The Irish standard., 1903-12-19
Archbishop of Milwaukee,;

I Archbishop of Milwaukee. D.
Pope Plus X has confirmed the
nomination by the congregation of the
propaganda of the Right Rev. Sebas-
tian G.. Messmer, d. D., bishop of
Green Bay, Wis, to be archbishop of
Milwaukee, Wis.
The new archbishop was the first of
the officials of the Catholic uni
versity of America, other than it's first
president, to be promoted to the epis-
copate. Three others have since had
the same honor.
Archbishop NIessmer is a native of
Gc!dach, Switzerland. His father was
we'll educated man, a farmer, honor
ably active in politics, and enjoying
the confidence and affection of the
people of his town and district as a
conscientious Christian legislator.
The future archbishop attended the
primary school of his native town and
later the high school in Rorschbach,
the diocesan college of st. George, near
st. Gall, and finally the university of
Innsbruck. He had volunteered for
the American mission, and soon after
his ordination to the priesthood in
1871 he came to America to be pro-
fessor Of theology at Seton Hall COL
lege, in the diocese of Newark, N. J.
Called in 1889 to the chair of canon
law at the just opened Catholic uni
versitw of America, he made years
preparation for the place at the Col
lege Appolinare, Rome, winning its de-
gree of D. G. l.. After two years at
the university he was promoted to the
polyglot diocese of Green Bay, left
vacant by the death of it's third bishop,
the Right Rev. F. X. Katzer, D. D.
Switzerland, though it sends COM
paratively few immigrants to the
United Statesmen all of these Catho-
lics-has already given to the Church
in America at least two bishops-the
Right Rev. DR.. Zardetti, second bishop
of st. Cloud, Mimi, later archbishop
OF Bucharest, Roumania, and the
Right Rev. DIR. Marty, his successor in
st. Cloud, besides many Jealous mis-
sionaries, and now the archbishop Of
the great western see of Milwaukee.
In this it resembles that other wonder
full little country, Belgium.
Archbishop Messmer has always
been an earnest advocate of Catholic
popular education. While still a pro-
fessor at Seton Hail he was also con-
nected with st. Peters church, New
ark, whose parochial schools had an
attendance of 1900 pupils.
In the diocese of Green Bay the
total attendance at Catholic schools Of
every grade is 14,3O4 to Catholic pop
ulation of 125,OOO.
In the archdiocese of Milwaukee the
Catholic school attendance is in even
larger proportion to the population
32,69S to 2S0.S61. Milwaukee has,
moreover, Il number of mother houses
Of teaching orders of men and women
in whose membership the peoples
race lines are paralleled. German,
italian, Polish and Bohemian are the
most numerous, though there is
goodly proportion of priests and people
Of Irish descent.
Archbishop Messmer has translated
and edited important works on Church
legislation, and has edited and pre-
faced recent notable book, "Christian
Apologetics," by Rev. w. Devivier, s.
J. He was first president of the Col
umbian Catholic summer school and
one Of the prime movers in the feder-
alton of American Catholic societies.
The archdiocese of Milwaukee is to
be congratulated on it's scholarly,
broad-minded head, with his wide ex-
perience East and West and with all
the human elements which are making
America.