Bayfield Peninsula says farewell to Franciscans
Cathryn Sprynczynatyk
Staff writer
SUPERIOR - Parishioners of the Bayfield Peninsula bid farewell to the Franciscan order that has served the area for 132 years last Thursday, June 24.
The Order of Franciscans Minor first arrived on the Bayfield Peninsula in 1878 at the request of the Bishop Michael Heiss, Diocese of La Crosse. Their arrival predated the Diocese of Superior, later established in 1905.
“The parishioners of Holy Family Church shall be ever grateful to the Franciscans for ministering to their needs,” said Muriel Erickson, who spoke on behalf of Holy Family community. “Not only have you taken care of our spiritual needs, but you have been our friends.”
Part of the Franciscans’ original mission on the Bayfield Peninsula was to serve the Ojibwe tribe and the Indian Missions of the Diocese of La Crosse. That history was reflected at a vespers service, which began with traditional hand drum and flute music by members of the Ojibwe tribe from Red Cliff Indian Reservation. Parishioners processed in with symbols of the Franciscans and the peninsula including a Franciscan San Damiano crucifix, Franciscan habit, Catechism written in Ojibwe and lupines.
The five clustered parishes on the Bayfield Peninsula include Holy Family, Bayfield; St. Ann, Cornucopia; St. Francis, Red Cliff; St. Joseph, La Pointe; and St. Louis, Washburn. Seasonally, the cluster priest takes the ferry to Madeline Island to say Mass at St. Joseph Church as well.
“It wasn’t always easy to serve in northern Wisconsin,” said Colleen Greene, St. Ann’s. “They endured, they stayed the course teaching, helping and bringing us nearer to the Lord.”
Bryan Bresette, a member of the Red Cliff Tribe and a parishioner St. Francis, said he will miss the order’s presence.
“They’ve been in my life forever,” Bresette said.
He and other parish representatives at the farewell liturgy recounted stories from the many Franciscan priests who had served them.
“Fr. Willie [Schmidt] knew even more Ojibwe than I could ever know,” Bresette said.
Fr. Mike Haney, the most recent Franciscan to serve the Bayfield Peninsula, has been pastor of the cluster for three years.
“I’ve enjoyed it. It’s a little piece of God’s greatest creation when you look around the scenery,” Fr. Haney said. “The small communities like we have in the area tend to realize their survival depends on themselves.”
He said in his experience smaller parish communities tend to be more active and take more ownership of their churches.
“In theses little churches they realize if they don’t stay active, stay involved in the church, it will go away,” Fr. Haney said.
Fr. Haney has been pastor of parishes spread across the country including churches in Louisiana and California as well as inner-city Chicago.
“When I am assigned to be a pastor in a church, that’s my home,” Fr. Haney said. “I invest myself 110 percent. I’ve had a lot of wonderful homes in my priestly life.”
After a short stint in Joliet, Ill., Fr. Haney’s next assignment will be in Omaha, Neb., close to his elderly mother.
“Pastoring five different communities [on the Bayfield Peninsula], each one separate and unique and different, has been a unique experience for me,” Fr. Haney said.
The size of the cluster has been a factor in the departure of Franciscans. According to a letter from the Provincial Minister, Fr. William Spencer, the Diocese of Superior felt there was a need for two priests to serve the cluster. Fr. Spencer said the Franciscan Province of the Sacred Heart would be unable to supply a second priest without affecting other ministerial commitments in the province.
Capuchin Franciscan Fr. Randy Knauf and newly ordained Fr. Aaron Kalmon will serve the cluster.
The Franciscans will still maintain a presence in the area with priests including Fr. Paul Paré, at Our Lady of the Lake, Ashland.
“Somewhere along the line God has plans, and his plans are good,” Fr. Paré said. “We put our trust in his hands.”
At the farewell service, a passage from the Rule of St. Francis was read giving instructions to the friars in their often transitory work. Bishop Peter Christensen reflected on the reading in his remarks.
“The reading from St. Francis reminds us tonight that we are a pilgrim people,” Bishop Christensen said. “None of us will remain permanent in this life. We journey in faith as we follow Jesus Christ who is the Good Shepherd. He leads us, at times even painfully, but always to renew and refresh us in the end. Nothing is lost in Christ, and nothing will be able to separate us from his love for us.”
Fr. Spencer commended the work of the Franciscans in a letter read at the evening prayer service.
“God has been praised, and God’s people have been well-served by our brothers, and we’re grateful to them and for them,” Fr. Spencer said.
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