The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is strengthening its high-quality, local formation programs, while seeking to attract more candidates to serve as priests, deacons and lay ministers in southeastern Wisconsin. Here are the latest facts:

Priestly Formation updates include:

• 36 men started priestly formation classes this fall! That’s 3 more than last year.
• Seminarians will now receive their academic formation through collaboration with Sacred Heart School of Theology. Seminarians will have an early breakfast and then carpool to SHST for classes four days a week.
• Spiritual, pastoral and human formation will continue at the Saint Francis campus.
• Bishop Richard J. Sklba, Fr. Stephen Malkiewicz, Gary Pokorny, Fr. Michael Witczak and, after Jan. 1, Fr. Javier Bustos will each teach one or two courses at Sacred Heart during the coming academic year. Fr. Mel Michalski will be a full-time member of the faculty.
• Dr. Jane Linahan is serving as Saint Francis de Sales Seminary’s Interim Academic Dean.

Lay Graduate student details have been clarified:

• 23 students are continuing lay formation this fall through Saint Francis Seminary.
  While academics will now be handled by other institutions such as Sacred Heart School of Theology, Cardinal Stritch University and Marquette University, the Seminary will offer pastoral and spiritual formation for up to two years.
• The Seminary will help students to develop personal plans to complete their degrees.
• Students who choose to transfer to another institution will receive help from Saint Francis Seminary to facilitate a smooth transition.
• Financial assistance will continue to be available to students.

The Certificate Division is spelling out details for upcoming years, including:

• We currently have 84 students (including 44 pre-admissions). That total includes 23 deacon candidates.
• 2006-2007 classes will continue at the Seminary site, and fifth-year diaconate students will be ordained in June 2007
• 2008 – third-year lay and deacon certificate candidates will earn certificates in 2008. Deacon candidates will then complete their final year of formation for 2009 ordination.
• Future plans for lay and deacon formation are being developed for the team envisioning the John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization.

The College Program will now take on a new format.
Undergraduate students who are discerning priesthood will attend St. Joseph College Seminary at Loyola University in Chicago, www.stjoseph.luc.edu. The archdiocese will also continue to offer Seminary Without Walls which gives individuals opportunities to meet, pray, and participate in formation with others discerning priesthood while attending local colleges or universities. Participants will live either at home or on the college campus.

The Preaching Institute will change.
Ongoing homiletic enrichment will be provided by Fr. Bill Stanfield through the Office of Continuing Formation for Clergy. This would include oversight of the Kortendick Grant for the Enrichment of Preaching in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Lay preaching formation may become part of the new John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization.

A preliminary Seminary campus recommendation has been made as preparations are made to move archdiocesan central offices to the Seminary campus.
A Cousins Center team is working on issues related to their move to the Seminary. Given preliminary Seminary reconfiguration and reconstruction time lines, these move dates are anticipated: Seminary offices will begin to move in early 2007.
Cousins Center offices are likely to move to the Seminary campus in spring/summer 2007.

Great effort is being made to maintain the integrity of the formation program by keeping Seminary offices and classrooms separate from archdiocesan offices.

Archbishop Dolan has selected the following individuals to lead the transition:
Jerry Topczewski, Transition Team Leader
Fr. Mike Witczak, Academic formation and the relationship with SHST
Fr. Don Hying, Priestly Formation
Gary Pokorny, Lay Graduate program
Tim Charek, Certificate Division
Tom VanHimbergen, Facility Transition
Clem Maslowski, Finance and Budget
Fr. Javier Bustos, John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization

Hard work continues as we delve into the many details involved in this transition process. Enhancements to high-quality, local formation will ultimately offer greater convenience for non-resident students; foster life-long learning among Catholics throughout southeastern Wisconsin and achieve financial solvency. Today’s needs, growth, technology and dynamics help position the Seminary for the next 150-plus years.

Questions? Send your ideas, thoughts and questions to questions@sfs.edu. Responses will be provided by email, phone or in person per your request.