Fr. Tim Kitzke on his new cathedral role, Catholic church's future and what Milwaukee needs
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The Very Rev. Tim Kitzke, a fixture of Milwaukee's downtown, east-side and Riverwest Catholic churches for more than 20 years, is taking on a new role at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, the seat of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Kitzke is known for his engagement in the community and captivating preaching, for which he has an enthusiastic following.
Kitzke, who serves as the pastor of the "Family of Four" parishes — which comprises seven churches — added two new titles this summer: pastor and rector of the cathedral, and vicar for urban ministry. He previously held the urban ministry position from 2015 to 2018.
In an 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday at the cathedral, 812 N. Jackson St., Kitzke will be officially installed as rector of the cathedral. Archbishop Jerome Listecki continues to lead the 10-county archdiocese from the cathedral.
With the addition of the cathedral, Kitzke's purview expands to what's now the "Family of Five" parishes. The others are Old St. Mary; Saints Peter and Paul; Our Lady of Divine Providence's St. Casimir location; and Three Holy Women (which comprises Holy Rosary, St. Hedwig and St. Rita).
Kitzke said he is humbled to take on the new roles but acknowledged his plate was especially full.
"When people ask, 'How are you going to do it?' I always say, 'I don't know, but I'm going to keep on trying, and I'm going to keep on trusting God, and I'm going to keep on trusting the good people with whom I work,'" Kitzke said.
He takes the helm as the Catholic church in the U.S. faces many of the same headwinds as other Christian denominations: dwindling and aging congregations, and fewer people who consider themselves religious or report attending services regularly.
More: Historic St. Florian Parish in West Milwaukee to close, plans merger with Holy Assumption
The church's stance on social issues also has drawn increased scrutiny in recent years, especially on abortion and the rights of transgender people. A policy from Listecki last year directed local Catholic schools and parishes only to recognize a person's sex assigned at birth, sparking criticism from members of the LGBTQ community.
Kitzke spoke to the Journal Sentinel about those issues and more. Responses have been edited for brevity and clarity.
What will your new position as rector of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist entail? What do you hope to accomplish?
The cathedral is the mother church of the diocese. It's the central parish. My call there is to work hard to pastor it as a parish, but also to send out the message of the unity of the church of all parishes under the archbishop.
Like I already do with the Family of Four parishes, I'll run the cathedral as a parish. I'm doing that in collaboration with a wonderful lay staff. We work hard to mediate a sense of unity so that as a church we can effectively carry out the mission of Jesus Christ in the city.
In your view as vicar for urban ministry, what is the most pressing challenge facing Milwaukee residents today?
The archbishop really has a desire that the church is present and aware of all the various elements that come with the urban setting. Some of the things we're dealing with right now, for example, are poverty, racism and housing. Another thing we're dealing with right now is making sure everyone feels welcomed and included to work toward an end to violence, which seems to be plaguing us.
The church needs to be the leaven — the call — for us to deal with some of the more serious issues of violence in the city.
The archbishop wants his parishes, and especially the mother church as a model for other parishes, to work collaboratively — not only with ourselves but with other denominations, Christian and non-Christian, with people of good will — to really work hard to help the city be the best city it can be.
In a statement, you said you want to help communities stricken by poverty. What are some examples of what that would look like?
We have a great web of charitable institutions — Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul Society. Also, a good, strong human concerns committee that should be part of every parish. But also, it begins with the education of our children. For example, I am also on the board of directors of Seton Catholic Schools, which are the 11 schools in the urban areas in which we need to lift the standards and work hard collaboratively to educate our children well. Because education is the key to getting out of poverty.
We also need to support families in the challenges they have to help our children grow up in a peaceful situation.
The way I put it is, I will be the pesky fly that keeps on bringing up the issues and challenging people to come into dialogue and talk about these things, so that we can all, instead of talking at each other, talk with each other. So we can all work as a wonderfully collaborative team, starting with our own house, in terms of the church. But also including more and more people in the conversation so that we can have good, civil and productive dialogues.
As we see membership at many parishes getting older and smaller, what does the future of the Catholic church in Milwaukee look like, and what should be done in light of that trend?
We deeply appreciate and respect our elders, but we also have to open up the doors, especially for those in their 20s, 30s, 40s, who are seen as the "nones" (those who are religiously unaffiliated). We have to create a welcoming and a program-oriented environment for them to find new ways of dealing with a very crazy world.
We have to work on hospitality, kindness, compassion. I'm discovering that a lot of people really want to become part of the solution to the problem instead of just complaining about the problem.
I always say, I'm in sales, not production. I work for the Lord. We have to present a message that is both challenging but also positive; is both strong in teaching but also welcoming.
The church’s positions on LGBTQ issues, abortion and more have been in the spotlight recently. How do you view public opinion on these topics, and do you worry that people are leaving the church because they feel alienated?
I'm sure, yes, many people feel disenfranchised and and maybe a little put off by that. I always say that it's not just a matter of following the law, it's a matter of engaging in the dialogue that helps people understand why the church teaches what it does. To respect the fact that people can have questions about it, and that you can either leave, and the conversation ends, or you can stay, and the conversation develops.
Then, all the different sides benefit. So it's not just a decision from on high, it's a rock that we stand on to help people find meaning — and also to help people understand the complexity of these issues, but also the church's gospel approach to it. The challenge we all have is to learn from each other.
What’s something in Milwaukee that gives you cause for hope?
I was just at a number of the different festivals that are around town, or sometimes I drive around the neighborhood, and you see people coming together. It fills me with hope when people have a sense of community. At number of different venues this summer, people from out of town have told me that Milwaukee is such a friendly, loving place.
I know we have a reputation for all different sorts of problems that are going on.
But, using a saying that comes from our tradition, I'm presuming goodness, that good things can happen. And I've seen that happen — when you presume some goodness with people, it's amazing how goodness then multiplies and grows. Kindness goes a long way. Even when sometimes we don't understand each other or don't appreciate each other, we can move past that by the beck and call of kindness.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Catholic priest Fr. Tim Kitzke takes new role at cathedral
