Aloysius John Wycisło (June 17, 1908 – October 11, 2005) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who served as the eighth

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1968 to 1983. Previously, he served as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

for the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 1960 to 1968.

Biography

Early life and education

Wycisło was born on June 17, 1908, to Simon and Victoria Czech Wycisło in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He attended St. Mary of Czestochowa School in

Cicero, Illinois Cicero is a town in Cook County, Illinois, United States, and a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the population was 85,268, making it the 11th-most populous municipality in Illinois. The town is named after Marcus Tullius Cicero, a R ...

; Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary (high school) in Chicago; Mundelein Seminary at the

St. Mary of the Lake Seminary The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a Private university, private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and theology, school of theology for the formation of priests in the Roman Catholic A ...

in Mundelein, Illinois; and

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily ...

in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master's degree in social work.

Priesthood

Wycisło was ordained on April 7, 1934, by Cardinal George Mundelein at the

University of St. Mary of the Lake The University of Saint Mary of the Lake (USML) is a private Roman Catholic seminary in Mundelein, Illinois. It is the principal seminary and school of theology for the formation of priests in the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois. USML wa ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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.
Steven M. Avella, ''This Confident Church: Catholic Leadership and Life in Chicago, 1940–1965'', Notre Dame, 1992, pg. 57 Wycisło was among the first American priests to enter Poland after the war and he reported that the postwar Polish government had forbidden mentioning the pope in the press and in Polish churches.

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

Wycisło was consecrated a bishop on December 21, 1960, and served as auxiliary bishop to Cardinal Albert Gregory Meyer, Albert Meyer of the Archdiocese of Chicago. In September 1962, Cardinal Meyer asked Wycisło to direct the Archdiocese of Chicago's observance of Poland's millennium of Christianity. Wycisło handled all the preparations, including arrangements for the visit of the primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński.

Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)

Wycisło was a council father from the first session of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

in Rome, which opened October 11, 1962, to the concluding liturgy for the entire Council on December 8, 1965. In addition to attending all the sessions, Wycisło served as a member of the American Bishops' Commissions on the Lay Apostolate and on the Missions and the Oriental Church. He met and became friends with Karol Wojtyła, then- Archbishop of Krakow, Poland, and who became Pope John Paul II.

Bishop of Green Bay

Wycisło was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay on March 8, 1968, by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

. Wycisło was installed on April 16, 1968.A History of the Diocese of Green Bay
His episcopal motto was ''Caritati Instate'' (Be Steadfast in Charity).

Retirement and legacy

On June 17, 1983, his 75th birthday, Wycisło submitted his letter of resignation to the Holy See. He remained active during his retirement by performing confirmations. On Aloysius Wycisło's death in 2005 at the age of 97, he was the oldest living Roman Catholic bishop in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, and also was one of the few living Fathers of the Second Vatican Council.

Publications

* ''Vatican Two Revisited; Reflections by One who was there'' * ''The Saint Peter''

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago

Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wycislo, Aloysius John 1908 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States American people of Polish descent Participants in the Second Vatican Council Clergy from Chicago Religious leaders from Illinois Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Roman Catholic bishops of Green Bay Catholic University of America alumni University of Saint Mary of the Lake alumni Writers from Chicago Writers from Green Bay, Wisconsin Catholics from Illinois