Jerome Edward Listecki (born March 12, 1949) is an American prelate 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 ...

. He served as the eleventh archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee from 2010 to 2025. Listecki previously 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. ...

of the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and elevated it to an ar ...

(2001–2004) and as Bishop of La Crosse (2004–2009).

Biography

Early years

Listecki was born in

Chicago 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 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and raised on the Southeast Side. His father (d. 1986) owned a tavern before working as a bus driver for the

Chicago Transit Authority The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the operator of public transport, mass transit in Chicago, Illinois, United States, and some of its suburbs, including the trains of the Chicago "L" and List of Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, CTA bu ...

. Jerome received his early education at the parochial school of St. Michael the Archangel Church before attending Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, from where he graduated in 1967. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from Saint Joseph College Seminary in 1971, and completed his theological studies at

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 Mundelein is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States and a northern suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 31,560, making this the fourth largest town in Lake County. The village straddles ...

). During his summers as a

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy ...

, he worked in a

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

sintering plant in the

US Steel The United States Steel Corporation is an American steel company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It maintains production facilities at several additional locations in the U.S. and Central Europe. The company produces and sells steel products, ...

mills near Chicago.

Ordination and ministry

Listecki was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood by Cardinal John Cody on May 14, 1975. After studies in

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

and moral theology in Rome, Listecki earned a licentiate and doctorate in canon law from the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) The Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (PUST), also known as the ''Angelicum'' or ''Collegio Angelico'' (in honor of its patron, the ''Doctor Angelicus'' Thomas Aquinas), is a pontifical university located in the historic center of R ...

in 1981 with a dissertation entitled ''Indissolubility and the United Methodist Church''. He previously earned a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

.
"New auxiliary bishop for archdiocese", ''Chicago Catholic New World,'' 11/12/00 During his service to the Archdiocese of Chicago, he taught at both Quigley Preparatory Seminary North (later Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary) and

, served in a number of Chicago parishes and as pastor of St. Ignatius Church, worked within the Archdiocesan Chancery as an Appellate Judge for the Matrimonial Tribunal and separately as in-house legal counsel for the

from 1985 to 1987, and served as the chaplain to the Catholic Physicians' Guild of Chicago. Catholic Physicians' Guild of Chicago website, accessed 11/4/09 His media experience included co-hosting the Chicago radio station WIND program "Catholic Conversation" from 1978 to 1979, his regular participation as celebrant for the WGN TV "Mass for Shut-ins", as well as service as a producer for several other television programs. Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman website, accessed 11/5/09

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

On November 7, 2000, Listecki was appointed titular bishop of

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

and

for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He was consecrated on January 8, 2001.

Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin

On December 29, 2004, Listecki was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse, succeeding Bishop

Raymond Leo Burke Raymond Leo Burke (born June 30, 1948) is an American Catholic prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2014 to 2023. He previously served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008 and ...

who became archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. On March 1, 2005, he was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse. At La Crosse he initiated a $50 million fundraising campaign, a planning process to restructure ministry and parishes in the diocese,
"Q&A: Listecki looks at diocese future, past after two years as bishop", ''La Crosse Tribune'' July 14, 2007 and was instrumental in the development of the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a project initiated by his predecessor, Bishop Burke.

Archbishop of Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Bishop Listecki was named

Archbishop of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in southeast Wisconsin in the United States. The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is the Metropolis (religious jurisdiction), metropolitan s ...

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

on November 14, 2009. He was installed on January 4, 2010, by the

Apostolic Nuncio An apostolic nuncio (; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international organization. A nuncio is ...

to the United States of America, Archbishop

Pietro Sambi Pietro Sambi (27 June 1938 – 27 July 2011) was an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church who served in the diplomatic service of the Holy See from 1969 until his death in 2011. He had the rank of archbishop and the title of nuncio from 1985, f ...

. As Archbishop of Milwaukee, the metropolitan see of the Ecclesiastical Province of Milwaukee (the entire state of Wisconsin), he received the

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : pallia) is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolitan bish ...

on June 29, 2010, from Pope Benedict XVI.
"Archbishop Listecki to Receive Pallium from Pope on 6/29/10 in Rome," Archdiocese of Milwaukee website, accessed 10/9/10 Listecki served as an Army Reserve chaplain in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed ...

for 20 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Liesticki's resignation as archbishop was accepted on November 4, 2024.

Criticism

The

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, established in 1989, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization support group of survivors of clergy sexual abuse and their supporters, founded in the United States. Barbara Blaine, a ...

(SNAP) criticized Archbishop Listecki on January 6, 2010, for allowing retired archbishops Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee and Daniel Edward Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, who were implicated in covering up of cases of sexual abuse, to say Mass at St. John's Cathedral in Milwaukee.
"Victims group questions visits by two retired archbishops", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', 1/6/10 On January 12, 2010, during a hearing of the Wisconsin State Senate on a bill to extend the statute of limitations for reporting abuse as supported by Milwaukee District Attorney John T. Chisholm, state Senator

Glenn Grothman Glenn Sholes Grothman ( ; born July 3, 1955) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Wisconsin's 6th congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected to his seat in 2014. Gro ...

joined in this criticism, and also questioned Listecki on why he allowed Weakland, who had been accused of moving around abusive priests, to keep his title as emeritus Archbishop of Milwaukee, as well as retaining the name Weakland Center on the pastoral center at St. John's Cathedral.
Wisconsin Radio Network website, "Listecki pressed about Weakland's status", January 12, 2010, accessed October 19, 2010 Listecki testified against the bill, saying it would single out Catholic institutions and bankrupt the Milwaukee Archdiocese.
"Listecki opposes lifting limits on abuse suits: Bill may be short votes in Senate, co-sponsor says", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', 1/12/10
www.wisn.com, "Archbishop Opposes Bill To Remove Time Limits On Sex Abuse Cases: SNAP Pleased Milwaukee County District Attorney Supports Bill," 1/12/10, accessed 10/19/10 Listecki was publicly criticized in February 2010 by Jerry Matysik, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Eau Claire Police Chief, and SNAP for allegedly misleading the Wisconsin State Legislature about the LaCrosse diocese abuse notification procedure in Listecki's testimony against extending the statute of limitations, stating, "Archbishop Listecki appears more interested in protecting the organization than he is in protecting children,"
"Listecki misled legislators on policy, Eau Claire police chief says", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', February 4, 2010 and again in August 2010 by SNAP for passing up action on an abuse claim due to lack of evidence. "Listecki passed up action on priest for lack of evidence: La Crosse Diocese spokeswoman says incident did not meet standards for review", ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'', August 5, 2010 The Archbishop apologized to victims of clergy sexual abuse on March 30, 2010, in a statement that said that both the individual perpetrators, as well as the bishops who failed to stop the abuse, "go against everything the Church and the priesthood represent."
"Archbishop Listecki Comments on Clergy Abuse at Chrism Mass" He credited the bravery of "victim-survivors" who persisted in bringing their cases to light and forcing the Church to change. "We owe these victims/survivors our deep gratitude and we acknowledge our own actions have not always expressed that gratitude adequately." He defended Pope Benedict XVI's role in the matter: Three years later, the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' commented, Listecki was likely referring to the "learning curve" that psychiatrists and the clergy whom they advised experienced when it became clear, in about 2002, that pedophiles were not often likely to be cured of their tendencies.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Listecki, Jerome Edward 1949 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States American people of Polish descent Roman Catholic archbishops of Milwaukee DePaul University College of Law alumni Lawyers from Chicago Loyola University Chicago alumni Military personnel from Illinois Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Religious leaders from Wisconsin Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Roman Catholic bishops of La Crosse University of Saint Mary of the Lake alumni Religious leaders from Illinois Catholics from Illinois