By Sallie Bachar
Catholic Herald correspondent
Milwaukee priest is the new pastor of parish cluster
RIB LAKE -- Fr. Ronald Kowalski, from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, is currently serving as pastor of the cluster parishes of Rib Lake, Westboro, Whittlesey and Chelsea. He replaces Fr. John Long who is temporarily on a leave of absence.
Fr. Kowalski, 57, was born in Chicago where his elderly parents still live. He was ordained on May 23, 1981 in Peoria, Illinois. The priesthood is his second career.
Prior to entering the seminary he spent 10 years in sales and service for AT&T. "I always had a vocation to the priesthood," he said, "but it was Vatican Council II that made it solid. ... I am a priest who believes in and espouses all of the Second Vatican Council."
Most of his years in the priesthood have been spent ministering in Milwaukee, but he has also served in parishes in Hales Corners, Muskego, Twin Lake and Racine, all in the southern part of the state. He has no special ties to the Rib Lake area or the diocese. He is, however, a friend and fellow classmate of Fr. Gerald Harris, Fr. James Brinkman and Fr. Kevin Gordon, all active priests in the Diocese of Superior.
He volunteered to help out in the Rib Lake cluster when the opportunity arose because he needed a change and arrived last September. "I enjoy the people very much," he said. "We have some challenges ahead as we look to the consolidation of some of the parishes, but that makes life interesting."
Kowalski brought with him his greyhound dog, Broxy, who has endeared himself to the residents of Rib Lake. "He is his own source of evangelization," he said. "The people here in town love him, but that is another story."
© Superior Catholic Herald, 2004