New Bishop in La Crosse Wisconsin

 

Pope Francis appoints new bishop to lead Wisconsin diocese

By Peter Pinedo

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 19, 2024 / 12:30 pm

Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Gerard Battersby to lead the Diocese of La Crosse in western Wisconsin after accepting the resignation of Bishop William Callahan.

The pope’s appointment was communicated to the U.S. bishops by the apostolic nuncio to the U.S., Cardinal Christophe Pierre.

Erik Archer, a representative for the Diocese of La Crosse, told CNA that Battersby will be officially installed as bishop of the diocese on May 20 at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral. 

At 63 years old, Battersby will become the 11th bishop to lead the Diocese of La Crosse. He was born in Detroit and has been serving as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Detroit since 2017. He issued a statement on Tuesday upon learning of his appointment.

“It is with joy that I received the news that the Holy Father had named me the 11th bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse,” Battersby wrote. “When I was baptized, ordained a priest, and consecrated a bishop, I received a call within a call, an invitation to follow. The Risen One has bid me to follow him to western Wisconsin, to the banks of the Mighty Mississippi. I leave with hope and anticipatory joy.”

Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit congratulated Battersby, saying: “The gift of bishop Battersby’s ministry now goes to the people of La Crosse. The priests, religious, and faithful of Detroit send him there with our heartfelt prayers of gratitude.”

Battersby’s predecessor, Callahan, is retiring at age 73 after serving the Diocese of La Crosse since 2010. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Callahan is retiring for health reasons.

Callahan was the first conventional Franciscan to be named a bishop in the United States. He led the diocese through some turbulent periods. In 2021 he decided to remove Father James Altman from ministry for disobedience and for proclaiming that “Catholics can’t be Democrats.” Altman later went on to release more controversial videos, one notably making statements understood by some as calling for the death of Pope Francis.

The retiring bishop released a statement obtained by CNA on Tuesday in which he expressed his gratitude for his time as bishop of La Crosse.

“In 2010, I was called by His Holiness, Pope Benedict, to become the 10th bishop of La Crosse and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with some of the best priests and deacons in the Church in this capacity,” Callahan said in a statement. “Looking back, it is a great blessing and I simply say ‘thank you’ to all the wonderful people who have been part of my journey, especially the priests, deacons, religious, and holy women who have been so kind to me over these 14 years.”

According to Callahan’s statement, he will remain in La Crosse, continuing to serve the Church as a retired bishop.

“I look forward to continuing my service to Bishop Battersby and spiritual service to brother priests and deacons in La Crosse,” he said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to remain in this wonderful community for as long as God allows, and I will cherish the memories and experiences I have had here.”

The Diocese of La Crosse spans 19 counties in Wisconsin and consists of 156 parishes and 65 schools serving a population of 135,000 Catholic faithful.

Catholic Church vandalism post Roe on the rise especially these cases in Wisconsin

 

Four Catholic churches in Wisconsin vandalized with pro-abortion graffiti 

A perpetrator caught on camera vandalized St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church and School in Bloomer, Wisconsin, the night of July 2-3. | Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office

By Joe Bukuras

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jul 6, 2022 / 19:00 pm

Four Catholic churches in Wisconsin's Chippewa county were vandalized in the past week.

The churches are Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Notre Dame Catholic Church, and St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Chippewa Falls, and St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Bloomer, both about 100 miles north of La Crosse.

According to a Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office police report, St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church had an “X” written in graffiti across the church doors and school doors sometime at night between July 2-3. On the sidewalk of the church were the words “Women” and “fetuses” with what appears to be a greater than symbol in between. In front of St. Peter Catholic School were the words “EX 21:22,” the report says. 

Exodus 21:22 reads, “If men quarrel, and one strike a woman with child, and she miscarry indeed, but live herself: he shall be answerable for so much damage as the woman's husband shall require, and as arbiters shall award.”

The perpetrator can be seen wearing a hood, a mask, and dark clothing, caught on camera during the act of the vandalism. 

Those same words were written in graffiti on the other three churches — which are all in the city about 20 minutes south of Bloomer  — according to Patrol Sergeant Drew Zehm of the Chippewa Falls Police Department.

However, he said, the statement about “Women and fetuses were not on all of the three city churches.” Zehm said that a person of interest has been identified in the vandalism of the Chippewa Falls churches. 

One of churches in Chippewa was vandalized last Wednesday night, and the other two were vandalized between Thursday night and Friday morning, he said. 

The Diocese of La Crosse did not respond to CNA’s request for comment by publication.

Resigned as secretary of USCCB amid allegations of improper behavior, now assigned to the duty of a parish priest

 

Former US bishops' secretary returns to ministry a year after surprise resignation

Jun 15, 2022

by Brian Fraga

Almost a year after he resigned as general secretary of the U.S. bishops' conference amid allegations of improper behavior in his personal life, Msgr. Jeffrey Burrill has returned to ministry as a parish priest in his home diocese.

Bishop William Callahan of La Crosse, Wisconsin, said June 14 that he was appointing Burrill to be the parochial administrator of St. Teresa of Kolkata Parish in West Salem. The assignment was listed effective as of June 11.

In a statement posted on the parish website, Callahan told St. Teresa parishioners that Burrill, who will reside at the parish rectory, has completed an extended leave from active ministry. During that leave, the bishop said, Burrill "engaged in a sincere and prayerful effort to strengthen his priestly vows and has favorably responded to every request made by me and by the Diocese."

Burrill resigned his post at the bishops' conference on July 20, 2021. In an internal memo obtained last year by NCR, Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles notified the Catholic bishops in the United States that the surprise resignation came amid "impending media reports alleging improper behavior" by Burrill.

"What was shared with us did not include allegations of misconduct with minors," Gomez, the conference president, wrote. "However, in order to avoid becoming a distraction to the operations and ongoing work of the Conference, Monsignor has resigned effective immediately."

Within hours of the resignation, The Pillar — a Catholic media website launched last year by two former journalists of Catholic News Agency — published a lengthy article accusing Burrill of engaging in "serial sexual misconduct" by frequenting gay bars and using Grindr, a dating and "hookup" phone app popular with LGBTQ people.

The article's authors premised their allegations on an analysis of application data signals that they said correlated to Burrill's cell phone. The authors did not provide corroborating information of Burrill's alleged conduct beyond the location data, and never said how they obtained the data or who paid for and provided that information. The article sparked pointed debates and commentary about The Pillar's journalistic practices and ethics.

In his statement, Callahan said the Diocese of La Crosse had received no allegations of illegal misconduct "of any kind" by Burrill, who was ordained a diocesan priest in 1998. Burrill previously served as a parish priest and as director of apostolic formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where he also later served as the Carl J. Peter chair of homiletics, formation adviser and director of media relations. He was named associate general of the bishops' conference in 2016.

In November 2020, the bishops elected Burrill for a five-year term as general secretary, who oversees the work of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on behalf of the U.S. bishops.

Callahan told St. Teresa parishioners that he has "every confidence in returning Monsignor Burrill to active ministry and in his ability to accompany the people of God of this parish."

Bishop of La Crosse Wisconsin removes pastor who has become a social media maverick

 Diocesan Statement Regarding Father James Altman

Fr. James Altman has recently made public the request from Bishop William Patrick Callahan that he resign his office of pastor of Saint James the Less Parish in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, as well as his intent to decline the request. As a result, the Diocese of La Crosse will respond in accordance to the canonical process as needed for the removal of a priest from his office as pastor.

During the past year, concerns have been expressed related to the ministry of Fr. James Altman, a priest in the Diocese of La Crosse. Bishop Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse, and canonical representatives have worked to fraternally and privately address those concerns. The process has been pastoral and administrative with a desire toward a just resolution among all parties.

The ministry of pastor was instituted in the Church not for the benefit of the one to whom it is entrusted, but for the pastoral and sacramental care of those for whom it is conferred. The salvation of souls takes precedence over the stability of the pastor in office when these two values come into direct conflict. Although attempts were made to allow Fr. Altman the opportunity to respond to fraternal correction, a resolution of this situation has been unsuccessful.

It is important to note that this is not a penal remedy but a pastoral remedy. Bishop Callahan asks for your prayers for Fr. Altman, for the congregation of St. James, and the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse and beyond. While any change made to the ministry of a pastor is difficult, it is done with the hope that God’s work of justice, reconciliation and healing may be realized in the Body of Christ for a positive outcome.

The Diocese of La Crosse asks for the consideration of respect, safety and prayers at this time for all involved.

Looks like Fr. Altman up in Wisconsin is going to receive "fraternal correction" from his Bishop

Diocese of La Crosse
Office for communications / public relations

September 9, 2020

Statement From Bishop Callahan Regarding Father James Altman

Fr. James Altman has become a social media phenomenon and is now a main stream media story. The amount of calls and emails we are receiving at the Diocesan offices show how divisive he is. I am being pressured by both sides for a comment; one side holds him up as a hero or a prophet, the other side condemns him and vilifies him and demands I silence him.

As I review Fr. Altman’s latest video statement of 30 August 2020, I understand the undeniable truth that motivates his message. When we approach issues that are contradictory to the Faith and teachings of Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church, particularly on abortion and other life issues, we should invite dialogue and heart-felt conversion to the truth. Our approach must never seek to divide, isolate and condemn.

That being said it is not only the underlying truth that needs to be evaluated but also the manner of delivery and the tone of his message. Unfortunately, the tone Fr. Altman offers comes off as angry and judgmental, lacking any charity and in a way that causes scandal both in the Church and in society. His generalization and condemnation of entire groups of people is completely inappropriate and not in keeping with our values or the life of virtue.

Here is the video in question:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-7eoTN2vNM

I am applying Gospel principles to the correction of Fr. Altman. “If your brother does something wrong to you, go to him. Talk alone to him and tell him what he has done. If he listens to you, you have kept your brother as a friend. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two others with you to talk to him.” (Mt 18:15-16). I have begun this process, not in the bright light of the public arena, but as the Gospel dictates, in private. Canon law indicates that before penalties are imposed, we need to ensure that fraternal correction, rebuke or other means of pastoral solicitude will not be sufficient to repair the scandal (can. 1341).

Most people expect a decisive move from me, one way or another. Many suggest immediate penalties that will utterly silence him; others call for complete and unwavering support of his views. Canonical penalties are not far away if my attempts at fraternal correction do not work. I pray that Fr. Altman’s heart and eyes might be open to the error of his ways and that he might take steps to correct his behavior and heal the wound he has inflicted on the Body of Christ.

Pray for me as I address this issue, and pray for Fr. Altman that he might hear and respond to my fraternal correction. Finally, please pray for the Church that we might seek the truth in charity and apply it in our daily actions.