Bishop Fliss (1979-2007)

Bishop of Superior who served longest tenure

• Introduction
• Early life and ordination to priesthood
• Named coadjutor bishop of Superior
  • Bishop's Coat of Arms
  • Episcopal ordination
  • New horizons and possibilities
• 1985 retirement of Bishop Hammes
  • Fr. Heslin appointed Moderator of the Curia
• Challenged by priest shortage
  • Vatican II reforms
  • Diocesan lay leadership
• Progams train lay ministers
  • Bishop George A. Hammes Center
  • Renew and the OFfice of Evangelization
  • Making Do with Less: Sunday Worship Without a Priest
• Parish Closings Painful
  • "2000 Here We Come"
  • "A New Springtime"
• September 11, 2001
• Final years as bishop
  • The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
  • Resotration of the Cathedral
  • Retirement
  • Given special honor in Milwaukee
• Born to Eternal Life

When Bishop Raphael Michael Fliss was ordained coadjutor bishop of Superior in 1979, he found a diocese in the midst of transition. Many changes had taken place in the decade following Vatican II, and Catholics in northwestern Wisconsin were still adjusting to these changes. While positive steps had been made in the life of the church, such as expanded liturgical and administrative roles for the laity, other changes (fewer vocations to the priesthood and religious life, as well as church and school closings) began to adversely affect the diocese. Raised in the pre-Vatican II church, Bishop Fliss embraced the reforms introduced at the Second Vatican Council and spent most of his episcopal life implementing and refining council’s teachings. Bishop Fliss was instrumental in organizing the 75^th and 100th anniversary celebrations of the Superior Diocese, held June 29, 1980, and 2005, respectively, at the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Bishop Fliss was born in Milwaukee October 25, 1930, to Paul P. and Valeria (Kosobucki) Fliss. After completing his primary education (grades one to three at St. Hedwig School and grades four to eight at St. Elizabeth School), he attended St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary his freshman year. The next year he enrolled at St. Francis Minor Seminary in Milwaukee, continuing his college studies at the major seminary there and earning a bachelor's degree in 1952. That fall he enrolled at The Catholic University of America in Washington, where he received a Licentiate Degree in Sacred Theology in 1956. Archbishop Albert G. Meyer ordained Bishop Fliss to the priesthood on May 26, 1956, at St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Milwaukee.

His first assignment was as temporary assistant pastor of Christ King Parish in Wauwatosa. On September 14, 1956, he was named assistant pastor at St. John Cathedral. While serving at the cathedral he was appointed secretary and master of ceremonies to Archbishop Meyer, as well as assistant chancellor. He would continue serving in these positions under Archbishop William E. Cousins and Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland, OSB.

Bishop Fliss traveled to Rome in the fall of 1962 to study canon law at the Lateran University. He received a Doctorate Degree in Canon Law in June of 1965 and returned to Milwaukee. He served as a defender of the bond in the tribunal office for three years and was appointed vice chancellor of the archdiocese on October 11, 1969. Bishop Fliss returned to St. John Cathedral on July 11, 1978, this time as rector.

Sixteen months later, on November 6, 1979, Pope John Paul II named the 49-year-old rector as coadjutor bishop of the Superior Diocese. It was the first time in the diocese’s history that a coadjutor bishop was appointed, and it meant that Bishop Fliss would automatically succeed Bishop George A. Hammes once the latter retired.

Bishop's Coat of Arms

On his episcopal coat of arms, Bishop Fliss chose as his motto a quote from Psalm 34: “Videte Quoniam Suavis Est Dominus,” translated, “See how good the Lord is.” He selected this motto because his three brothers, Howard, Arthur and George were doctors of optometry and his father (who died three months before Bishop Fliss was ordained a priest) was an optician.

Episcopal ordination

His episcopal ordination was held December 20, 1979, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior, with Bishop Hammes serving as principal consecrator, and Archbishop-emeritus Cousins and Archbishop Weakland as co-consecrators. About 27 prelates concelebrated the ordination liturgy, including Cardinal John Cody of Chicago and the pope's personal representative and apostolic delegate to the United States, Archbishop Jean Jadot.

New horizons and possibilities

Following the ordination rite, Bishop Fliss addressed the overflow crowd inside the cathedral. "I see new horizons and possibilities for the people here I have come to serve," he said. "This day I offer myself to you. I will be pleased to learn and listen. I look to you to help me be a good and dedicated bishop and together may we always see the goodness of the Lord." Within weeks of his ordination, Bishop Fliss was asked to chair the newly established permanent diaconate program in January 1980.

On June 27, 1985, Bishop Hammes announced his retirement, and Bishop Fliss automatically succeeded him. For the next two decades, Bishop Fliss embraced existing diocesan programs and unveiled a variety of new ones aimed at fulfilling the threefold mission of Jesus Christ: to teach, to serve and to sanctify God's people. He advanced the teaching mission of the church by promoting vocations and lay ministries, restructuring key diocesan programs such as the religious education office, and introducing a new stewardship program. He also established the Diocesan Finance Council in 1987 to ensure the accountability of financial resources.

Fr. Heslin appointed Moderator of the Curia

Under Bishop Fliss's leadership, Catholic Charities Bureau, the diocese's social services arm, adapted its programs to the changing needs of the community. One of Bishop Fliss's key administrative appointments was naming Fr. Philip Heslin, who served as director of Catholic Charities since 1962, to the new position of Moderator of the Curia in 1985. The new post is defined in Canon Law as one in which "a priest ... under the authority of the bishop, who is to coordinate administrative affairs and to take care that the other members of the curia properly fulfill the office entrusted to them." Fr. Heslin resigned from Catholic Charities in 1987.

In the midst of these and other advancements, the greatest challenge presented to Bishop Fliss was the same one that faced all of his predecessors: a shortage of priests. The shortage, however, seemed to intensify following the Second Vatican Council. For example, during his 25 years as shepherd, Bishop Hammes ordained 78 men to the priesthood. Beginning with the ordination of Fr. James Brinkman in 1981, Bishop Fliss ordained 21 men.

Vatican II reforms

While all nine of Superior's bishops encouraged vocations to the priesthood, only Bishop Hammes and Bishop Fliss were able to benefit from Vatican II reforms that

• reinstituted the permanent diaconate and
• called upon the laity to serve important leadership roles.

This approach to ministry, begun during the episcopacy of Bishop Hammes, blossomed under Bishop Fliss's guidance. He described the growth of lay ministries as a "major evolution taking place." Since the Second Vatican Council, "people have taken their rightful place within the church. They have recognized what it means to be baptized. ... I think we have to capitalize on allowing our people to take hold of who they are and what the church is all about and what it really means to live their faith as a member of our faith communities.

Diocesan lay leadership

Lay leadership also emerged on the diocesan level. Bishop Fliss appointed

• Brian Soland as the first lay executive director of Catholic Charities Bureau (1987) and
• Sam Lucero as the first lay editor of the diocesan newspaper (1987).

Lay directors were name to newly created diocesan offices, including

• Virgil Vavra, director of finance (1987),
• Steve Tarnowski, development director (1988), and
• Richard Lyons, pastoral services director (1991) and planning director (2000).

Permanent deacons and women religious also filled key positions:

• Deacon Timothy Kuehn, director of the diaconate office (1987),
• Deacon Roger Cadotte, director of the Office of Religious Education / Youth Ministry (1991).
• Sr. Genevieve Schillo, CSJ, director of the Department for Christian Formation (1986),
• Sr. Eileen Lang, FSPA, Renew director (1990), Office of Evangelization director (1993), vicar of women religious (1995) and chancellor of the diocese (1995).

Under the bishop's guidance, training programs were introduced to prepare lay ministers:

• the Entry Level Ministry (ELM) program,
• the Lay Ministry Outreach Formation Program, and
• the Program for Advanced Lay Ministry Studies (PALMS).

Workshops such as the Spring Leadership Conference in Cable and the fall Teacher/Catechist Institute in Rice Lake also offered lay ministry directions. Certification programs were developed for adults who teach religious education classes to youth, to other adults, and to those seeking entrance into the church.

Bishop George A. Hammes Center

To facilitate the training of catechists, Bishop Fliss reorganized the Office of Religious Education. This diocesan office, created by Bishop Hammes in 1968, began as the Christian Renewal Centers, with satellite offices scattered around the diocese. In 1990, Bishop Fliss relocated the office to the former rectory at Holy Trinity Church in Haugen and named it the Bishop George A. Hammes Center, home of the Office of Religious Education and Youth Ministry.

Renew and the Office of Evangelization

To help cultivate new lay leaders, Bishop Fliss promoted evangelization programs. The most successful was a three-year process called Renew. A parish-based program utilizing small faith-sharing groups that came together for Scripture reading and reflection, Renew began in the fall of 1990 and ended in the fall of 1992. In an effort to continue Renews successful evangelization mission, Bishop Fliss created the Office of Evangelization in January 1993. Retreat programs, such as Teens Encounter Christ, Beginning Experience, Cursillo and Koinonia, also became important evangelization tools during Bishop Fliss's tenure.

Making Do with Less: Sunday Worship Without a Priest

Another outcome of the priest shortage was the emergence of prayer services in the absence of priests. These services generally include distribution of Communion, consecrated by a priest during an earlier Mass. Realizing that priestless liturgies were part of the landscape, Wisconsin's bishops issued a letter on priestless worship in 1994 titled "Making Do with Less: Sunday Worship Without a Priest." The letter was intended to give proper guidance to parishes on the use of priestless liturgies. Two years later, Bishop Fliss promulgated new guidelines for Sunday worship without a priest.

Even though new ministries blossomed, the diocese faced hardships and tough decisions. Changing times and changing demographics led Bishop Fliss to study how the diocese could best utilize its resources. While Bishop Fliss was coadjutor, Bishop Hammes closed three parishes in Superior alone. In 1982, St. Adalbert, St. Cyril and Methodius and St Stansislaus were closed. When Fliss succeeded Hammes, he closed St. Louis and St. Patrick, also in Superior, and this pattern echoed all over the diocese changing life for parishioners and their pastors alike.

"2000 Here We Come"

The planning process revolved around "2000 Here We Come," a ministerial plan drafted by Fr. Heslin and the Diocesan Planning and Research Commission in 1982. The document included a parish cluster plan that in Superior grouped parishes into clusters, assigning one priest to each cluster. In 1989, the planning and research commission published the results of an index ranking of the dioceses' 134 parishes. The index used a formula based on baptisms, weddings and funerals (BWF).

On March 14, 1991, Bishop Fliss announced that 16 parishes would close by April 1992. The decision was made during a meeting in Hayward with priests serving the mission churches. In the end, two of the 16 parishes - St. Joseph in La Pointe and St. George in Clam Lake - were removed from the list. Nevertheless, between the years 1982-2005, 37 parishes were closed. Newly consolidated ones, however, were created in Ashland, Balsam Lake, Phillips, Rhinelander and Woodruff.

"A New Springtime"

In June of 2000, Bishop Fliss appointed Richard Lyons as director of the Office of Planning. His work became the basis of a pastoral letter issued by Bishop Fliss in October 2001, "A New Springtime." It was the bishop's first pastoral letter and addressed topics such as finding new ways to minister to a growing faith community with fewer priests, and promoting vocations and lay ministry. He proposed six guiding principles that would help "create a new springtime for our local church."

Catholics throughout the diocese watched their television sets intensely on the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, when four airplanes were hijacked by al-Qaeda suicide bombers turning the planes into guided missiles as they crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and into the Pentagon. A fourth plane which was believed to be headed for the White House, crashed in a Pennsylvania field.

In the weeks that followed there was an increase in Mass attendance in many parishes of the diocese as people tried to make sense out of the tragedy. They were also praying for God’s mercy and healing.

A year later, in a Mass of Peace Bishop Fliss said,

“Those deaths were so sudden, so violent, so untimely. Those deaths were not a natural disaster, they were not some colossal accident. This was mass murder perpetrated by a fanatic group bent on destroying not only American lives but also American values and our freedoms.”

The Bishop said the victims and heroes had been called to glory — a life without tears and a lasting peace.

In finding peace, Bishop Fliss said, it is important that we cultivate the virtue of hope recognizing that God will always love and care for us. But that takes “daily perseverance through the tribulations and adversities” of life. Through it all, the bishop stressed how important it is to have a sense of humor, an upbeat personality, and a cheerful optimistic outlook on life, knowing that one has a strong relationship with God. Fliss compared such an outlook to being in the eye of a hurricane–an island of peace and serenity in the midst of the storms of life.

At the end of Mass a bagpiper played Amazing Grace. Then, in a candlelight procession and service on the Cathedral lawn, the small tree was planted as a symbol of peace.

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People

Under the leadership of Bishop Fliss, the Diocese of Superior implemented the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and established policies for a safe environment for children and youth in addition to background checks on all persons working with minors. The diocese also established a review board to review all allegations of child abuse by diocesan clergy, staff, and volunteers.

Restoration of the Cathedral

The cathedral underwent a major renovation in 2003, with the church building closed for over a year while the renovations to the interior and exterior took place. Frescoes and an improved heating and air-conditioning system were added. The church re-opened in late 2004. In 2005, the diocese celebrated its 100th anniversary since its founding.

Retirement

Bishop Fliss retired in 2007 having reached the mandatory 75 year old age limit. As bishop for 28 years, he surpassed his predecessor, Bishop Hammes, as the longest serving bishop in the Superior Diocese.

Given special honor in Milwaukee

While his contributions will be remembered locally, Catholics in his hometown of Milwaukee honored him in a different way. In 1999, when the parishes of St. Ignatius Loyola, Holy Spirit and St. Barbara, located in Milwaukee's south side, merged, parishioners were invited to submit names for the newly formed church. Marge Kolo, who worked at the archdiocesan offices while Bishop Fliss was vice chancellor, submitted the name of St. Raphael in honor of Bishop Fliss. The merger task force accepted the name, but chose the Spanish spelling, St. Rafael the Archangel, to better represent the Hispanic community of the area, said Fr. Jim Kimla, pastor.

Born to Eternal Life

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A chapter of Vatican II-inspired leadership closed September 21, 2015 with the death of the longest-serving bishop in the Diocese of Superior’s history. He was 84.

Bishop Raphael Michael Fliss, with a combined 28 years of service – first as coadjutor bishop and then as the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Superior, was laid to rest at noon, Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior.

Approximately 375 people attended the funeral Mass, including Archbishop Jerome Listecki, Archdiocese of Milwaukee; Bishop David Malloy, Diocese of Rockford, Illinois; Bishop Robert Banks, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Green Bay; Bishop Robert Morneau, auxiliary bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Green Bay; Bishop Peter Christensen, eighth bishop of the Diocese of Superior, now bishop of the Diocese of Boise, Idaho; Bishop Paul Sirba, Diocese of Duluth; and Bishop Bernard Harrington, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Winona, Minnesota.

Also present were Msgr. Michael Gorman, vicar general of the Diocese of La Crosse, representing Bishop William Callahan, who is currently in Rome for the Synod of Bishops, and Fr. James Lobacz, master of ceremonies for the archbishop of Milwaukee, as well as more than 50 priests and many deacons and religious.

Archbishop Listecki presided at the Mass.
Anita Draper
Catholic Herald staff

View Press Release from the Chancery Office.
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Source: Our Journey through Faith: A History of the Diocese of Superior, by Sam Lucero, 2005.