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New Catholic cardinal visited Point twice

By JIM SCHUH
of The Gazette
One of the 37 bishops and priests Pope John Paul II chose this past Sunday to join the College of Cardinals has ties to the Stevens Point area, just as the pope himself does.

Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski, 61, who heads the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, has visited to Stevens Point twice during the past six years.

He's the second high-ranking Polish Catholic churchman to have come to Portage County in the past three decades. Many people remember that the other was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the man who later became Pope John Paul II.

The future pope was in Stevens Point in 1976, delivering an address at a UW-SP banquet on Catholic education in Poland, and then celebrating Mass at the SPASH fieldhouse. He also visited the Felician Sisters in Polonia and spent time on the Maynard Zdroik farm at Rosholt. Cardinal Wojtyla became pope in 1978.

Archbishop Grocholewski has been a mentor to, and friend of La Crosse Bishop Raymond L. Burke. When Burke was installed as bishop at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral in La Crosse on Feb. 22, 1995, Grocholewski traveled from Rome for the ceremonies. Two days later, the two bishops visited Stevens Point, where they concelebrated a solemn Mass at St. Peter's Church, and Grocholewski delivered his homily in Polish, with Father Joseph Rafacz translating it into English. While in the area, the two prelates also stopped to see the Felician Sisters and the schoolchildren at Sacred Heart School in Polonia.

Grocholewski returned to the La Crosse diocese in September of 1997, when he again came to Stevens Point to say Mass at St. Peter's for the parish's centennial celebration on Sept. 21. On that occasion, the archbishop spoke in both Polish and English during his homily about the martyr, St. Maximilian Kolbe. Gov. Tommy Thompson was among the dignitaries attending the Mass.

Others present remember Grocholewski as a smiling, friendly man. He stood outside after Mass on the sunny Sunday morning, greeting parishioners.

Bishop Burke calls the new cardinal "a most devoted churchman with a true pastoral sense." Burke spent five-and-a-half years working with the Polish archbishop at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura before the pope named him Bishop of La Crosse.

The Vatican News Service (VNS) describes the Signatura as having "judicial power over cases of nullity and appeals regarding conflicts over competence. In addition, as an administrative Tribunal, the Apostolic Signatura settles disputes stemming from actions of ecclesiastical administrative power and insures the correct administration of justice."

At the Congregation for Catholic Education, Grocholewski heads an agency with authority over all seminaries and religious houses, all Catholic universities and all other Catholic schools. It carefully watches curricula in seminaries, the training ground of priests.

The Office for Catholic Schools maintains contact with bishops regarding educational systems around the world. VNS says among the issues the office deals with are the teaching of sex education in Catholic schools, problems related to the teaching of moral or religious matters in public schools and the closing of Catholic schools in some countries.

Bishop Burke calls Grocholewski's appointment to run the Vatican Congregation for Catholic education "quite a vote of confidence in him, to place him in charge of such an important office."

For the past several months, Vatican watchers had Grocholewski's name on the list of men to become cardinals at the next consistory. And even before the official announcement came, Bishop Burke also expressed confidence the Holy Father would name his former mentor to receive the red hat.

Grocholewski is a native of Brodki, a city in west central Poland in the archdiocese of Poznan. The prelate was ordained a priest in May of 1963. After a brief time at the parish level, Grocholewski went to Rome for graduate studies in Canon Law. He earned a doctorate with highest distinction, and began service at the Signatura in 1972, working there until his appointment in November of 1999 to oversee Catholic education.

Pope John Paul II elevated Grocholewski to bishop in December of 1982.
Grocholewski and the other 37 men will become princes of the church in ceremonies at St. Peter's Basilica on Feb. 21.

With his latest appointments, the 80-year old pontiff has named all but 10 of the 128 cardinals eligible to participate in the election of a new pope. Vatican watchers say that increases the likelihood that Pope John Paul's successor will be a conservative and also may be another non-Italian.

(Jim Schuh recalls interviewing him on tape for WIZD that day. The
archbishop wasn't confident enough of his English, so Schuh asked him to
greet the people of the Stevens Point area in his native language. He
recorded a 30-second message in Polish, asking for the Lord's blessings on the area's population.)



	New Catholic cardinal visited Point twice By JIM SCHUH of The Gazette One of the 37 bishops and priests Pope John Paul II chose this past Sunday to join the College of Cardinals has ties to the Stevens Point area, just as the pope himself does. Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski, 61, who heads the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, has visited to Stevens Point twice during the past six years. He's the second high-ranking Polish Catholic churchman to have come to Portage County in the past three decades. Many people remember that the other was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the man who later became Pope John Paul II. The future pope was in Stevens Point in 1976, delivering an address at a UW-SP banquet on Catholic education in Poland, and then celebrating Mass at the SPASH fieldhouse. He also visited the Felician Sisters in Polonia and spent time on the Maynard Zdroik farm at Rosholt. Cardinal Wojtyla became pope in 1978. Archbishop Grocholewski has been a mentor to, and friend of La Crosse Bishop Raymond L. Burke. When Burke was installed as bishop at St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral in La Crosse on Feb. 22, 1995, Grocholewski traveled from Rome for the ceremonies. Two days later, the two bishops visited Stevens Point, where they concelebrated a solemn Mass at St. Peter's Church, and Grocholewski delivered his homily in Polish, with Father Joseph Rafacz translating it into English. While in the area, the two prelates also stopped to see the Felician Sisters and the schoolchildren at Sacred Heart School in Polonia. Grocholewski returned to the La Crosse diocese in September of 1997, when he again came to Stevens Point to say Mass at St. Peter's for the parish's centennial celebration on Sept. 21. On that occasion, the archbishop spoke in both Polish and English during his homily about the martyr, St. Maximilian Kolbe. Gov. Tommy Thompson was among the dignitaries attending the Mass. Others present remember Grocholewski as a smiling, friendly man. He stood outside after Mass on the sunny Sunday morning, greeting parishioners. Bishop Burke calls the new cardinal "a most devoted churchman with a true pastoral sense." Burke spent five-and-a-half years working with the Polish archbishop at the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura before the pope named him Bishop of La Crosse. The Vatican News Service (VNS) describes the Signatura as having "judicial power over cases of nullity and appeals regarding conflicts over competence. In addition, as an administrative Tribunal, the Apostolic Signatura settles disputes stemming from actions of ecclesiastical administrative power and insures the correct administration of justice." At the Congregation for Catholic Education, Grocholewski heads an agency with authority over all seminaries and religious houses, all Catholic universities and all other Catholic schools. It carefully watches curricula in seminaries, the training ground of priests. The Office for Catholic Schools maintains contact with bishops regarding educational systems around the world. VNS says among the issues the office deals with are the teaching of sex education in Catholic schools, problems related to the teaching of moral or religious matters in public schools and the closing of Catholic schools in some countries. Bishop Burke calls Grocholewski's appointment to run the Vatican Congregation for Catholic education "quite a vote of confidence in him, to place him in charge of such an important office." For the past several months, Vatican watchers had Grocholewski's name on the list of men to become cardinals at the next consistory. And even before the official announcement came, Bishop Burke also expressed confidence the Holy Father would name his former mentor to receive the red hat. Grocholewski is a native of Brodki, a city in west central Poland in the archdiocese of Poznan. The prelate was ordained a priest in May of 1963. After a brief time at the parish level, Grocholewski went to Rome for graduate studies in Canon Law. He earned a doctorate with highest distinction, and began service at the Signatura in 1972, working there until his appointment in November of 1999 to oversee Catholic education. Pope John Paul II elevated Grocholewski to bishop in December of 1982. Grocholewski and the other 37 men will become princes of the church in ceremonies at St. Peter's Basilica on Feb. 21. With his latest appointments, the 80-year old pontiff has named all but 10 of the 128 cardinals eligible to participate in the election of a new pope. Vatican watchers say that increases the likelihood that Pope John Paul's successor will be a conservative and also may be another non-Italian. (Jim Schuh recalls interviewing him on tape for WIZD that day. The archbishop wasn't confident enough of his English, so Schuh asked him to greet the people of the Stevens Point area in his native language. He recorded a 30-second message in Polish, asking for the Lord's blessings on the area's population.)