The Archdiocese of Milwaukee Organization Chart is available as a PDF below. To print the complete document, you must print on legal-size paper (11 x 14) or select "Fit to printable area" on the Print Options.

Then Jesus approached and said to them, "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." (MT 28:18-20)

Last summer Archbishop Timothy Dolan launched a planning effort as part of the Living Our Faith initiative. Actually, pastoral planning has been an active and important component of our pastoral life since the Archdiocesan Synod of 1987-1988. But now the archbishop wanted to assure that the pastoral work throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee still is in line with the ongoing mission Christ gave to his disciples, while also being appropriate for the 21st century.

Recommendations for the Archbishop to consider have been brought together. These recommendations speak to the experience of the parishioners and focus on the priorities that Archbishop Dolan, after a year-long consultation upon his arrival almost six years ago, has set for the People of God in this archdiocese:

• Seek ye first the kingdom of God – primacy of the spiritual
• Strengthen our parishes
• Foster a sense of vocation in the Church
• Strengthen Catholic education and faith formation
• Emphasize our mission of justice and charity
• Cultivate good stewardship.

To address these priorities, the Church needs the full participation of each Church member so that Christ’s mission may flourish. Hence, the ongoing mission of the Catholic Church continues to drive the organization of the ministerial activities throughout the archdiocese. These activities provide support to the pastoral work grounded in its 211 parishes. Moreover, recognizing that not all parishes can do everything necessary to bring the mission to life, parish-based pastoral work is pursued collaboratively with neighboring parishes clustered together.

Archbishop Dolan continues to embrace his responsibility for the spiritual well-being of all the Christian faithful of the ten counties of southeastern Wisconsin. He cherishes being with his people for sacramental celebrations and activities that give witness to the faith, as well as accepting the administrative duties required by his office.

Auxiliary Bishop Richard Sklba continues to guide our participation in various ecumenical and interfaith dialogues. In addition, Bishop Sklba oversees the archdiocesan relationships with the Catholic religious orders and congregations that function within the archdiocese. He also appreciates opportunities to lead the people in learning more about the faith, and is energetic in the pastoral visitation of our parishes.

Auxiliary Bishop William Callahan, as the Moderator of the Curia, supervises the operations of the central offices. In addition, Bishop Callahan serves as Archbishop Dolan’s key person in coordinating and implementing archdiocesan plans and objectives on the district, cluster and parish levels. This latter responsibility is carried out working with the district deans, the pastors and the parish directors.

While all of the central office services aid the Church’s mission either directly or indirectly, some of the services require professional skills that could not prudently be expected to be found within many parishes and, thus, continue to be housed in the central offices. These services are provided by dedicated staff in offices such as the Chancery and Archives, Ecclesiastical Processes, Schools, Finance, Human Resources, Information Services and Technology, Stewardship and Development, Communication, Ecumenical and Interfaith Ministry, and at Archdiocesan Cemeteries.

In addition, as the leadership and participative roles of the laity within the ministerial life of the Church are increasing, the organization chart of the central offices reflects this shift. Most notably, this change is seen in the office that was known as the “Vicar for Clergy” as it now becomes the “Vicar for Ordained and Lay Ecclesial Ministry.” A lay person will be added to the professional staff of this office, joining a priest and a deacon.

In the future, however, other services of the central offices will facilitate an increase in the active participation of all Church members. These services will coordinate on a centralized basis various forms of ministry that actually are provided on a regional or local level. These centralized support activities include the John Paul II Evangelization Center, the Inter-Cultural Ministry, Parish Mission, Liturgy Ministry, and Social Justice Ministry.

To a large extent, each of these ministries will function by means of ministerial commissions. These ministerial commissions will be comprised of volunteer parishioners and parish staff members, and they will stand at the center of the archdiocesan coordination of pastoral services. Indeed, as a result, many persons from throughout the archdiocese (laity, religious women and men, deacons, and priests) will be welcomed to join mostly yet-to-be-formed ministerial commissions, in which the specific goals and tasks of much of the archdiocesan ministerial work will be determined and put into practice. A limited number of central office staff members will support this effort.

The active role of the Archdiocesan Council of Priests (ACP), the Archdiocesan Council of Deacons (ACD), and the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC), will continue to address the pastoral work of the archdiocese. Indeed, the APC, the ACP and the ADC will join the soon-to-be-formed Archdiocesan Lay Ecclesial Ministers Council (ALEMC) and the archdiocesan staff “Associates” to assist the dean of each district to plan, implement and evaluate pastoral priorities and initiatives on district, cluster and parish levels. In other words, all of these people, working under the supervision of Bishop Callahan and with the deans, pastors and parish directors, will enliven the faith of the Church throughout the ten counties of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The position of “Associate” is a new position within the central office structure. These highly-skilled individuals will associate themselves with Bishop Callahan and the district deans to assist in monitoring pastoral work, locating resources, animating ministerial programs, fostering collaboration, facilitating action, monitoring implementation, and assessing results to ensure accountability.

The ALEMC still is in formation, yet its function will be to help develop this expanding ministerial role in the Church.

The Archdiocesan Finance Council (AFC) is an important and canonically-required group that oversees the archdiocesan financial function to determine that it is operating properly and that it supports the long-term financial strategies of the archdiocese. The responsibilities of the AFC are expanding to improve the monitoring and coordinating of all archdiocesan finances.

Two other groups required by Church law, the College of Consultors (priest-advisers to the archbishop) and the Archdiocesan Review Board (a group comprised primarily of lay men and women), continue to function as in the past.

Finally, some of these recommended changes can be implemented promptly (e.g., the reorganization of the central offices), while others could be put in place over time (e.g., the formation and use of ministerial commissions). Planning continues to ensure effective structures are in place to support the mission of the Church.