Aloysius John Wycisło (June 17, 1908 – October 12, 2005) was the 8th
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Green BayThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
,
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
. He served from 1968 to 1983 after serving as an auxiliary bishop in the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of ChicagoThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest dioceses in the nation by population and comprises Cook and Lake counties, covering of Illinois...
.
Wycisło was born in 1908 to Simon and Victoria Czech Wycislo in Chicago, Illinois. He attended St. Mary Elementary School in
Cicero, IllinoisCicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 85,616 at the 2000 census. A 2003 Census estimate showed the population dipped to 83,029. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman...
;
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory SeminaryArchbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was a United States high school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood...
(high school) in Chicago; Mundelein Seminary at the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in
Mundelein, IllinoisMundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 30,935, and estimated to be 32,774 as of 2005.-History:...
; and
The Catholic University of AmericaThe Catholic University of America , located in Northeast Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Roman Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master's degree in social work.
He was ordained priest on April 7, 1934, by Cardinal George Mundelein at the University of St.
Aloysius John Wycisło (June 17, 1908 – October 12, 2005) was the 8th
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Green BayThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
,
WisconsinWisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states. Located in the north-central United States, Wisconsin is considered part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the...
. He served from 1968 to 1983 after serving as an auxiliary bishop in the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of ChicagoThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. The Archdiocese of Chicago is one of the largest dioceses in the nation by population and comprises Cook and Lake counties, covering of Illinois...
.
Background
Wycisło was born in 1908 to Simon and Victoria Czech Wycislo in Chicago, Illinois. He attended St. Mary Elementary School in
Cicero, IllinoisCicero is an incorporated town in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 85,616 at the 2000 census. A 2003 Census estimate showed the population dipped to 83,029. Cicero is named for the town of Cicero, New York, which in turn was named for Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman...
;
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory SeminaryArchbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was a United States high school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood...
(high school) in Chicago; Mundelein Seminary at the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in
Mundelein, IllinoisMundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 30,935, and estimated to be 32,774 as of 2005.-History:...
; and
The Catholic University of AmericaThe Catholic University of America , located in Northeast Washington, D.C., is the national university of the Roman Catholic Church and the only higher education institution founded by U.S. Roman Catholic bishops...
in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master's degree in social work.
Career
He was ordained priest on April 7, 1934, by Cardinal George Mundelein at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. During
WWIIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and into the 1950s, he served in Catholic War Relief Services, established refugee camps in the Middle East, India, and Africa, and later worked coordinating aid throughout Eastern and Western Europe at the request of the Polish American Relief Organization. He was consecrated a bishop on December 21, 1960, and served as auxiliary bishop to
Albert Cardinal MeyerAlbert Gregory Meyer was an American Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Chicago from 1958 to 1965, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1959.-Early life:...
of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He was appointed Bishop of
Roman Catholic Diocese of Green BayThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
(
Green Bay, WisconsinGreen Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.The city is located at the head of its namesake Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of 581 feet above sea level and is located 112 miles north of...
) on March 8, 1968, by
Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 1963 to 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
. Bishop Wycislo was officially installed to this Diocese on April 16, 1968.
His episcopal motto was
Caritati Instate (Be Steadfast in Charity).
Wycislo retired on June 17, 1983, his 75th birthday, when he submitted his letter of resignation to the Holy See. He remained active during his retirement by performing confirmations.
Author
Bishop Wycislo was an author as well, he wrote
Vatican Two Revisited; Reflections by One who was there , The
Saint PeterSimon Peter , Pétros “Rock”, Kephas in Hellenized Aramaic) was a leader of the early Christian Church, who features prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. Peter was the son of John, and was from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee...
, along with many other titles.
Death
On his death in 2005 at the age of 97, he was the oldest living Roman Catholic bishop in the United States, and also was one of the few living Fathers of the
Second Vatican CouncilThe Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October, 1962 and closed under Pope Paul VI on 8 December, 1965...
.
External links