking them to become a priest,” he said, explaining that his call was more subtle and ordinary.

A cradle Catholic, he’s never been away from the church. In fact, it’s much the opposite. He’s always been involved in the life of the church as a catechist, member of the liturgical planning committee, and sacristan.

A former pastor called him “the Phantom of the Altar,” according to his mother, Arlene Krawczyk, a member of St. Paul Parish, Racine, because in his late teens and early 20s, her son was responsible for decorating the church.

“Father would go home one day, and by the time he returned the next day, Brad would have all the things ready and he would have never seen him,” she told your Catholic Herald.

Deacon Krawczyk said he spent so much time at the church “that I can still walk the floor plan of St. Adalbert with my eyes closed and in the dark.”

Being so close to the church, it was natural that he consider priesthood, explained Deacon Krawczyk. After graduating from St. Adalbert Elementary School in 1987 and Marquette University High School in 1991, he thought about entering the seminary.

Mom suggested coed environment

But, as his mother recalled, she helped steer him toward a coed environment.

“The first time he thought about going to the seminary was when he graduated from high school. He had just come out of a four-year, all-boys school, and I thought, ‘Gee, he really didn’t mingle much with girls,’ and I didn’t want him to go to the seminary then and spend all that time there, only to find out that’s not where he really wanted to be, so I pushed him toward a coed school so he could have that experience of being with both sexes,” she said.

Deacon Krawczyk began his college career at St. Norbert College, DePere, studying political science with the thought of possibly becoming a lawyer. He was involved in speech and debate – just as he had been at MUHS – and worked with several political campaigns.

But after a couple years at St. Norbert, he returned home to the job he had previously worked over the summers at Industrial Towel and Uniform in New Berlin.

He worked himself up from floor supervisor to second shift plant supervisor and eventually worked in sales and marketing.

“In my mid-20s, I thought about priesthood more concretely again and I wondered what God might be calling me to,” he said, noting that he even visited a few religious communities during this time.

In addition to his full-time job in New Berlin, Deacon Krawczyk was the assistant debate coach at Brookfield Central High School, something he had also done at Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay, while he was a St. Norbert student.

He also became a homeowner, purchasing a home in a south side Milwaukee neighborhood near the airport in which he enjoyed decorating and hosting get-togethers for friends.

Father’s death is turning point

March 4, 1998, was a turning point in his life, however, when his father, Gilbert, died after a three-month hospital stay.

As he helped his mother go through his father’s belongings, seeing all the random hats, broken yard tools, he wondered to himself, “What am I storing up for my mansion in heaven?”

“I had started gathering stuff in my own life. I had a house that I was filling up with stuff, and I wondered what I might be putting before what God might be calling me to become. Am I letting these things prevent me from answering God’s call in my life and am I letting that get in the way of becoming holy?” he questioned himself.

As he wondered, he realized he had to make a sincere approach to the call to priesthood.

“It had been nagging me for years and I finally had the courage to see a vocations director, and the rest is history,” said Deacon Krawczyk, who explained he entered the Seminary Without Walls program, and completed his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University in 2005.

Decision puts him at peace

Arlene wasn’t surprised when her youngest son entered the seminary.

“I always saw it in his future, but it took him a long time to finally give in,” she said.

“I remember the day we moved him into his room at the seminary, there was such a glow that came over him. He was really at peace. ‘Lord, I’m yours,’ was the look on his face and his whole demeanor was so relaxed. It was so beautiful, I knew it was what was supposed to be,” she said.

Arlene described the youngest of her five children as “a little more on the quiet side, not very aggressive, but always striving for perfection. He always wanted to be the best at whatever he did,” she said of Deacon Krawczyk.

She also remembers having several conversations with him over the years about the priesthood, and said she would tell him, “When you do become a priest and are ordained, I hope it’s in my lifetime, because I am not getting any younger.

‘Larger than life’ personality

As she prepares to become the mother of a priest, Arlene said she is filled with awe.

“I am still trying to figure out why the Lord chose me to be his mother. I’m just a common person, and when I hear him – he’s delivered several homilies during Mass – I have such a feeling of awe that that’s my son,” she said.

Longtime friend Carolyn Stich, who considers Deacon Krawczyk to be her fifth brother, expects him to be a wonderful priest who will be able to relate to adults and children alike.

“He has an extremely gregarious personality; it’s larger than life,” she said, adding, “everybody loves him. He is a magnet for people, especially for young adults our age – 30s and 20s – they will see a priest they can identify with.”

Deacon Krawczyk presided at her Jan. 7, 2012 wedding to Daniel Stich at the Basilica of St. Josaphat, Milwaukee, and Stich said her longtime friend made everything special for the couple.

“It’s such an unbelievable comfort that every step of the way, he will be there, God will be in our lives, supporting us no matter what obstacles we face,” she said.

Stich met Deacon Krawczyk when she was in middle school, and two of her four older brothers were in school at MUHS with him.

From the beginning, she said, he was always around the Rydlewicz home, playing basketball, eating pizza and hanging out with her brothers.

When he told the family he intended to become a priest, she said no one was surprised.

“It made perfect sense to all of us,” she said, noting he has a “heart of gold and will do anything for you. He is without doubt one of the best men, gentlemen, I know.”

MILWAUKEE – In an attempt to move the Chapter 11 bankruptcy closer to resolution, attorneys for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed a “motion for withdrawal of the reference” Tuesday, May 15, through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, which will be granted or denied by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

In part, the attorneys’ memorandum of law in support of the motion states, “The debtor (archdiocese) requests that this court grant the motion and withdraw the reference for a determination of the summary judgment motions on the new objections and consolidate these matters with the appeals.”

The “new objections” were the seven filed by the archdiocese April 26. Three objections were filed in November 2011 and are pending before U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph T. Randa.

Archdiocesan attorneys noted in the memorandum that in waiting for resolution of the original and new objections, “the litigation regarding the assets is ongoing and will continue to diminish the debtor’s estate.”

As an example they cited the litigation regarding “ownership of millions of dollars currently held in a cemetery trust has been ongoing for 10 months and at cost to date that is approaching a million dollars for discovery and litigation.”

Since the district court is already familiar with “many of the facts and issues raised in the new objections,” the attorneys wrote, withdrawing the reference for the new objections “will promote judicial economy, conserve resources, expedite the bankruptcy process, and reduce confusion for the parties.”

In their memorandum, the attorneys, noting that issues found in the original and new objections also exist in the claims (tort claims) filed by approximately 575 claimants, said that “a ruling on the law applicable to the new objections will be instructive for the parties on the remaining tort claims.”

They continued, “This information will be beneficial to the parties as they proceed with other aspects of this case because it will instruct the parties regarding what treatment the tort claims might receive in the reorganization and will instruct the parties on the scope of the inquiry into the assets of the debtor.”

In a letter to recipients of his weekly Love One Another communiqué, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki explained the decision to seek having the “objection to claim” motion heard and decided by the district court.

Noting that it has been nearly a year and a half since the archdiocese filed its Chapter 11 petition, filing the motion for withdrawal of the reference “will speed up the case and promote judicial efficiency,” the archbishop wrote. He added that having the district court decide on the claims will “save money.”

“Without a definitive decision, the Chapter 11 proceeding will continue to languish while precious resources – both time and money – disappear,” Archbishop Listecki wrote. “The archdiocese has limited resources and the longer it takes to determine what claims are eligible, the less money will be available.”

The archbishop said the motion “would put an end to the confusion about which claims are eligible for compensation” – a point the archdiocese has emphasized throughout the process.

Jerry Topczewski, Archbishop Listecki’s chief of staff, said that getting the objections to claims decided was “the most important thing in the proceedings.”

“We’re saying we can’t wait another four to five months to get it decided just to have them appealed, which will be another couple of months,” he told your Catholic Herald. “So why not leapfrog the step and do it? That’s the gist of it.”

Topczewski said that if the district court would decide on the claims, the archdiocese would receive an answer to what it deems “the most important question in the case at this point in the proceeding, which is: How many claims are eligible?”

He added that when the archdiocese knows who is eligible, it can develop its reorganization plan, but that funding for that plan can’t be determined until claim eligibility is determined.

“The only way we can get out of bankruptcy is with a plan of reorganization. The only way to successfully put together a plan of reorganization is to discuss it and negotiate it with the creditors’ committee,” Topczewski said. “For us, the only way to successfully discuss it and negotiate it with the creditors’ committee is to have somebody to have said, ‘These claims are in or out.’ From there, we can negotiate.”

The archbishop reiterated his commitment to providing “therapy and counseling for abuse survivors of diocesan priests, regardless of whether their claim in eligible for compensation in the Chapter 11 proceeding….” He said he would agree to a plan of reorganization only if it contained that provision.

“The archdiocese will ask the court to allow us to create a fund that would provide resources for therapy and counseling as long as such a need exists,” he wrote. “We do this not because we are required to do so, but because our faith calls us to do so. I will insist that our ability to continue counseling and therapy for abuse survivors remains intact.”

Attorneys for the claimants have 14 days in which to file an objection to the archdiocese’s motion.

Fr. Mark Molling was reinstated as pastor of St. Paul Parish in Genesee Depot after being placed on administrative leave for six weeks Fr. Mark Mollingduring an investigation into a claim against him alleging sexual abuse of a minor from the mid-1990s.

After the Waukesha County District Attorney’s office didn’t file charges against Fr. Molling, the Milwaukee Archdiocese turned the claim over to an independent investigator, Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki wrote in a letter dated May 5 that was read at that weekend’s Masses.

“The results of the investigation were studied by the Diocesan Review Board and they recommended to me that the allegation was not substantiated and that Fr. Molling should be restored to ministry,” he wrote. “I have accepted their recommendation and informed Fr. Molling that he is restored to ministry and may resume his role as your pastor.”

Fr. Molling, who returned to the parish to say the children’s Mass at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, May 10, as well as the weekend Masses, said he received a positive reception from parishioners.

“People were very supportive,” he told your Catholic Herald in a telephone interview Monday, noting they also showed support while he was away with letters, cards and phone calls. “A vast majority of the people came up to me and welcomed me back directly and personally and so it was a very warm welcome, great welcome – felt good.”

He first learned the investigation was over Wednesday, May 2, when he received a telephone call from Fr. Pat Heppe, vicar for ordained and lay ecclesial ministry for the Milwaukee Archdiocese. Fr. Molling said he doesn’t remember the words Fr. Heppe used, but he remembers the feeling he had.

“All I remember is that I really, I became kind of weak-legged because it was like an emotional drain,” Fr. Molling said of the experience that left him feeling “powerless.”

“The stress and the drain were just unbelievable and I just was, I felt emotionally drained afterwards, just from having to maintain during the period and then to hear that it was over was just like whoa!” he said.

John W. Zewiske, a parishioner from North Prairie, said that the Mass that Fr. Molling celebrated for the children on his first day back was “remarkable.”

“I just think I was overjoyed that he was back with us,” Zewiske said. “It’s just he’s a very humble person and loves God and it was just a good feeling and it’s good to hear his voice again.”

Zewiske said it was lonesome without Fr. Molling, though he’s grateful for the help that the parish received from Fr. Robert Gosma and other priests who helped out in Fr. Molling’s absence.

“We knew in our hearts that he would come back because we knew he was not guity of the charges,” he said, adding that having Fr. Molling back makes them “whole again.”

Sharon Paetzke said she’s happy that the compassionate priest is back because her mother was devastated when he was placed on administrative leave. The Santa Clara, Utah, resident was in town visiting her mother, Marie Allen, 95, a St. Paul parishioner for 14 years, who is terminally ill with cancer.

“Fr. Mark came back to work at the parish May 10. The first thing May 11th, he visited my mother who is in my sister’s home in hospice care and I really want people to know how caring (he is) because he had so much parish business to do when he first came back, but he had time to visit the terminally ill,” she said.

Paetzke said her mother prayed day and night for Fr. Molling and that his visit “meant the world to her.”

Shirley Eichman of Mukwonago, told your Cahtholic Herald Tuesday that she also prayed almost every day for Fr. Molling and was “very happy” to have him back.

“I prayed for him and for the person doing the allegations and also for our parish I prayed every day for, and I trusted in God to bring about, the truth,” she said, noting Fr. Molling told parishioners at weekend Mass that he was humbled by the experience and that prayer was very important in getting him through.

He said he reminded them to pray for healing in the parish, in the archdiocese and in the church as a whole.

He said he urged them to pray for the real victims of sexual abuse, for the priests who are being accused, whether falsely or accurately.

“There’s just so much healing in this area that’s needed and I think we really do need to be praying for that healing,” he said.

While Fr. Molling said he doesn’t think he will have to work to restore his name with parishioners because they seem to be behind him 100 percent, the public is different.

“I think more on the public perception as a whole, it’s just going to be a matter of my trying to continue being a good priest,” he said, adding, “like I think I’ve tried to be for the last 32 years.”

When Ryan Puc races along the grueling terrain at a varsity cross country meet, as part of  the relay team at varsity track meets or playing on the varsity basketball team, all he can see of the world around him is a blur of color and shapes and the markings on the asphalt or gymnasium floor.Ryan Pruc, 18, a senior at St. Joseph Academy, Kenosha, has not let poor vision keep him from excelling. In addition to good grades, Ryan excelled in sports, including cross country, track and basketball, and was a member of the student council and campus ministry. (Catholic Herald photo by Allen Fredrickson)

Ryan, 18, has macular dystrophy, a condition that allows him to see only peripherally. The condition causes the central portion of the retina, known as the macular, to deteriorate progressively, resulting in significant loss of fine focal ability. Diagnosed as an infant, his vision continues to diminish, until at some unknown time, it should stabilize. He is legally, but not totally, blind. Ryan shares this incurable diagnosis with his mother, Carmen, and sister Jasmine, 21.

His lack of sight is not an issue when Ryan, one of the top athletes at St. Joseph Academy in Kenosha, is racing, nor is it an issue as an award-winning saxophonist.

Working alongside classmates on the computer or reading textbooks can be daunting, but one does not hear the high school senior complain.

“I manage my schoolwork like every other student in my school; it just takes me a little longer to do things when I have to use a smaller font, otherwise I like to think of myself as just another student,” he said.

Just another student – the kind of whom school administrator Ed Kovochich wishes he had more. Kovochich called Ryan one of the nicest kids he’s met in his 41 years of education.

“He is on top of my list because he is just a well rounded young man, respectful of others and a tremendous athlete,” he explained. “He has won medals in cross country and the track relay team, been involved in campus ministry, served on the student council, is a student ambassador and a wonderful saxophonist.”

Kovochich called Ryan – who has earned a 3.4 grade point average – hardworking and diligent. 

“Whenever we need a volunteer for development night, Ryan is always first in line; he gives tours of the school and tutors the younger kids on the saxophone. You can’t get any better than that,” said Kovochich. “He has served as an altar server and usher at his parish, St. Anastasia in Waukegan, and has a heart for Jesus – he’s very Christ-centered.”

Ryan initially struggled with grades, as he couldn’t read the textbooks or work on the computer like other students. However, this year St. Joseph Academy provided Ryan with large print books and papers and a computer with a larger font.

“I used to feel that I had to make so much more of an effort to keep up with the other students,” he said. “This year, they have really helped me by increasing the font on pretty much everything they give me, which is very helpful. It feels like I’m finally on a level playing ground as the other students.”Ryan Puc poses with Megan Irving in this submitted photo. (Submitted photo courtesy St. Joseph Academy)

While struggling to see faces, words and scenery is frustrating for Ryan, he believes his condition made his faith much stronger because he has learned to rely on God for everything.

“I always thank God for everything he has given me and I know things could be a lot worse,” he explained. “Even though my vision is poor, it makes me a stronger person in general and I thank God for that. There is no reason to blame God for my bad vision; no one is perfect and it is one of the things that makes me, me.”

While she admires Ryan’s accomplishments, his mother, Carmen, is most impressed with the depth of his faith and how he prays every day.

“That’s how he believes he can overcome all obstacles,” she said. “His faith is amazing and he is just a strong Catholic person and has faith in all that he does.”

Enrolled at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota for the fall semester, Ryan plans to major in biology as a prerequisite to medical school.

“I worry about this choice, but Ryan believes he can do it and overcome his visual problems with the development of new technology,” said Carmen. “He is such a good boy and never puts his vision in front of anything he wants to do. So, I believe that he will do anything he puts his mind to doing.”

Along with his dedication and faith, Ryan has a personality that attracts others, according to Carmen.

“He gets along with everyone,” she said. “And I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like him.”

While life with limited vision is difficult, Ryan said it is like any other tough situation – pushing through it is the key to success.

“If I could get through it with vision impairment that makes everyday life a little harder, then others can make it through high school the same way, by pushing through it,” he said. “At the end of your senior year, you will realize that overcoming all these struggles and never giving up has made you a better person.”

School guidance counselor Angela Sereno is impressed with the high standards Ryan sets and accomplishes, despite his visual problems.

“He is a hard-working young man with high goals that I know he will achieve,” she said. “He has never let any outside influences deter him from doing his best. I congratulate him on his many years of success.”

Whether or not Ryan realizes his goals of becoming a medical doctor, he will not be easily dissuaded, and offers advice to others who might be struggling.

“I would like to tell others to never give up on the things you have a passion for,” he said. “That’s how I have been successful in the things I have been in. I’ve never given up or quit and I will not; that is what I always keep in my head. So don’t give up, no matter what.”

It started with a bet between lab partners, Alex Rucka and Emily McCormick, during their sophomore year.High school sweethearts Alex Rucka and Emily McCormick finished at the top of the 2012 St. Thomas More High School, Milwaukee, graduating class as co-valedictorians with identical 4.55 cumulative GPA. Both will attend Marquette University in the fall. (Catholic Herald photo by Ricardo Torres)

“I was at a friend’s birthday party and I was texting (McCormick) about, probably some sort of homework, and I made a bet with her,” Rucka, a member of St. Veronica Parish, Milwaukee, said.

The bet was about the movie “TRON: Legacy” (2010).

“I didn’t think seeing the original (“TRON”) was necessary in order to enjoy the new one so I made her a bet that if she could find the old one and we would watch it and it enhanced my experience of the second one, that I would buy her a ticket to the new one,” Rucka said.

But they ran into a problem.

“We couldn’t find the old one because Blockbuster didn’t have it and (Rucka’s copy) was lost in his basement,” McCormick said.

Rucka forfeitted the bet.

“I remember looking for two hours but I couldn’t find it. So I ended up just taking her,” Rucka said about his first date with McCormick.

Eighteen months later, their romantic relationship is still going and each graduated Sunday from St. Thomas More High School with a 4.55 cumulative GPA as co-valedictorians for the class of 2012.

“We sort of thought it was the perfect ending,” Rucka said. “We both worked very hard and when we got the seventh semester report card and we got the same grade … we were freaking out because we thought one of us was going to win.”

Academics can be competitive, but not for this couple.

“We weren’t competitive or anything,” McCormick said. “We’re more helpful, trying to help each other out with our homework to make it less stressful.”

They leaned on each other to accomplish their academic goals with “study dates.”

“I’ll be like, ‘Hey, do you want to come over and study for that English test tomorrow?’ sort of thing. Then she’ll come over and I’ll make her dinner and we’ll sit down and study for it. It’s not a big deal,” Rucka said. “It was always us versus the homework.”

McCormick said they would take time out of their weekends and free time to study with each other.

“I knew I could go to him if I didn’t understand anything, that he would help me to the best of his ability,” she said. “I think our relationship is really easy.”

Kevin Dineen, their AP English teacher this past year, noticed the differences between their classmates and them.

“They’re both extremely intelligent and proactive students,” he said.

Dineen said they worked together during class and their relationship didn’t affect their schoolwork.

“They knew their boundaries very well and when it was time for class and doing work, they were very disciplined,” Dineen said. “They did not allow the high school puppy-love, if you will, to interfere with their class work. They worked together when there was group work, which did not bother me because they were always on task. First and foremost for them was getting the job done and getting the job done well.”

Along with excelling academically, each participated in sports. Rucka played soccer and tennis; McCormick played softball.

Like their classmates, McCormick and Rucka applied to several universities and even shared in rejection when they didn’t get into their top choice, Northwestern. But their second choice, Marquette, accepted both.

Rucka received a scholarship to the pre-law program, and McCormick also received a scholarship.

“It was independent,” Rucka said about choosing a college. “We respected each other’s decision.”

As co-valedictorians, the couple was selected to address their classmates. They decided to give one speech with each taking turns speaking.

McCormick, who took credit for the combined speech idea, called it a fitting conclusion to their high school years.

“I definitely think it’s the perfect ending,” she said. “Both being valedictorians. It was incredible that it even happened.”

McCormick and Rucka were freshmen when Mark Joerres became principal. He called them “genuine to the core,” and said, “They have an incredibly mature perspective on life academically, athletically, personally and socially.”

When Joerres, who knew they were dating, found out they shared the same GPA, he said the first word that came to his mind was “perfect.” But his interpretation was different than his students’view, who saw it as a great ending.

“Maybe it’s the perfect beginning,” Joerres said. “No one was ahead of the other and had to deal with that. I think it was perfect. Couldn’t have planned it if we tried.”

Two fathers from St. Agnes Parish, Butler, taking their children’s lead, Clarence Hayes holds his 1-month-old daughter, Laila Hayes, as she is baptized by Fr. Timothy Bickel, pastor of St. Agnes Parish, Butler, during the Easter Vigil Mass at the parish on Saturday, April 7. More photos taken at the Easter Vigil can be viewed and purchased at photos.chnonline.org. (Catholic Herald photo by Allen Fredrickson)set the spiritual course for their families during the April 7 Easter Vigil.

Michael Schultz and Clarence (Clay) Hayes not only entered into full communion with the Catholic Church, but each made the journey alongside his children.

While Mike, a 49-year-old construction worker, had attended weekly Mass with his wife, Debbie, for 20 years, the longing to belong wasn’t strong enough to embrace the church, until his son Patrick began asking questions.

“As Patrick got older, he began asking me why I don’t go up there with Mommy and things like that,” said Mike. “I never really knew how to answer him. He would also ask a lot of questions about Mass and I wasn’t able to answer them because I had no religious teachings.”

While Mike was baptized as an infant, he received no formal religious training, and it wasn’t until he began dating Debbie that he learned how important her Catholic faith was in her everyday life.

“I began attending with her very early on in our relationship, and she would often ask me to become a full Catholic, but she never pushed the subject,” said Mike.

Happiest time of life was short-lived

He came close to joining when the couple belonged to Our Lady of Good Hope Parish where now-Bishop Donald J. Hying was their pastor.

“He made Mass easy to understand for me and I looked forward to going every week,” Mike said. “At the time we struggled with infertility issues and had several miscarriages, but we were finally pregnant and life seemed perfect. The day of Pat’s birth was the most exciting day of my life. It was also the happiest time of my life, however it was short-lived.”

Just three days after their son’s birth, his 52-year-old mother was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, dying before Patrick’s first birthday. Mike was angry with God and could not comprehend why they were finally blessed with a child, and at the same time, were losing his mother.

“I didn’t know my father, never even had a relationship with him, so my mom was everything to me,” explained Mike. “Fr. Don noticed that I was no longer attending Mass with Deb and told her time and time again that he would be willing to talk about it with me. When I did feel ready to go back to church, Fr. Don explained that it is not for us to understand in this life; that God has a reason for everything and some day in heaven, it will all make sense.”

Longing for faith returned at St. Agnes

After Bishop Hying left Our Lady of Good Hope for his work as rector of Saint Francis Seminary, Mike lost his zeal for the faith, although he continued to attend Mass each week. Last July, the couple joined St. Agnes Parish and through the leadership of the pastor, Fr. Tim Bickel, his longing returned.Anna Hayes is baptized by Fr. Timothy Bickel during the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Agnes Parish in Butler on Saturday, April 7. Looking on from left to right are Jean Baughman; Clarence Hayes, Anna's father; Brian Wolf and Megan Wolf, Anna's godparents. Megan and Clarence will be married next year. More photos taken at the Easter Vigil can be viewed and purchased at photos.chnonline.org. (Catholic Herald photo by Allen Fredrickson)

“I started enjoying Mass and looked forward to going every week,” he said. “So, on my own, without even telling Deb, I talked to Gerry Wolf (Christian formation director) about the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program. After a few discussions, he thought I was ready, so I started taking the classes in the fall.”

Throughout the program, Mike realized he no longer had to carry the burdens of his life on his own. He learned to understand life and death more, and now turns to God for all of his needs.

“He is always there. I am no longer angry with him for my mom’s death. I understand she is in a better place and I will see her again,” he explained, adding. “I have also learned that I can be vulnerable and that’s OK. I don’t always have to be the big, strong, macho man. I can give it all to God and he will take care of it in his own way, in his own time.”

Father, son share special moment

At the same time Mike was preparing for first Eucharist and confirmation, Patrick was also preparing for first Eucharist. Jim Stout, parish music director, suggested the evening would be extra special if father and son received first Communion together at the Easter Vigil.

“I had not thought of it, nor did I think it was ‘legal,’” said Mike. “I asked Gerry, who in turn got permission from Fr. Tim. This is something that the two of us will always have as ‘ours’ and it was truly special for me.”

For Patrick, the option to forego first Communion with his classmates or receive it with his dad at the Easter Vigil was an easy one. After all, he had been praying for this day nearly his whole life.

“When he told me that Fr. Tim gave us permission to receive it together, I was so excited,” he said. “It means a lot to me that my dad and I received Communion at the same time. My first Communion is so much more special because I got to receive it with my dad.”

Although he was proud of his dad and excited for the big day, Patrick admitted he had to squelch a few butterflies and last minute jitters.

“Dad was really nervous the whole day and kept practicing with me,” he explained. “On our way up to the altar, I had to calm him down a little. But when we stood side by side, it was the happiest time of my life. I know that he did this for himself, but also for me and my mom, and it means a lot to me.”

Mike admitted he looked most forward to receiving Eucharist, as it was always a mystery to him.

“I would see these people receive Communion every week and they would go back to their pews in deep prayer and I never understood it,” he said. “Now I do, and I am excited that I can join my family in the Eucharist every week.”Patrick Schultz and his father, Michael Schultz, return to their seats after receiving their first Communion from St. Agnes pastor, Fr. Timothy Bickel, during the Easter Vigil Mass, Saturday, April 7, at the parish. (Submitted photo courtesy the Schultz family)

Communion is now family event

For Patrick, having both parents walk up with him in the Communion line each week is a dream come true.

“I am so excited and I can’t wait for Mass this weekend,” he said. “Finally, after all of these years, we can participate in the Mass as a family and receive Communion together as a family.”

Wolf has directed RCIA for seven years at St. Agnes Parish and said working with the catechumen is rewarding and a privilege.

“It is always special watching anyone who comes toward faith with an openness and willingness, and taking the initiative to do so,” he said. “It’s very touching and I enjoy working with them as they ask questions and really search things out, trying to understand our faith and tradition.”

Future son-in-law embraces faith

To make learning easier, Wolf breaks down the church’s history and longstanding traditions to make them more understandable.

“With Clay and Mike, it was very neat as they had family members to guide them along,” said Wolf. “But for me it is especially unique, as Clay is my future son-in-law. He is engaged to my daughter Meg and they will be married next spring. He has a daughter, Anna from a previous relationship who had not been baptized; and he and my daughter have a newborn named Leila together. All three were baptized at the Easter Vigil, and to see him approaching commitment to my daughter and looking forward to their marriage in faith, makes everything more special.”

At 27, Clay works at Kohl’s Corporate and came to the decision to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church on his own. According to Wolf, Clay has been part of the family for 18 months, and wants to do the right thing for his family.

“It is very powerful and so neat to see him grow,” said Wolf.

Raised in a Christian nondenominational church, Clay was never baptized. He didn’t feel a sense of belonging until he began attending St. Agnes with Megan.

“I wanted to continue to grow spiritually within the church,” he said. “And now that I have come home, I feel as if I have a deeper relationship with Christ.”

‘Holy Spirit is at work’ in family

While Clay admitted that he didn’t begin RCIA for self-realization, he knew in his heart that receiving the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and confirmation was something he wanted and needed to do for himself and his family.

“I feel more in line with the principles and teachings of the Bible,” he said. “And I felt so joyous to be able to share in the sacrament of baptism with my daughters.”

With all three dressed in white robes, Clay and Anna received the sacrament of baptism through full immersion, explained Wolf.

“It was so neat, as Anna went first and then Clay. Then he held the Leila in the pool while our pastor poured water over her head,” he said. “It was so touching.”

Through Clay’s reception into the Catholic Church, Wolf believes that the Holy Spirit is working with him to attract new members into the church.

“We had our family over for Easter Sunday and Clay and Megan came over with the girls. We had lunch before the other folks came and Clay told us that his mom had come to the vigil. She wasn’t a churchgoer, but she was baptized, just not raised in the faith. Because of her positive experience at the Easter Vigil, she wants to come to church now. I think it is really neat to see how the Holy Spirit is at work.”

As of Tuesday, June 12, legal fees in the case had topped $4 million.

“In Chapter 11, we (Archdiocese of Milwaukee) pay both sides,” said Jerry Topczewski, archdiocesan chief of staff, June 12. “Our goal has been to minimize the unnecessary motions and responses and try and focus on the things that move the case forward.”

He said, as he has throughout the process, that there is one matter that the court needs to answer so that the proceedings can move toward resolution.

“Which claims are eligible is the main question,” Topczewski said.

Approximately 550 claims were filed by the Feb. 1, 2012 bar date. In late April, the archdiocese asked the court to throw out seven of those on grounds that claimants had already reached a settlement with the archdiocese, the claim had surpassed the statutes of limitations, or the person against whom the claim was being made was not an employee of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Topczewski noted that “more than 150,000 pages of documents” have been requested by the creditors’ committee from the archdiocese.

“That means that every document has to be looked at by an attorney to make the determination if any redactions are necessary to protect the identity or circumstances of an individual abuse survivor,” he said. “You can’t just take the chance that the document doesn’t need to be looked at. Someone has to look at the document and say, ’No, this is fine’ or ‘No, this needs redaction because it has someone’s name in it or someone could be identified.’”

Topczewski said the archdiocese “knew going in it was an expensive process with regards to legal fees, but it’s a proceeding, and at the end of the day we will emerge from it with a fresh start with the goals we outlayed at the beginning: compensate those that have been abused and have eligible claims, and continue the ministries of the church.”

He noted that mediation, something that has occasionally been mentioned during the proceedings, was offered by the archdiocese.

“We had a good track record of settling cases and reaching out to people through the mediation system,” Topczewski said. “I always remind people that we tried to mediate these cases, too, before Chapter 11 – unsuccessfully. Now, this is the process we’re in, so we deal with it the best way we can.”

The future St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer blesses a baby in Altoclaro, Caracas, Venezuela on Feb. 8, 1975. (Submitted photos courtesy of the Opus Dei Communications Office)“He was a very open, fun-loving person,” Fr. Kubeck said. “He enjoyed being with (the seminarians) especially.”

St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer founded Opus Dei in Madrid, Spain, in 1928. It is established in about 66 countries and boasts about 87,000 members, including about 1,900 priests. There are about 100 members in the Milwaukee Archdiocese. The core idea of Opus Dei, Latin for “God’s work,” is to bring the Gospel into the secular world and to sanctify daily life as an act of service to God.

Pope John Paul II beatified Msgr. Escriva in Rome May 17, 1992, and canonized him in Rome Oct. 6, 2002.

His feast day will be observed in the Milwaukee Archdiocese on Tuesday, June 26, with a 6:30 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.

Fr. Kubeck first met St. Josemaria Escriva in 1961 when he went to Rome to study. They lived in the office of Opus Dei together and he said St. Josemaria Escriva always spent time with him and other seminarians.

“He was trying to bring us closer to the idea that we had already committed ourselves to,” he said. “Explaining to us what it involves.”

He said St. Josemaria Escriva would hang out with them and listen to the music they were playing. He added that St. Josemaria Escriva would tell them that the music wasn’t his style but, “because you enjoy it, I enjoy it.”

Fr. Kubeck remembered once, early in 1961, being given a tour of the chapel by St. Josemaria Escriva with another seminarian in the Opus Dei offices. In the chapel was a special tabernacle in the shape of a dove and it was suspended from the ceiling with chains.

“The door to the tabernacle, the dove’s breast, is glass so it can be opened and you can see the host exposed there,” Fr. Kubeck said. On this tour St. Josemaria Escriva went around the chapel and explained to him the different “motifs.”

“The kneeler,” he said, “was one that St. Pius X had and that the family of St. Pius X had given it to St. Josemaria. He pointed these things out to us, so that was a memorable moment.”

St. Josemaria Escriva, Fr. Kubeck said, loved jokes.The future St. Josemaria Escriva is pictured in Fátima, Portugal. Nov. 2, 1972. (Submitted photos courtesy the Opus Dei Communications Office)

“He helped me to distinguish between what was a dirty joke and a funny story that involved human sexuality,” Fr. Kubeck said. “You couldn’t help but be at ease in his presence.”

John Coverdale, lawyer and Milwaukee native, spent six years with St. Josemaria Escriva, 1962-1968. He said St. Josemaria Escriva had a great sense of humor, but rarely told jokes.

“He often made funny comments,” Coverdale, an author who has written books about St. Josemaria Escriva and Opus Dei, said. “He certainly liked it when people told jokes to him.”

Coverdale said even during those humorous times, St. Josemaria Escriva always reflected on his faith.

“He had such a vivid, strong faith,” Coverdale said. “One minute you could be laughing, seamlessly he would be talking about Our Lady or the Trinity.”

As Opus Dei became better known, so did the popularity of St. Josemaria Escriva, and with that popularity came greater demands to run the organization. Despite all that work, Coverdale said he always had time for people.

“He had a very full plate, yet he was very focused on individual people,” Coverdale said.

One of the things Coverdale said he misses is the way St. Josemaria Escriva used to greet him.

“He would say, ‘Chon!’; he could never get my name right,” Coverdale said. “I could still hear the warmth of his greeting.”

Coverdale attended St. Robert Parish, Shorewood, and joined Opus Dei while at Marquette University High School. He went to Rome in 1960 to begin his studies.

Fr. Kubeck said he didn’t know what Opus Dei was until his sophomore year of college.

“I had never heard of Opus Dei in my life, up until that point,” he said. 

After learning more about the order, Fr. Kubeck said it was the teaching that God is present in everyday life that made him decide it was right for him.

“(Opus Dei is) taking your Catholic faith seriously,” Fr. Kubeck said, adding that St. Josemaria Escriva taught that God has to be sought in everyday life.

Recently, Opus Dei was highlighted in the fictional book and later movie, based on the book, “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown. Its portrayal of the organization is controversial, but Fr. Kubeck said the publicity has helped Opus Dei.

“Many more people know about Opus Dei because of it,” Fr. Kubeck said. “It was a great help. I don’t know how many people I’ve met that have read it and said ‘it piqued my curiosity and I wanted to find out more.’”

St. Josemaria Escriva died in 1975 and was canonized in 2002. Fr. Kubeck traveled to Rome for the canonization.

“I looked up and thought, ‘Gosh, you know, Father (the name he always called St. Josemaria Escriva), I knew, but now it’s striking. I looked into those eyes for so long and I was looking into the eyes of a saint,’” Fr. Kubeck said. “Then it occurred to me that he was like telling me, ‘My son, I, too, was looking into the eyes of a saint.’ And that really caught me and I shed a few tears at that point.”

“Which number do you want, the Wisconsin number or the Bengals number?” Zeitler said.

Kevin Zeitler signs the shirt of Jack Van Dyke, a third grader at St. Monica School in Whitefish Bay. Looking on is his friend Andrew Clements. More photos can be viewed and purchased at photos.chnonline.org. (Catholic Herald photos by Ernie Mastroianni)“Um, the Bengals,” the kid said and turned around so Zeitler, the 2012 NFL first round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals, can sign his name and uniform number 68, a small adjustment from years of signing autographs with his Badger number 70. 

This was one of dozens of autographs he would sign at the 65th Annual St. Monica’s Sports Night on Thursday, May 3. Zeitler, former Green Bay Packer offensive lineman Mark Tauscher and Marquette University basketball star Jae Crowder were featured at the annual parish event which drew about 350 people.

“I like talking to the kids,” Zeitler said. “I’ve been given a platform and whatever I can do to help some schools and stuff is always worth it.”

The St. Monica Sports Night is one of two events organized by the St. Monica Booster Club to fund the athletic department. Over the years, the event has attracted a plethora of Wisconsin athletic stars. In 2003, the event featured Packers wide receiver Donald Driver and then-Marquette basketball head coach Tom Crean, accompanied by Dwayne Wade who earlier that day had announced he would enter the NBA draft.

“It’s our fundraiser for uniforms, coaches; last year we bought a new scoreboard,” said Ned Neitzel, a parishioner and booster club member. “This is our major fundraising event for athletics at the school.”

For Rob Mulcahy, 45-year veteran of the event and former student at St. Monica, it’s about creating memories for the students while helping the athletic department.

“I remember when Paul Hornung came here (in 1964), I remember when Bart Starr came here (in 1966),” he said. “It allows a Catholic grade school to have a wide variety of sports. We wouldn’t have any of it without this booster club.”

Booster club president Dan McNally said the event has social and financial benefits.Marquette University basketball star Jae Crowder shakes hands with St. Monica eighth grader Anna Flemma. In the background are Maddie Coleman and St. Monica athletic director Mark Hoschild.

“Financially, it means that tuition and fees are lower for all families as the costs of the athletic program and facilities are covered by booster club fundraising,” McNally said. “Socially, it means that the St. Monica community has a unique and special tradition to rally around every year.”

Besides featuring big names from the sports community, tickets and autographed memorabilia are auctioned. This year, a Milwaukee Brewers 20-ticket suite pack with four-premium parking pass tickets, sold for $1,500 and another Brewers ticket four-pack for the Mother’s Day game versus the Chicago Cubs in the 200s section sold for $225.

The event also gives the guests an opportunity to inspire the kids to do well in their own lives.

“The biggest thing for me is to illustrate some of my experiences struggling with reading and some other things that I’ve been able to overcome,” Tauscher said. “Just perseverance, fighting through stuff when bad stuff happens. Don’t let that define you.”

Tauscher was the only Catholic of the athletic guests and belongs to St. Albert the Great and Blessed Sacrament parishes in Madison.

Zeitler, a Lutheran, said religion has had an impact on him on and off the field.

“I think it helped me a lot at Wisconsin,” he said. “I felt like, higher moral standards I guess, in some situations. Just, you know, avoiding certain things other players did, such as drugs and alcohol. It just never crossed my mind to do that.”

Zeitler added that faith helped him keep a “cooler head” on the field when going up against “trash talking” defensive players.

“I never fought or punched back,” Zeitler said.

On draft night his Catholic fiancé from St. Joseph Parish, Big Bend, Sara Braun, kept repeating Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” to calm him down.

Zeitler said after he got the news, he said a “thank you” prayer and let out a sigh of relief.

Crowder, who is hoping to be drafted in the June 28 NBA draft, said he never felt like an outsider being a non-Catholic at a Jesuit university.

“(Marquette) is a family oriented university,” Crowder said. “Each Jesuit university you see that’s highly praised. You have a good sense of a home feeling away from home.”

This is Crowder’s second appearance speaking at a charity event since the Marquette basketball season ended, and he sees the events as a way for him to make an impact.

“I feel like this is always a great way to give back and a good way to show that I want to give back to the community,” he said. “I feel like it’s the right thing to do…. If I can help one little young man tonight, if I can help them focus on their dream and succeed in it, that would mean the world to me.”

Like the young students in the crowd, Zeitler and Crowder are looking to their own futures with anxiety and excitement. Kevin Zeitler, left, and Mark Tauscher meet some St. Monica School students during annual Sports Night in Whitefish Bay on Thursday, May 3. From left are Will Landon, C. J. Deslongchamps and Aaron Diamond.

Zeitler admitted he feels “weird” about being a Bengal.

“I’ve always been a Packer (backer),” Zeitler said, but added he’s looking forward to the 2012 NFL season.

Tauscher, now retired, offered words of advice.

“Just have fun with it,” he said. “It’s a great time in your life.”

Crowder said he’s anxious to go up against the best in the NBA. As a first team Big East conference member and Big East player of the year, some draft watchers project him to be selected in the first round.

The Marquette senior came to the event late because of a class and said it’s hard to focus on what’s going on in the classroom with the NBA hanging over his head.

“The majority of the time, that’s what I’m thinking about,” Crowder said, adding he’s not nervous and has a “free mind.”

When asked for a pre-season prediction about his former team, the Packers, Tauscher said, “It’s good times ahead.”

Fr. James KubickiIn “A Heart on Fire: Rediscovering Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” (Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Ind.), Jesuit Fr. James Kubicki has written what he termed “a love story,” drawing upon the association people make to those words and heart symbols in depicting love. 

“That’s why I bring in contemporary music and allusions to the heart symbol that we see all over and to say, if we’re so familiar with the symbol of the heart in our contemporary culture, why can’t it also be part of our spirituality?” the Milwaukee native said. “Why can’t that symbol speak to people today?”

National director of the Milwaukee-based Apostleship of Prayer since 2003, Fr. Kubicki hopes “A Heart on Fire” will attract those who are familiar with the devotion that dates to the 17th century, and those that are discovering it.

“Rediscover can be thought of as people who grew up with the devotion but who have let it slide or the church rediscovering, and so that would include people who never knew it. There’s a whole group, a couple of generations of people, to whom this would be completely new,” he said.

Personal relationship with Jesus

For those unfamiliar with devotion to the Sacred Heart, the priest said the book shows them “the benefits of this kind of spirituality.”

“It fits in very well with people going to college or in high school and meeting fervent evangelical Christians who will ask them, ‘Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?’” Fr. Kubicki said. “And this would be the Catholic version of a very deep, personal relationship with Jesus. And so the answer flowing from acquiring this devotion is, ‘Yes, I do.’”

After the Second Vatican Council, Sacred Heart devotions, like other devotions in the church, e.g., Mother of Perpetual Help, nearly disappeared from parishes. The priest said the council’s emphasis on the Eucharist might have left Catholics with the impression that there was a de-emphasis on personal devotion.

“The two need to go together, because if we don’t have a kind of personal relationship with Jesus, then, when we come to the celebration of the Mass, we’re asking to be entertained rather than to enter into the great mystery of the Eucharist,” Fr. Kubicki said. “If we don’t bring our hearts and heads to the celebration of the Mass, but approach it as a passive audience, then we’re not really celebrating the Eucharist.”

‘God’s devotion to us’

“A Heart on Fire,” according to the priest, is not necessarily something people will read cover to cover. Rather, he sees it as a resource, a reference book.

“If they wanted Scriptural references for the Litany (of the Sacred Heart), if they wanted suggestions for how to spend an hour in adoration, if they wanted a family consecration formation format, it’s got all of those things,” he said.

Fr. Kubicki noted that Catholics should understand who is devoted to whom.

“One of the most important points of the book, and I try to make this clear: It’s not our devotion; it’s God’s devotion to us, to which we respond,” he said. “So, depending on how aware we are of God’s devotion to us, our devotion will be small, or large; it will be consuming our whole life or it will be, ‘I’ll give you his little bit of time.’”

The priest illustrated his point with a nuptial image:

“There are two spouses, and one of them says, ‘What’s the minimal requirement for me to keep you happy?’ That marriage isn’t going to last. Or, ‘How far can I go before you’re going to be upset with me?’ That won’t last,” Fr. Kubicki said. “Love always asks, ‘What more can I do to show you my love?’ God says that to us: ‘How far do I need to go to prove my love to you? I’ve opened my arms and my heart on the cross. How do you respond?’ Our response should be, ‘Lord, what more can I do to return your love?’”

Words, action

The priest differentiated between “saying prayers” and “praying.”

“Some of the expressions of this devotion led to, ‘OK, I’m going to say these prayers, I’m going to pay my dues by going to nine first Friday Masses, I’m going to pray the litany, I’m going to consecrate my family, and then they’ll be safe,’” he said. “They’re very external. My hope with this was to say the very nature of the devotion is to go deeper in our own affective lives and to enter into the heart of Jesus through the word and sacrament.”

The priest said “A Heart on Fire,” which has sold more than 5,000 copies in its first month of publication, could help people grow in faith.

“Whatever helps you grow in this personal, heart-centered, deeply intimate relationship with Jesus will help you celebrate the Mass better, and participate better – not just with sitting and standing and kneeling and responding – but with your whole mind and heart engaged,” he said.

While devotions are often seen as individual practices, Fr. Kubicki referenced the 1965 song “What the World Needs Now is Love” in noting the communal nature of Sacred Heart devotions.

“My hope is that people would recover or find this devotion to the heart of Jesus, and through it have a deeper experience of the Eucharist so that they encounter the heart of Jesus when they hear the Word proclaimed at Mass, and that they are aware of receiving a new heart in Holy Communion,” he said. “And then that they go out and live lives that have been transformed by this encounter and communion with the Lord.”

Baseball great Henry Aaron and Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary Miguel Conway share a laugh Saturday, May 19. Marquette University honored Aaron and Sr. Miguel with honorary doctor of humane letters degrees during the university’s 131st commencement ceremony on May 20. (Marquette University photo by Dan Johnson)For years, the Boone, Iowa, native felt pulled to mission work and was thrilled when her community, the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sent her to help a young Jesuit priest who wrote to the community desperate for help with his fledging mission in Ecuador’s second most populous city.

But this?

To her, this looked like a big, old attic with nothing but a dining room table, a kitchen set up in a tiny corner and a huge pile of sand in the middle of the floor.

It was a mess, she decided, even after the young priest told her the pile of sand was to build a bathroom for the center, which served Quito’s impoverished street kids.

“I took one look from one end of the place to another, and after I had looked, I remember (the priest) saying, ‘You know, the tables are new, at least you could say that you liked them,’” recounted Sr. Miguel about her introduction to the center and its founder, Jesuit Fr. John Halligan.

The bathroom building project was the first of many projects on which the two have partnered in the 45 years that have followed at the helm of the Working Boys’ Center.

Straightening out Padre’s ‘mess’

The way she recounts the early years now, Madre Miguel, as she’s known to the thousands of center families and volunteers, discovered Padre Juan making a mess of things until she arrived to help straighten him out.

Padre has a slightly different recollection. For example, some of her reforms, such as starting a Christmas Club savings program for the kids “ruined Christmas” for them, he said, noting, “I was happy and independent before I met her. I am no longer that.”

Describing her as a “terror,” he said, “I think she thinks God died and put her in charge.”

The good-natured bantering between Padre and Madre is couched in affection and illustrates the family atmosphere the two have created at the center for thousands of people, according to her sister, Patricia Parks, a member of St. Mary Parish, Elm Grove.

Becomes Doctor Miguel

Madre Miguel was in Milwaukee in mid-May and was awarded a doctor of humane letters degree during Marquette University’s commencement ceremony on May 20.

In 1989, Padre Juan was similarly honored by Marquette University with an honorary doctorate, but according to Madre Miguel, he likes to brag that he got his first and his status is being diminished because they’re handing them out to people like her.

Kidding aside, the two have partnered over the years to create a center that has served more than 6,000 families or about 30,000 people, allowing them to leave poverty forever, according to center brochures. The Working Boys’ Center is described on the brochure “as a transformation program equipping 400 families a year with self-reliance skills that empower the entire family to move from poverty to prosperity through values-based education and training in high-demand trades.”

When Padre Juan wrote to numerous religious orders in the late 1960s asking for help, he had a vision and a plan partly in place. He had been sent by the Jesuits to Quito to work with the street kids who were often the breadwinners in their families.

“I dreamed of going on to a lot of things, but there I was with 250 kids, and it was absolutely too clear, I was doing something wrong,” he said to your Catholic Herald in an interview May 17 at the Parks’ home.

“I couldn’t bring up kids; it takes a woman,” said Padre Juan, describing his situation as “beyond hopelessness.”

Original vision was Padre’s

When Madre Miguel arrived, she found that Padre Juan had already set up a system where the children received one meal a day and that he had started a shoemaking project and had a little going in the areas of carpentry and dentistry.

Madre Miguel Conway is “hooded” by Tom MacKinnon, left, and Marquette president Jesuit Fr. Scott Pilarz, during Marquette University commencement ceremonies at the Bradley Center, May 20. (Marquette University photo by Dan Johnson)“He had started a number of programs and I confess the vision was his of what it eventually would become,” admitted Madre Miguel, explaining she helped put into action and refined some of his many ideas.

For example, originally her task was to travel the area to make sure the boys were in school. By the end of the first year, she determined it would be much more convenient for them to start their own school, rather than her running around the city trying to find out if the kids had been attending the various schools.

Today, the center – which expanded to a second location in 1991 – educates children as young as preschool through technical school. In fact, its technical school was named the best in Ecuador in 1997, 2005 and 2007. Three meals are offered daily, along with a health care program, dental care and job training in baking, toy making, industrial sewing, cosmetology, sales and marketing and health promotion.

“Everything we do is an answer to a felt need,” explained Madre Miguel as she relaxed on the couch in her sister’s home. “We see a need and create it and try to keep it like a family at all times.”

Unique approach to poverty

Padre Juan’s vision takes a unique approach to poverty, explained Madre Miguel.

“What’s good about the center, and what we hope will make it last, is we don’t deal with poverty as anything except a moral problem, a problem of values. We help people practice these values,” she said of the center that teaches children and adults to be good members of the family. “We teach them what religion is where we see Christ curing and giving witness .... You have to have a lot of vision if you think of getting involved and think of making the world a better place as a springboard to salvation.”

Madre Miguel explained that when a family arrives they are told that the center is not a charity program.

“We are not giving anybody anything except a way for them to do for themselves. They go take charge of their lives and get themselves out of poverty,” she said. “’Do you want to change your life?’ we ask. If so, we are with you,” she said, explaining she believes poverty is not an economics problem, but a spiritual problem.

And they proudly point to some of their many success stories, including two former street kids, Carlos Gómez and Jorge Borja, who now hold leadership positions in the center.

Learn values to change world

Through their programs, participants learn values to change the world and learn the chief value of service to others, said Madre Miguel. Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary Madre Miguel Conway is surrounded by children from the Working Boys’ Center in Quito, Ecuador in this undated photo. (Submitted photo courtesy the Working Boys’ Center)

“The big Jesuit push is you got to be more to serve better,” she said.

Through the years, the center has relied on hundreds of volunteers, many of whom spend a year or two volunteering. Many of the early volunteers came from Milwaukee, thanks to the Parks family and Patricia Parks who created Family Unity International Inc., nearly 20 years ago to fundraise and generate volunteers for the center.

Seeing her sister honored by Marquette has been a proud moment for her.

“I feel overjoyed about (the honorary doctorate),” said Parks. “She’s as wise and holy as anyone I know and they always say they did it together, but the world being what it is, society tends to give accolades first to the man.

“I am thrilled that Marquette University had the foresight and wisdom to see a woman religious who so exemplifies what women religious are doing around the world,” she said.

‘Original tough love on two feet’

Parks described her sister as “the original tough love on two feet.”

With Madre Miguel, she said, “What you see is what you get. She’s extremely fair and in Quito, they know they can’t put anything past her. But when they need a loving ear and loving counsel, they know where to go to get understanding and compassion. She has a stern countenance, like the Mother Superior in ‘Sound of Music,’ but also an outstanding sense of humor.”

Equally proud of the honor for Madre Miguel, Padre Juan apologized for what he said sounded corny, but said she’s sort of epitomizes femininity and happiness.

“If you don’t have a mother to bring you up, there’s some hole to fill. Miguel fills all those holes for thousands of people all the time,” he added.

Patricia Jessup, Parks’ daughter and Madre Miguel’s niece, said one of her favorite stories about the center involves her aunt’s practical approach to life. As a former mathematics teacher who was raised in a home where budgeting was important, she’d often say to Padre Juan, “Where you do think we’re going to get the money for this?

“His response, ‘Sister, this is a faith operation. If God wants it to go, he does not need you or me to make that happen.’ Obviously he did want it to happen,” explained Jessup, one of many center volunteers who now serves as development director.

Confident work will go on

At 75 and 82 respectively, Madre Miguel and Padre Juan, with the help of a third religious, Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary Cindy Sullivan, continue with a full daily schedule. The three of them begin the day with prayer and reflection; Padre Juan is in charge of a study hall for high school students, while Madre Miguel does accounting work in the main office. Group meetings and teaching are often part of their days.

Padre and Madre, Jesuit Fr. John Halligan and Sister of the Blessed Virgin Mary Miguel Conway, pose for a photo during a gathering for Madre Miguel at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, May 18, where WBC supporters celebrated Madre’s 45 years of service. (Submitted photo by Jane Gleeson, courtesy the Working Boys’ Center)As the only priest, Padre Juan, accompanied by Madre Miguel, travels to the centers for Mass and also serves the needs of the three local parishes he oversees. They also squeeze in time for working with the volunteers and thanking benefactors. Their day doesn’t end until 8 p.m.

Any chance she gets, Madre Miguel loves to dabble with photography, and, in fact, has taken many of the center’s publicity photos.

Looking to the future, the two are confident that “if God wants,” they have put the pieces in place for it to continue long after they can operate it. They have “assembled groups of adult leaders who are very convinced their happiness and salvation lies in serving other people,” said Madre Miguel, explaining that in 1968 or ‘69, there would have been no way that she and Padre Juan could have left the center together, as there would have been no one to run it in their absence. Today, however, a leadership team is in place that guarantees it will go on.

“My feeling of greatest accomplishment is I’ve been able to teach people the strength of families to change (their circumstances) and lift themselves out of poverty,” she said, calling her work, not just a job, but a vocation. “I’m convinced the only way to change the world is person by person.”

Simple, but powerful words rooted in faith guide 93-year-old School Sister of Notre Dame Lucy Marie Ruebenzer as she hopes and prays Our Lady of Mount Carmel convent remains somehow in service to God when it closes this summer after 160 years.

An aerial view of the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Convent campus in Mount Calvary. (Photos courtesy of School Sisters of Notre Dame)Leaders of the Central Pacific Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame decided last October to permanently shut the doors of the convent in this rural crossroads community in eastern Fond du Lac County.

The decision followed a recommendation in January, 2011 by the former Milwaukee Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame to close the convent. That recommendation was based on a 20-year study of the convent’s facilities.

A decrease in the number of sisters living at Mount Carmel, along with its aging buildings, most in need of major repairs and upgrades, forced the decision, said Sr. Maxine Bauer, local leader of the SSND.

“Our boiler system has been running overtime on our prayers,” Sr. Maxine said. “ God is good. We’ve made it through many cold winters.”

In a letter notifying benefactors of the decision to close Mount Carmel, Sr. Maxine said plans are to sell the convent’s buildings and its 37 acres located in the center of Mount Calvary, near St. Lawrence Seminary High School.

The sisters and their convent played crucial roles at least twice in the history of St. Lawrence Seminary and the Capuchin Franciscans who founded the school.

‘Hub of educational opportunity’

Established in 1852 as a hub of educational opportunity for Mount Calvary and the surrounding Fond du Lac County area known locally as the “Holy Land,” the convent changed its mission in recent decades from one of being a school with as many as 65 sisters in residence to a home for retired Notre Dame sisters and for sisters in poor health.

Some of the 22 Mount Carmel sisters have relocated or will relocate to Sheboygan, Green Bay, or Notre Dame of Elm Grove, a long-term care facility offering resources and nursing facilities to meet their needs.

Sr. Lucy came to Mount Carmel 43 years ago, in 1969, and served as the convent’s official driver.

“They called me ‘Sister Go-Go.’ We had a brown, Ford station wagon. I would drive the sisters to appointments in Fond du Lac and to airports in Chicago, Milwaukee and Green Bay,” she said.

Hidden in a century-old red barn on the convent site is a six-passenger white golf cart used by Sr. Lucy to give visitors rides on the convent grounds when age prevented her from driving on area highways.

“When visitors came I always gave them a nice ride the first time around the property. The second time I would go real fast. I’ll miss my golf cart. Sr. Maxine said we should put our names on whatever we want to take with us to Elm Grove. I’m putting my name on the golf cart,” Sr. Lucy said.

The State of Wisconsin was just four years old when Mother Caroline Friess founded Mount Carmel in July of 1852. The Mount Calvary facility was the first branch house of the Milwaukee motherhouse of School Sisters of Notre Dame, established two years earlier.

A local Catholic priest, Fr. Casper Rehrl, purchased 40 additional acres and built two log cabins, one for the school and one for the teacher. It was Fr. Rehrl who introduced Mother Caroline, during the feast of Corpus Christi, to the school and future convent. The meeting followed a journey for Mother Caroline from Milwaukee to Sheboygan by boat and by buggy to Greenbush on the way to Mount Calvary.

During the buggy trip to Mount Calvary (then known as Calvary), Mother Caroline was forced to flee the buggy several miles from her destination.

The quilt hanging in the convent depicts Mother Caroline, in a white habit, suitcase in hand, jumping from the buggy.

“The driver of the buggy made improper advances to her so she jumped out with her bags and walked to the nearest log cabin, whose occupants gave her a ride the next day to Mount Calvary,” said Sr. Maxine.

Serving the poor

Life was tough for the early sisters/teachers as they reached out to the poverty-stricken families of the surrounding community, said Sr. Maxine.

“Students were supposed to pay 12 cents a month for board. Half of them couldn’t afford it,” Sr. Maxine said. “The sisters usually lived on black coffee and bread. Sometimes they would even ask the students for part of their lunch. There just wasn’t anything.”

The sisters’ long partnership with the Capuchins (and the future St. Lawrence Seminary) began after 1856 when two Swiss priests, Fr. Gregory Haas and Fr. John Frey, came to Mount Calvary intent on establishing the first permanent friary of the Capuchin Order in the United States. As the priests struggled financially to build a friary, the sisters offered to temporarily turn their convent over to them.

The Capuchins started the Convent Latin School in 1860 and in 1862 founded St. Lawrence Seminary.

Meanwhile, the sisters built a brick building to replace the wooden boarding house and slept in it one night before a fire on Christmas Day night in 1868 burned down the friary, Sr. Maxine said.

“The fire hit during a typhoid epidemic among the students at St. Lawrence. They didn’t have any place to take the sick students so the sisters told the Capuchins to bring the students to Mount Carmel,” Sr. Maxine said.

Partners with the community

The sisters’ partnership with the Mount Calvary community was just as strong as the one it had with the Capuchins, said Esther Boehnlein, a Mount Calvary native who attended Holy Cross School.

“The sisters always seemed to have a smile on their face. When you met them on the street they were always willing to talk to you,” Boehnlein said. “ When I went to school they were always so kind. You had to have breakfast, lunch and dinner. The sisters always made sure you got fed.”

Boehnlein said her husband and other community members would go up the hill to help the sisters butcher chickens once a year.

“That was a big deal. We used to butcher 50 chickens a day,” said Sr. Joan Emily Kaul. “We used to supply all the eggs for the motherhouse.”

Sr. Lucy said the convent, up until a couple years ago, also raised cattle, a practice going back to the founding days when Mother Petra Forrenia Kletzlen, a novice when she came to Mount Calvary in 1854, decided the Mount Carmel mission needed cows for milk.

“The motherhouse said no.  Mother Petra bought a cow anyway. When she sent in the bill she put down ‘roast beef’ and got away with it,” Sr. Lucy said.

Mother Petra served the convent for 68 years and is buried in a small cemetery on the convent grounds.

Sr. Joan Emily, 86, said she hopes the historic cemetery is saved, but feels there is no use to fighting to save the entire convent complex.

“I can hardly think about it being closed without getting choked up. But I know this is the way it has to be. We can’t keep going with the sisters the way they are. That would be dumb,” said Sr. Joan Emily, who served as the Holy Cross School building administrator before it was torn down.

“We don’t have the people to put into the place anymore. Common sense says you can’t keep up something when you don’t have the resources. Even so, leaving here is hard because it’s so beautiful,” she said.

Common sense doesn’t dull emotions for the sisters and Mt. Calvary residents.

“I remember as a child picking asparagus along the road and taking it up to the sisters, who would buy it and give you nickels,” said Mt. Calvary resident Shirley Horn. “They would be delighted to get it. Whenever you did something for them they would reward you, either with a holy object, candy or something like that. The community always respects the sisters. The closing is sad. I hope they preserve the buildings.”

An auction is scheduled for July 14 to dispose of anything remaining at the convent.

‘Sad day’

“I might go to the auction out of curiosity, but it will be a very sad day,” Horn said.

Sr. Cynthia Bormann, 81, said she isn’t looking forwarding to moving to Elm Grove.

“I’ll miss Mt. Carmel. Elm Grove is an institution. This is not an institution. It’s home. You can walk into the kitchen and get anything you want. We’re not going to find that at Elm Grove,” Sr. Cynthia said.

Sr. Regina Meyer uses a motorized wheelchair to get around the convent complex, but is reluctant to leave hilly surroundings and solitude of Mt. Carmel.

“There are more people living at Elm Grove and I don’t like crowds. It’s so peaceful and quiet here,” said Sr. Regina, who taught math and English in Catholic schools in Wauwatosa, South Milwaukee and West Bend before retiring to Mount Carmel.

Sr. Maxine said the remaining sisters recently spent time reflecting on the past and future of Mount Carmel.

“During Mass we went over, room-by-room, recalling stories about things important to each person we did in that room. We also talked about special things we did like dressing up in costumes for Halloween,” Sr. Maxine said.

A ritual closing Mass was celebrated Sunday, June 10.

Sr. Maxine, who is charged with organizing the sisters’ move to other facilities, said she hasn’t had time to mourn the convent’s closing.

“I tell everyone I’m going to cry when I’m gone from here. I don’t have time to cry now,” she said. “I do feel bad. Our presence has been here for 160 years. Our presence is not going to be here anymore. And there’s nothing we can do about it.”