MILWAUKEE — Song and prayer filled the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist on Tuesday afternoon as Catholics welcomed their new archbishop.
Jeffrey Grob was officially installed as the 12th archbishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The ceremony began with a procession of hundreds of priests, deacons, bishops, cardinals, and representatives from other religions into the cathedral.
Previous Coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/students-share-how-milwaukees-new-archbishop-can-connect-with-young-catholics
Previous Coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/new-archbishop-for-archdiocese-of-milwaukee-announced
Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States, read a papal mandate from Pope Francis confirming the choice of Archbishop Grob.
A Mass was celebrated afterward.
Milwaukee city, religious, and community leaders were in attendance as Grob took the next step in becoming archbishop.
Watch: Catholics react to the installation of new Archbishop Jeffrey Grob
Grob succeeds Archbishop Jerome Listecki, who is retiring.
The 63-year-old was born in Dane County and lived in Cross Plains.
“It’s just so wonderful to have another Wisconsinite coming back to lead the church going forward,” said Sister Sharon Pollnow of the Sisters of St. Agnes.
Sister Pollnow traveled from Fond du Lac to be part of this historic moment for the church.
“We offer him our welcome and prayers going forward,” Sister Pollnow said.
The new archbishop will serve his county along with nine others who make up more than 500,000 Catholics in southeastern Wisconsin.
Most recently, he served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Several representatives from Our Lady Queen of Peace in Milwaukee were present to welcome the new archbishop, including Maria.
“It feels crazy because I would never expect this. If you would have asked me 10 years ago, I would have never thought I would be here,” Maria said.
What worries her is the lack of young people joining or returning to the church right now.
“We are so lost, and we really just need guidance. I’m looking forward to the bishop really centering on the youth because they really need a lot of help in this present time,” Maria said.
TMJ4 brought that concern to the new archbishop in an interview following the ceremony.
He acknowledged the changing times and challenges the Catholic Church is facing across the country.
"We're in a particular moment where I really believe we're making a turn, a conversion for young people," said Archbishop Grob.
He also noted that this is a learning moment for how the church continues to engage with those who are not part of the faith.
"It's a sense of thinking outside of the box," said Archbishop Grob. "If we're not active, if we're not engaging, then we're done, you know, as a church. But the Lord himself has promised he's going to be with us all days. We live in that faith."
On Monday night, before a prayer vigil for the new archbishop, leaders from Nate’s Mission, the largest statewide organization of clergy sexual abuse survivors and advocates, confronted Grob with a letter and a list of priorities.
Previous Coverage: https://www.tmj4.com/news/milwaukee-county/catholics-celebrate-archbishop-designate-jeffrey-grob-ahead-of-installation
The organization said Grob agreed to meet with them in the future.
The 63-year-old will serve in the role until he turns 75, the mandatory retirement age for an archbishop.
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