Aloysius John Wycisło

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Aloysius John Wycisło
His Excellency, The Most Reverend; Aloysius John Wycisło
Bishop of Green Bay
Diocese	Green Bay
Appointed	March 8, 1968
Installed	May 10, 1983
Predecessor	Stanislaus Bona
Successor	Adam Maida
Other post(s)	Titular Bishop of Stadia (1960–1968); Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (1960–1968);
Orders
Ordination	April 4, 1934; by George Mundelein
Consecration	December 21, 1960; by Albert Meyer
Personal details
Born	Alojzy Jan Wycisło; June 17, 1908; Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 11, 2005 (aged 97)
Alma mater	Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary; Mundelein Seminary; Catholic University of America;
Motto	Caritati instate; (Be steadfast in charity)
Coat of arms

Aloysius John Wycisło (June 17, 1908 – October 11, 2005) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1968 to 1983. Previously, he served as an auxiliary bishop 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. He attended St. Mary of Czestochowa School in Cicero, Illinois; Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary (high school) in Chicago; Mundelein Seminary at the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois; and The Catholic University of America 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. During World War II 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.^[1] Wycisło was among the first American priests to enter Poland after the war^[2] and he reported that the postwar Polish government had forbidden mentioning the pope in the press and in Polish churches.^[3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

Wycisło was consecrated a bishop on December 21, 1960, and served as auxiliary bishop to Cardinal 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.^[4]

Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)

Wycisło was a council father from the first session of the Second Vatican Council 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.^[5]

Bishop of Green Bay

Wycisło was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay on March 8, 1968, by Pope Paul VI. Wycisło was installed on April 16, 1968.^[6] 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, 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

^ [1] Steven M. Avella, This Confident Church: Catholic Leadership and Life in Chicago, 1940–1965, Notre Dame, 1992, pg. 57
^ "Boro Priest Advocates Aid for German Needy". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 8, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Says Pope's Name Is Banned in Poland". Ironwood Daily Globe. January 7, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Wiśniewski, Charles E. (1968). "Religious Millennial Observances". Polish American Studies. 25: 20–23.
^ Schommer, Msgr. Mark (April 29, 2021). "Bishop Aloysius Wycislo: A Man for All Seasons". Salesiamum. Spring/Summer 1986: 5–8 – via Diocese of Green Bay.
^ A History of the Diocese of Green Bay Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Stanislaus Vincent Bona	Bishop of Green Bay March 8, 1968 – May 10, 1983	Succeeded by Adam Maida
Preceded by –	Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago 1960–1968	Succeeded by –

[wycsave2-1] [1] Steven M. Avella, This Confident Church: Catholic Leadership and Life in Chicago, 1940–1965, Notre Dame, 1992, pg. 57

[2] "Boro Priest Advocates Aid for German Needy". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 8, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Says Pope's Name Is Banned in Poland". Ironwood Daily Globe. January 7, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] Wiśniewski, Charles E. (1968). "Religious Millennial Observances". Polish American Studies. 25: 20–23.

[5] Schommer, Msgr. Mark (April 29, 2021). "Bishop Aloysius Wycislo: A Man for All Seasons". Salesiamum. Spring/Summer 1986: 5–8 – via Diocese of Green Bay.

[6] A History of the Diocese of Green Bay Archived July 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine

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Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF FAST WorldCat
National	United States Poland