Archbishop transition is one of his greatest challenges

By Bill Kurtz of the Catholic Herald Staff

ST. FRANCIS — Fr. Michael Witczak has been appointed rector of Saint Francis Seminary, effective Jan. 1. Witczak will succeed Fr. Andrew Nelson, whose resignation takes effect at that time.

Witczak, who grew up on Milwaukee’s east side, is a 1977 graduate of the seminary and holds a doctorate in sacred liturgy from the Pontifical Liturgical Institute in Rome. He joined the Saint Francis faculty in 1983, and has served as vice rector since 1997.

Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland said that “I have great confidence in Fr. Witczak. He has strong knowledge of the seminary’s history and traditions, as well as knowledge of the present needs of the church and our archdiocese. As a well-known and brilliant scholar, he has already shown his ability to analyze the current trends in both church and society.”

“I’m really pleased the archbishop and the seminary board thought I had the qualities needed for this time of transition,” Witczak said. The new rector declared that Nelson “dedicated his time here to stabilizing us in a difficult situation,” an era of declining enrollments when a number of diocesan seminaries closed. He said Nelson “did a great job of re-establishing a real trust” in the seminary’s future.

Weakland praised Nelson “for the wonderful zeal and enthusiasm he brought to his work as rector and for the admirable way he performed that task. He has left the seminary on a solid foundation, which makes a leadership transition so much easier.” Nelson will go on sabbatical, but hopes to resume teaching at Saint Francis on a part-time basis next fall.

Saint Francis is one of 18 diocesan seminaries nationwide. “A seminary does a number of different things for a diocese,” Witczak remarked. “It provides candidates for local service, and allows the diocese to tailor education for the local church.”

Witczak, who has been an assisting priest at St. Jerome, Oconomowoc, for the past 10 years, added that “those of us teaching here are in service to the local church. We are involved in parishes and teach at other institutions.”

Looking ahead, Witczak said that “I really see local recruitment of new seminarians as probably our number one priority.” In that effort, Witczak said he would work closely with Fr. Robert Stiefvater, the archdiocesan vocations office director.

The seminary currently has about 20 seminarians, 60 lay students and 60 students in its weekend program for deacons. Attracting more seminarians from other dioceses “is something we’re always willing to talk to other bishops about,” Witczak said, but he expects such discussions to be more likely after Weakland’s anticipated retirement next spring.

“One of the main challenges we’ll be facing [is] the uncertainty of a new bishop,” Witczak added. “I think that’s something everyone in the archdiocese is concerned about.”

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For the Archdiocese of Milwaukee release on the Rev. Witczak appointment, click here