By Dan Sullivan
Catholic Herald

Year 2004 brought both sadness and celebration

SUPERIOR -- With the impact it had on so many lives, the Nov. 21 shooting that fatally wounded six hunters near Rice Lake is one of the top local stories of 2004.

This shooting, which resulted from a confrontation in the woods in southwestern Sawyer County, took the lives of Robert Crotteau, 42, and his son, Joey Crotteau, 20; Al Laski, 43; Mark Roidt, 28; Jessica Willers, 27, and Dennis Drew, 45. Willers' father, Terry Willers, and Lauren Hesebeck were hospitalized from injuries sustained in the shooting.

All six of the victims were Catholic. Five were from one parish cluster: the Crotteaus and Laski belonged to Holy Trinity Parish, Haugen; and Drew and Roidt were parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Dobie. The Willers family are members of St. Joseph Parish in Rice Lake.

Chai Vang, 36, a Hmong immigrant residing St. Paul, Minn., is the suspect arrested in connection with the shootings. He is being held in on $2.5 million bail.

There were many other important stories in 2004. They are listed below, not necessarily in order of their importance.

In December, Fr. Ryan Erickson, parochial administrator of the Hurley, Montreal, Pence, Saxon cluster, was found dead at St. Mary of the Seven Dolors Church in Hurley, apparently from suicide. Erickson, 31, was ordained in June of 2000.

Diocesan centennial

With the centennial of its founding coming up in 2005, the Diocese of Superior has begun planning for diocese-wide celebrations. Sr. Eileen Lang, FSPA, chancellor of the diocese, is coordinator of the planning process, and a diocesan centennial steering committee has been meeting to plan events. One of their first acts was to survey the diocese to get opinions about various options and to solicit other suggestions.

One of the many centennial subcommittees is a history committee that will publish a special commemorative book for the centennial.

Cathedral project

Work continues on the preservation and enhancement project on the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior. Exterior work was completed earlier and the interior restoration and enhancement is currently in its final stages. Among the work done in 2004 was restoration and the reinstalling of the stained glass windows and painting of the interior.

Since the closing of the cathedral, parish members have been celebrating weekend

Masses in the Cathedral School gymnasium and weekday liturgies in a classroom. Dedication ceremonies are set for Feb. 3 and 4.

Diocesan Service Appeal funds from the 111 parishes, amounting to $3.25 million, will be used to help pay for the project. (The 2004-2005 DSA is the final year that the cathedral effort will be included in this campaign.) Other sources of funding include $1 million from the cathedral parish and $1 million from diocesan investment income. Some $700,000 in special memorial gifts have been pledged toward another campaign to fund liturgical furnishings and works of art.

Centennials and a sesquicentennial

It was in 1854 that the city of Superior was established and during that same year the Catholic faith was officially rooted on its east side. On Sunday, June 13, a celebration was held at St. Francis Xavier Church in Superior, commemorating the sesquicentennial of the establishment of Catholicism in Superior. To mark the occasion, Bishop Raphael M. Fliss was the main celebrant at a Mass and Fr. James Tobolski, St. Francis pastor, was concelebrant.

In 2004 a number of Catholic communities in the diocese marked the centennials of the founding or their parishes or the dedication of their churches.

On June 28, St. Dominic Church, Frederic, was filled to capacity for a special Mass celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of this parish. During the celebration Fliss was joined at the altar by Fr. David Lusson, pastor, and a number of other priests.

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Dobie celebrated the 100th anniversary of its church building on July 18.

On Aug. 18 parishioners from St. Anthony Parish in Park Falls marked the centennial of their church building with a special Mass.

Bishop's ad limina

In May of 2004, Fliss traveled with other bishops from Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana to the Vatican. As part the these required ad limina visits, diocesan bishops visit the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul, have an audience with the pope and consult with Vatican officials.

Fliss said the highlight of this particular ad limina was time spent in the presence of the pope. During their visit, Fliss said, he told the pope about the preservation and enhancement working being completed on the cathedral and how the the diocese will mark its centennial in 2005. Fliss said the pope was interested in the affairs of the diocese, including vocations to the priesthood.

One "poignant moment" Fliss spoke of during his visit was at a final audience between the bishops and the pope. During this gathering, Fliss said, the pope told his aides to wheel him back into the room for another wave good-bye. "It crossed the minds of many of the bishops that it may be the last time we would be in his company," Fliss said.

Endings and beginnings

After 104 years, Rhinelander bid farewell to the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity during ceremonies held April 25. The order first arrived in Rhinelander in 1900 and has been involved with Catholic education there since that time. The three sisters that were on staff last school year at Rhinelander Catholic Central were: Sr. Ellen Pachmayer, counselor; Sr. Martinella Janz, fourth grade; and Sr. Teresa Luetkenhaus, tutor and musician. Nearly 30 Franciscans sisters attended the open house, which was followed by a Mass at Immaculate Conception Church.

A 77-year tradition of Catholic education at St. Peter the Fisherman School in Eagle River ended May 28 as its doors were permanently closed. A small, hushed group came together as Fr. Robert Koszarek, pastor, led a procession through the school before it was officially locked.

"The combination of the financial cost of continuing our school, its declining enrollment and our parish debts have led us to this reluctant decision," Koszarek said.

Nearly 4,000 people came to see the new St. Mary's Hospital/ Ministry Medical Group-Rhinelander complex during an open house April 24. Fliss presided at the dedication Mass and blessing of the facility.

Deacon ordinations

In 2004, three men were ordained deacons. Barg "Andy" Anderson was ordained a transitional deacon by Fliss April 17, at St. Joseph Church in Osceola. Anderson, who is wrapping up his studies at St. Paul Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., is expected to be ordained to the priesthood in 2005.

In September, Richard Peterson and Kenneth Kasinski were ordained as permanent deacons by Fliss. On Sept. 11, at St. Joseph Parish in Osceola, individuals came together to witness the ordination of Peterson. On Sept. 12 parishioners, family and friends gathered at St. Louis Church in Washburn for Kasinski's ordination.

Anniversaries

On May 23, St. Francis Parish in Merrill held a special golden jubilee Mass in honor of Sr. Dolores Lilla, FSPA, and Fr. Joseph Kleinheinz.

Fr. Edward Powell and Fr. George Votruba celebrated 50 years in the priesthood. Fr. Bill Green marked 40 years as a priest.

Construction

In addition to the cathedral project, 2004 saw other construction efforts in the diocese. On Dec. 18, Catholics in Phillips gathered not only to dedicate a new worship center, but to celebrate the renaming of

the parish. The new church was dedicated in honor of St. Therese of the Lisieux. Fliss; Fr. Gerald Hagen, their pastor; and Benedictine Abbott Dismas Kalcic, a former pastor, celebrated a Mass

Previously known as Our Lady of the North Parish, ground was broken April 17, for the $1.8 million worship center. The parish resulted from the merger of two Phillips parishes, St. Mary and St. Patrick, in 1991. The new building includes a gathering space and worship center.

Sacred Heart Church in Almena reaches back over 100 years. Negotiating the stairs to its basement became a tough or impossible task for some parishioners. The worry about using these stairs for events ended Dec. 5, when the new Sacred Heart Parish Center, adjacent to the church, was dedicated. Fliss presided at a Mass; with Fr. David Lusson, pastor of the Cumberland, Turtle Lake and Almena parish cluster, as concelebrant.

Youth

Youth of the diocese also made news in 2004. In July a group of diocesan young people journeyed to Omaha, Neb., for a first ever diocesan sponsored mission trip.

On Nov. 28 young people gathered at St. Anne Church in Sanborn to start the Life Teen here. St. Bridget Parish in River Falls is in its third year of sponsoring this program. The goal of this global ministry, started in 1985, in Mesa, Ariz., is aimed at bringing teens closer to Christ.

During the annual diocesan youth rally, held Arpil 17 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Ladysmith, Gene Monteraselli and Brad Farmer, better know as APeX Ministries, conveyed a message about their shared Catholic faith., The duo used juggling and storytelling to get their message across to young people.

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© Superior Catholic Herald, 2004