Arch. Milwaukee to begin $300k victim therapy fund if judge approves

As part of the Plan of Reorganization, we will ask the bankruptcy judge to allow us to establish a fund dedicated to providing therapy and counseling to abuse victims of diocesan clergy. Currently, the archdiocese spends approximately $70,000 each year for therapy and counseling for abuse survivors who come forward for this assistance. This fund will be launched with an initial contribution of $300,000. The therapy fund will be “evergreen,” meaning that it will be established in a way that allows it to be replenished, so that payments for therapy will continue for as long as abuse victims come forward for such assistance. We are establishing it, not because we are required to, but because our commitment in faith calls us to do so. Let me explain.

As you know, the bankruptcy process is a financial proceeding designed to compensate those making claims. I have stated previously, and want to emphasize again, that beyond financial settlements, outreach and assistance to abuse survivors is an ongoing and permanent ministry of the Church. The most important thing we as a Church can and must do, is to continue to provide therapy assistance to those who have been harmed, even if their claims are not recognized under civil law, which may be the case for certain of the claims filed against the archdiocese in the Chapter 11 proceeding.

In order to prepare the Plan of Reorganization, it is important to know how many claims will qualify for compensation and which claims cannot be honored. Soon, attorneys for the archdiocese will be filing motions to ask the judge to decide which claims against the archdiocese will be allowed under bankruptcy law. If the court is not going to allow a particular type of claim (for example, a claim that is past the statute of limitations; a claim brought by an individual who previously reached a legal settlement with the archdiocese; or a claim against a person who was never an employee of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee), then people need to know this so they have a realistic expectation as they proceed with the claims

-Abp. Listecki

Sorry, couldn't find the online version of the newsletter online. 

+Listecki to speak at War Memorial Center on Veterans Day

"Veterans Day, this year on November 11th, falls two months after the 10-year anniversary of 9/11," said Secretary John A. Scocos. "For those who have ever worn the uniform in service to our nation, Veterans Day has significant meaning."

In addition, as part of Veterans Day, in 2007 Wisconsin Act 22, the State of Wisconsin has declared that the seven-day period that ends on November 11 (Nov. 5-11, 2011) is designated as "Veterans Recognition Week" in Wisconsin and the week of November that starts on Sunday and ends on Saturday in which Nov. 11 falls (Nov. 6-12, 2011) is designated as "Hire A Veteran Week" in Wisconsin.

Friday, November 11, 2011 at 5:30 p.m. - 2011 Veterans Day Banquet at the War Memorial Center in Milwaukee. Speakers include U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John McCoy, Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki, and Wis. Dept. of Veterans Affairs Secretary John A. Scocos.

Isthmus 

You might know Abp. Listecki served as an Army Reserve Chaplain in the United States Army Reserves for 20 years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel.

+Listecki to lead Rome pilgrimage as part of Vatican visit

Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops, including Milwaukee Archdiocese Jerome Listecki, will head to Rome in February for his quinquennial ad limina trip, in which prelates provide the Vatican a full accounting of their ministries and operations every five years.

As part of that pilgrimage, Listecki will meet with Pope Benedict XVI and individual offices of the Roman Curia, or Vatican administration, and discussions will range from pastoral priorities and initiatives to the bankruptcy, said spokeswoman Julie Wolf. Some of the meetings, including the visit with the Pope, are likely to be group sessions that include other the bishops in the region -- Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.

Listecki will be in Rome from Feb. 10 to 17, and local Catholics are invited to travel with him, according to a post on the archdiocese web site.

MJS FaithWatch

I just have to say that the new Journal Sentinel FaithWatch blog is being done really well!  I've been pleasantly surprised.  I just wish they had an RSS feed for it so I could put it on the side bar.  When I tried it before it was showing all stories, not just FaithWatch.  The sports one seems to work fine though.  Okay I just tried it again and it looks like it's working.  I need to clean up that side bar a bit I think....  Oh but I have found these posts to actually be more interesting to me than the feature articles on religion.  They did a big writeup on women's ordination when Call to Action was in town.  Those stories tend to be a bit more boring when the editor just has an axe to grind.  Rah, rah, rah, Church needs to get a clue.. zzzzzzzzzzzz.  If they start their own church, or have an honest debate, that would be interesting but otherwise it's the same old story I've read 100 times. 

Photo

Weekly Traditional Latin Mass in Kenosha, and an endorsement?

Kenosha and Racine Area Catholics
A 12 Noon Sunday Traditional Latin Mass will be offered weekly at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church
1919-54th Street, Kenosha, WI
Phone: 262-652-7660

Father Dwight Campbell and Father Benjamin Reese will offer this Mass regularly.

Please visit Apostles of Jesus Christ to learn more about the new society of diocesan priests located at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish.

Latin Mass Kenosha

Innnnnnnte'esting!  So if we go to the society's website, look at what we find there....

"Father Campbell and Father Reese bring with them a rich tradition, a pastoral heritage, a heart for the people that they serve but also a vision; a vision to create a spirituality in the lives of many as apostles of Jesus Christ who is both priest and victim."

His Eminence Jerome Listecki
Archbishop Of Milwaukee

Fr. Meney elevates the Holy Eucharist before Holy Communion.

Milwaukee 2011 ordination video

Thanks to Anne @ Imprisoned for sharing this video.

MilCatHerald: Take 5 with Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki

LaX Trib

What does the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11 mean to you?

I was a newly ordained bishop at the time, and pastor of St. Ignatius Parish, Chicago, so when Sept. 11th hit, it came as a tremendous shock and we looked for some way to be in solidarity with the people with this great loss. The only thing we could really rely on as a community was prayer and the church, so we opened up the doors to the church; people just started flooding in on an ad hoc basis to pray.

Then what we did is plan a special service on that day, but I remember the tone and the mood that everybody had; this was that they’d talk about what happened to the country at that time and it was almost like the loss of our innocence. We were very innocent in our approach to life, in approach to terrorism, and now it kind of struck home.

I didn’t know anyone who died in the tower, but I did know someone who was in the tower when it was hit. He made a couple decisions coming down out of the tower that actually kind of saved his life and the life of others in it. I got a real vivid sense of what this person kind of went through when they were in the tower. At first they didn’t know what had actually happened. They knew an accident had happened. They didn’t know that we were actually under attack at the time ...

Most of my generation and at least one generation after me would kind of point to Sept. 11 as the day that really was a challenge to us in terms of our patriotism, our love for country and our faith. So hopefully what Sept. 11 will remind us all of is the obligation we have to be responsible for the freedoms that we enjoy in this country and the price that we have to pay.

What would be the top three items on your bucket list?

First, I’m going to tell you exactly what I said to Jerry (Topczewski, chief of staff): I don’t own a bucket …

About 13 years ago, I was in the hospital dying. At that time what came to mind is you don’t put off to tomorrow what you can do today, and the other thing is I was honestly looking at the fact that I may not have accomplished everything that I wanted to do in life, but that’s OK, I could celebrate all the wonderful things that I have achieved or accomplished or things that I shared with people.

I could do that, so that was important, but if you’re asking three things I’d like to do type- of-thing: One, I’d like to kind of journey to Greece and do a little of the journeys of St. Paul. That would be fascinating. I’m fascinated by the studies during the year of Paul, just the extensive travels this man did without the modern conveniences of modern transportation, like motorized boats, planes and trains ... Second thing, I do like Marian devotions. There’s something tremendously consoling about both the person of Mary and her role within the church, so I am fascinated by a lot of the shrines. I visited the major Marian Shrine in India, Our Lady of Good Health, and Lourdes, and ….Our Lady of Guadalupe but I haven’t visited Fatima, so Fatima would be on my bucket list ….

The last thing on my bucket list; I’ve thought doing kind of the patriotic thing – to take a couple days just to see Mount Rushmore or maybe the Grand Canyon, some of the natural sites in the United States. That would be something I would like to do. So, if I owned a bucket and therefore had a bucket list, those would be three things that I would kind of like to do.

the whole article at MilCatHerald

Very cool to have him sit down for an informal interview like this.  I hope they keep up this feature.

SNAP attacks cemetery trust issue in Arch. Milwaukee bankruptcy

Attorneys for the creditors in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee bankruptcy are attacking the validity of its $50 million cemetery trust, saying it was created in 2007 to defraud victims of clergy sex abuse. The creditors committee, composed of victim-survivors, filed a counterclaim Tuesday against the trust and its sole trustee, Archbishop Jerome Listecki, asking the bankruptcy court to void the 2008 transfer of $55 million into the account, and to declare the trust invalid.

If the trust is declared valid, it argues, the court should require the archdiocese to trace all deposits to ensure that assets legally available to pay settlements are not commingled with cemetery funds.

Archdiocese attorneys say they are not authorized to comment publicly on the legal proceedings, and a spokeswoman for the archdiocese did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

The counterclaim is in response to a claim filed by Listecki and the Archdiocese of Milwaukee Perpetual Care Trust in June seeking to keep the cemetery funds from being considered part of the debtor's estate and therefore available to pay creditors.

JSOnline

Abp. Listecki: Remembering Sept. 11, 2001

As of this writing, the City of New York is planning a commemorative ceremony next Sunday marking the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States which destroyed the World Trade Center and killed thousands of American citizens.

The date, 9-11, is branded into our memories. I can remember exactly what I was doing when I received word about a plane striking the World Trade Center and then watching in helpless horror as a second plane struck the Twin Towers. Time seemed to stop, and all attention was focused on this incredible act of violence.

As Americans we rallied our resources, private citizens and public servants volunteered their services and legislative and political leaders across the country called on religious leaders of all faiths to guide our communities through those trying times. Americans called upon God to be with them during that time of struggle and prayed to God for consolation in that time of grief.

As a pastor, I remember opening the doors of our Church for prayer and conducting an evening prayer service for those seeking solace. Church bells were rung across our country in solidarity with brothers and sisters coping with the loss they experienced. God suddenly became the source of our strength and the hope for our future. Political leaders invoked God’s name in every speech and in any address they made to the public. During that time religion was not seen as an intellectual embarrassment or a tolerated activity, but it was seen as an essential aspect of human life. It was obvious that we needed God.

Many leaders from various Christian denominations, as well as other faith traditions, have warned of the continuing exclusion of religion and faith from the public forum. Pope Benedict XVI has expressed his voice about the influence of secularism in our modern societies (a dependency upon man alone apart from God). Cardinal Francis George has expressed his view about the isolation of religion from the public discourse and public figures claiming that faith and worship is a private determination and should not have an influence in public debate.

Many hide their prejudice against faith by claiming a constitutional doctrine of the “separation of Church and State.” This false notion was adopted by Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, who himself was fearful of the Catholic presence in the United States.

Some may claim that my analysis is a type of paranoia by a religious leader. They may be right. However, just because one claims people are after them doesn’t mean they are not.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has stated that there will not be any religious leaders invited or prayers offered at the ceremony commemorating 9-11. Why would the mayor of New York City, which experienced this horrific event, eliminate a religious component to a ceremony commemorating an event that evoked such a religious response? We called upon God’s help and protection in the crisis, but we ignore Him when it comes time to remember just how we healed and were able to go forward.

Many ask why American “exceptionalism” seems to be declining. Perhaps it’s reflected in our inability to understand our dependency upon God because, when we fail to embrace the whole truth, we’ve programmed ourselves for failure.

However, it is comforting to know that we have a God who is faithful to us even when we fail to be faithful to Him. You know that He is so faithful to us that, even when He’s being ignored, He still directs us to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

ArchMil

Abp. Listecki appoints new rector to Saint Francis de Sales Seminary

Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki has appointed Reverend John D. Hemsing rector of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, effective October 1, 2011. Fr. Hemsing replaces the Most Rev. Donald J. Hying, who was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee this summer.

Ordained to the priesthood May 20, 1988, Fr. Hemsing, 49, most recently served as pastor of Lumen Christi Parish, Mequon. Prior to that, he was pastor at St. Clare Parish, Wind Lake, from 1996-2008. Hemsing’s first appointment as an associate pastor was at St. Mary Parish, Waukesha, 1993-1996. He also served as a Pastoral Team Member at Immaculate Conception Parish, Milwaukee, 1988-1993.  Fr. Hemsing has also served the archdiocese as a member of the Archdiocesan College of Consultors, since 2005, as well as a Dean, District three, from 2002-2008.  He currently serves on the Archdiocesan Priest Council.

“We in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee are blessed to have a priest like Fr. Hemsing as our new Seminary Rector,” Archbishop Listecki said. “He is a pastor and a parish priest first.  I know that his servant leadership will significantly influence the seminarians as they train to become good parish priests.”

continue at MilCathHerald

Abp Listecki: Thoughts of Baseball and the Brewers

Last Thursday I participated in a tailgate party which preceded the Brewers-Dodgers baseball game. It was sponsored by the Catholic Herald. Brian Olszewski and his staff acted as hosts. Brats, hot dogs and hamburgers, coleslaw, pasta salad and fresh fruit filled the menu. More than 200 people crowded under a tent at the parking lot of St. Florian parish.

Our Auxiliary Bishop, Donald Hying, was also present. It was Bishop Hying’s birthday, and voices serenaded him. It was a beautiful day in the low 80s with plenty of sunshine. The Brewers have been on a roll, so that enhanced the camaraderie. Miller Park was so close that many walked to the stadium.

Baseball is the American pastime. Although football, basketball and even soccer have gained and captured the attention of the American public in the last couple of decades, baseball occupies that traditional sentiment of a time when the country was innocent and fresh. Teams would barnstorm across the nation playing in various towns. A great hero like Babe Ruth seemed to transcend reality, and people would forget their troubles and become lost in the figure of “The Babe.”

There wasn’t the glitz that accompanies modern sports personalities and teams today. The media were limited, so there was always a hunger for news about one’s favorite team by printed sports stories, radio or word of mouth. Modern sports utilize every aspect of social media to promote the sport. Because of that the game is seen as a business, and that diminishes the natural attraction.

One thing is for certain: When your team is winning, everyone feels good. The Milwaukee Brewers are doing great. Unfortunately, this past Thursday the Brewers lost facing the Dodgers’ best pitcher. I love the hitting aspect of the game, and the Brewers’ bats were silent.

Despite the loss, this is a good year for Brewers fans. I predicted at the beginning of the season that the Brewers would win their division and be in the playoffs. Could we possibly have a pennant or a World Series title? What a year 2011 would be for Wisconsin professional sports – a Packers Super Bowl championship and a Brewers World Series. We can dream!

It was a treat to be with parishioners at a baseball game, support the Catholic Herald and dream of a pennant. Sports help us to suspend our troubles, engage in competition and support our home team. As I left Miller Park to return to the real world I was thankful for the brief escape, never forgetting to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

 Living Our Faith

Amen!  Great article!  I'm sure the Packers comment was a hard one to swallow for our dear archbishop as they beat his Bears on the way to win it all.  But as for baseball, he grew up a White Sox fan is happy to see the northsiders lose a few to the Crew.

11,000 people attend Milwaukee Irishfest Mass

MILWAUKEE – Archbishop Jerome Listecki presided over mass for at least 11,000 people Sunday in the Marcus Amphitheater during Irish Fest. Organizers say it is the largest outdoor Catholic mass in the country.

"It's just amazing,” said Mary Ellen Donegan, who attended the mass. “Just amazing to think this many people observe the Catholic religion."

Nearly all in attendance took communion at points scattered throughout the concert-venue turned outdoor sanctuary.

"I am from Ireland and I traveled over here. It's a phenomenal feeling of home,” said attendee Paul McCloone. “It's a great spiritual occasion and I really feel proud to be Irish at this event."

Archbishop Listecki is a regular at the festival grounds these summer. He is leading mass at four of Milwaukee’s summer cultural festivals.

"It is important for me to be a part of it because I am the religious leader of this community,” Listecki told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter Tom Murray. “Being the religious leader, I am a part of the experience of every one of those ethnic communities."

Listecki plans to lead mass next weekend at Mexican Fiesta.

TMJ4 

Wow, were any readers there?  Or do you know anybody that attended?

ROFL!!!!!!!   Okay, go watch the video....  The news anchor is a couple years behind...  At least she didn't say it was Archbishop Weakland.

NCReg: Unions and the Church: Lessons Learned From Wisconsin Battle

MADISON, Wis. — The recall contests in Wisconsin this summer set a national record — an indication of how deep feelings run in the state.

The last recall elections ended Aug. 16 with Republicans still holding the state Legislature. But the partisan battle over the fate of pensions, benefits and collective bargaining rights for public-sector unions created painful divisions even among Catholics — and that still needs pastoral and catechetical attention.

Wisconsin’s Catholic bishops say it’s time to set aside the political divisions that have divided parish communities and even some families.

Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison has invited his flock to reconcile their differences. But he also suggested that the lingering tensions marked an unsettling truth: For many of the faithful, partisan loyalties trump Catholic teaching.

“This is a profound pastoral problem,” he said. “When the objective truth of faith is subordinated to political concerns, I am not free to teach the faith and instead get categorized as a Republican or a Democrat.”

While “the bishops of Wisconsin took a neutral position on the issue, Archbishop [Jerome] Listecki of Milwaukee rightly chose to emphasize workers’ rights in his own statement, while I chose to emphasize the principle of fairness. The media and local politicians decided he was pro-union and I was anti-union,” recalled Bishop Morlino. “In other words, politics wins the day.”

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/unions-and-the-church-lessons-learned-from-wisconsin-battle/#ixzz1VaW2VzaK

The divide amongst Catholic was there before the public union debate and it will be there afterwards as well.  It's too bad the left was unable to present a reasonable argument on the matter because I was listening. 

The Traditional Mass of "Liturgy for Peace and Justice"

MILWAUKEE - Everyone has the chance to "become Irish" this weekend in Milwaukee.  Irish Fest, the nation's largest Irish festival, kicks off Thursday on the lakefront.  Festival executive director Jane Anderson said that Irish Fest will have a particular focus on two regions of the island nation.

"This year, we're going to celebrate the counties of Derry and Donegal, in the northwest of Ireland," said Anderson on Newsradio 620 WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News."

"There's going to be a showcase there, not only with all the entertainment, but a lot of lectures, history, arts and crafts, great exhibits."

Anderson says there's also a lot of great entertainment this year, including Kintra, Different Drums, Gaelic Storm, and the Red Hot Chili Pipers

And then, of course, there's the traditional mass - the "Liturgy for Peace and Justice" - on Sunday, that starts at 9:30 a.m. with Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki.

"Those who bring a non-perishable food item (and attend the Mass) will get onto the grounds free," said Anderson.

TMJ4

Someone shoot me.  

Uh, folks I don't think it is the Traditional Mass, but a Mass which has become a tradition. 

Although I had pictures of dancing nuns and felt banners, I wonder if it's meant to be a Mass for Justice for Ireland, aka, kick out the northerners.... 

But then again, go to Mass and Irishfest is free.  Really if you think about it, wouldn't free beer bring a ton of people back into the Church?  Go to Ireland, can all the bishops, set up Fr. Ted as the primate, and have free beer before after Mass.  You'll have the whole lot of em walkin up Croagh Patrick barefoot during winter in no time.

On a related note, did you know Irishfest in La Crosse didn't even invite their Irish bishop to celebrate Mass?  They bring in their own priest not from the diocese(and I heard don't check in either).  I mean it's one thing for a private Mass or at a parish, but a public event in the seat of the diocese? 

This is what you get for a post at 10:30 pm after a Guinness. 

Fox6: Abp. Listecki celebrates Masses at ethnic festivals all summer long

One man in Milwaukee is getting more stage time at the Marcus Amphitheater than Brittney Spears, Katy Perry and Kid Rock combined. He's Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki.

More than 5,000 people came to the Marcus Amphitheater Sunday morning to listen to Archbishop Listecki on the last day of German Fest. The Archbishop has already said Mass at Festa Italiana and plans to say it at Irish Fest and Mexican Fiesta.

"I want to support the various ethnic groups that make up Milwaukee. I also want them to take pride in their cultural achievement," said Listecki.

Archbishop Listecki's next outdoor Mass will be at Irish Fest. It's scheduled for 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, August 21st at the Marcus Amphitheater.

Fox6

US Catholic: In defense of Wisconsin public sector unions

The question in Wisconsin was whether public employees should have the same right to collective bargaining as employees at private companies. The 1935 U.S. National Labor Relations Act officially recognized the right to collective bargaining for private-sector workers. Critics argue that public employees inherently have more leverage than employees of private businesses. Public employees can elect their own bosses. What’s more, public-sector workers won’t moderate their demands for fear that their employer—the government—will go bankrupt in the same way that private-sector employees must do.

“One has to make a distinction between unions as they were conceived in social teaching and unions that exist on the basis of taxpayer funding,” says Patrick Carey, professor of theology at Milwaukee’s Marquette University.

.....

The following day, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison issued a clarifying letter. Listecki and the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, Morlino wrote, had taken a neutral position, neither supporting the governor nor supporting the unions. He quoted Pope John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens: “Just efforts to secure the rights of workers who are united by the same profession should always take into account the limitations imposed by the general economic situation of the country.”

Right-wing bloggers praised Morlino for reining in the Wisconsin Catholic Conference’s support for the unions. The media cited his comments as evidence of divisions within the hierarchy.

“People may say the bishops cherry-picked from the encyclicals,” says John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. “The answer is to urge people to go read the encyclicals for themselves.”  [Isn't the bishops' office a teaching office?]

“As Catholics have become more affluent, the church’s teachings sometimes bump up against a Catholic’s economic self-interest,” says Huebscher of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference. “So the church has a greater challenge in teaching.”

Huebscher thinks the church is teaching the social encyclicals, but the evidence is sketchy. “How many laypeople have ever been taught anything about the Catholic encyclicals?” asks Marquette’s Carey.[We know all Marquette grads have Humane Vitae memorized] “It doesn’t surprise me that Catholic laypeople don’t necessarily support unions. The culture can teach more easily by osmosis than the church can.”

“When I talk with priests around the country, they say the church’s social teaching is the subject they feel least comfortable addressing,” says Father Bryan Massingale, associate professor of theology at Marquette.[Less comfortable than gay marriage apparently] “They tell me their two weakest courses in seminary were homiletics and social justice.”

entire article at US Catholic

US Catholic = NC Reporter.  Liberalism is their religion.  It is very telling that they are still trying to spin Listecki as unconditionally supporting unlimited bargaining for public sector unions, despite the fact Listecki clarified his own statement as neutral.  Count how many times Rerum Novarum is referenced without ever quoting it. 

Want to "get" Catholic Social Teaching? Read Regnum Novum, and check out Mr. Gutierrez' section on Catholic Social Teaching at Discerning Hearts.

Not discussed in the article was the public sector union's firm support of abortion, same-sex marriage, contraception without parental consent, and pornographic sex education beginning at early as kindergarten.

You think politics in Washington is bad?  Try politics within the Church!

Abp Listecki at Festa Italiana in Milwaukee Sunday

2008 Festa Italiana Mass with Bp. Callahan

Archbishop Jerome Listecki will be celebrating the Sunday Mass at 11:00 a.m. and leading the Procession following on Sunday, July 24 at the Marcus Amphitheatre.

Hunger Task Force will be collecting nonperishable food items on Festa Sunday, upon entrance to Mass outside of the South gate.

A chorus from Naples (Campania), Italy comprised of 32 men and women will perform for the first time at Festa Italiana.  Il Coro Polifonico Flegreo, founded in 2001, is under the direction of Maestro Nicola Capano.

The chorus will perform daily at the festival, which runs from Thursday, July 21 to Sunday, July 24.  In addition, the singers from Italy will join with the Festa Italiana choir to provide music for the Sunday Mass in the Marcus Amphitheater.  For the post-Communion meditation, the chorus from Italy will sing Pietro Mascagni’s version of “Ave Maria.”

The organizers of Festa Italiana’s Sunday Mass are once again extending an open invitation to interested singers throughout the area to be part of the choir for that liturgy.  The Mass, which is one of the key components of Festa Italiana, will be held on July 24 at 11 a.m. in the Marcus Amphitheater.

Michael Kamenski, music liturgist at St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Milwaukee and conductor of the Menomonee Falls Symphony Orchestra, will again direct the choir for the Festa Mass.

“Mike and Dr. Marisa Gatti-Taylor will coach the choir members in learning the Italian lyrics of some of the hymns, so no previous knowledge of Italian is required,” explained Vivian Balistreri and Sal LoCoco, co-chairs of the Festa Mass Committee.

Festa

Since every time I mention Italians out here I get a fish in the mail....  I will withhold any further comment.