Father Carl Diederichs

This is a ‘good news’ story with a sad but true ending.

There was a man who came late in life to the priesthood in Milwaukee. A few years after he was ordained he was sent to pastor one of the two African American Catholic Churches left after a former Archbishop had closed down eight predominately African-American Catholic Churches and created two.

The history of the African-American Catholic Church is one of Archbishops and white Catholic Church members keeping blacks “separate but equal”. From the days of St. Benedict the Moor Church and school being created so blacks did not have to attend the nearby white Catholic school and church and sit in the balcony during liturgy has been one of neglect. (See The Catholic Church in North Central Milwaukee ).

This elderly priest was sent to one of the two Catholic Churches left in the Central city. There were 17 Catholic Churches in North Central Milwaukee in 60’s and now there are only three, one being predominately white. Many black Catholics during the closing of Catholic Churches in predominately African American neighbors, not seeing their concerns being dealt with left the Catholic Church and became members of other Christian churches that were open and had urban ministry.

This priest cherished the opportunity to minister in this Catholic Church. African Americans and whites could see his enthusiasm for ministry in this urban environment and the Church grew and grew. The Gospel choir of this Church became world renowned for its music. Each year more and more persons joined this Church that was reaching out to the neighborhood and beyond (evangelizing, some would call it).

The present Archbishop since he came to Milwaukee, kept check on this priest who was a true urban minister. After ten years the Archbishop suddenly pulled him out of this Church. He wanted to stay in ministry in urban areas serving African Americans but the Archbishop say no, he could not stay in the area, not as a pastor even as priestly urban minister. Rather than get assigned to an all white parish in northern part of Archdiocese he decided to retire and seek some other ministry as a priest. Although he was elderly, coming late to the priesthood, he felt he had much more to offer.

The people of the parish were very sad to see him go. The local African American newspaper had a special insert honoring him. On the cover next to his picture it said “Outgoing All Saint Catholic Church shepherd leaves a legacy built on the church’s commitment to build and foster a multiracial, multicultural community of faith, hope and love.”

There was a special Mass and celebration in the parish honoring this priest and on the following Sunday he celebrated with a full house of people of all races his last liturgy where the music was soul felt, the homily brief but meaningful and the Eucharist table was shared by all, young and old, females and males, white and black. It was a true picture of what ‘catholic’, universal, church, should look like.

At the end of mass this priest read a letter from a Bishop, not the one in Milwaukee, but a bishop in Louisiana who welcomed him to his diocese to be the pastor for two African American Church in the bayou’s of his state. He had wanted to live and work in Milwaukee area but the opportunities for housing and ministry were just not present.

After the liturgy, as we were driving home, my wife, Pat, noticed an insert in the church bulletin. It was a letter from the present Archbishop about a call at recent synod (gathering) of Catholics in the Archdiocese for the local Catholic Church to renew its focus on issues of social justice, “especially on issues like poverty, immigration, violence and crime.” To deal with this concern he was appointing a priest of three white Churches as Vicar General with a special emphasis on Urban Ministry.

He ends the letter by saying “When we demonstrate our concern for issues impacting wide segments of our society in areas of social justice, especially on issues like education, poverty, immigration, crime, violence and other social issues, we demonstrate our willingness to follow the command of Jesus to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” This is true but the Archbishop could have done a lot more toward these concerns for these urban issues by just allowing Father Carl to do his urban ministry at All Saints.

I just pray and hope this move does not create more former African American Catholics. This is the story of the Milwaukee Catholic Archdiocese in dealing with African Americans, knowing what is best for ‘them’ without listening to African Americans, even the Catholics. This is the true but sad story of an Urban Minister lost to the Catholic Church in Milwaukee.

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