You wrote:
“Sounding like he knows how to deal with financial problems.”
Overall yes. Bishop Listecki (pssst: the name on his birth certificate by the way is Harold, not Jerome) came in after Bishop Burke and really reigned in the spending. He also pushed the diocesan schools to work harder at fundraising to stand on their own feet so to speak. Sadly, many of the Catholic schools in the diocese probably are not going to make it. Declining enrollment and rising tuition are just killing them.
“Will this be good for the Milwaukeee Diocese?”
So-so. He knows the Milwaukee Diocese well already because he spent so many years in Chicago and then LaCrosse. He is orthodox. He is NOT very pro-active, however. A number of able people left his curia after he took over because he was not the best leader. He rarely took public stances unless it was safe to do so.
For a guy with a big smile and a glad handshake he could be hard as nails when you got in his way, however. There was a priest in one of his deaneries who was unanimously elected dean by the other priests. The priest was old, tired and dreaded the extra duties in his last few years before retirement. When he said he didn’t want the job, Bishop Listecki told him, “I’ll give you 30 seconds to think about it and the answer better be yes.”
He’s also admits he’s not well trained in liturgy.
At least he’s orthodox.
I wonder how this is going to impact poor little LaCrosse! They lost two bishops in just a few years. And when the bishop leaves so do a number of seminarians!
Interesting. We’ll be getting a new bishop in the next year or so (Diocese of St Augustine) and we’re usually considered the elephant graveyard, so I don’t think we’ll get anybody very good.
But yours is an important Midwest diocese. Do you think he could become better on liturgy? We have a Cathedral pastor who is the diocesan liturgy director but was, frankly, not very good until he had spent a while here and realized what was necessary. He’s changed and orthodoxy is definitely on the rise here (now his biggest opponent is our retiring bishop, who is good on pro-life but awful on liturgy).
Perhaps with a new bishop some good priests will emerge from the woodwork. I’m sure Dolan was good, but he was only the first step in recovery after a rather long spell under a heterodox enchantment...