A Letter from the Wisconsin Bishops
Dear Friends in Christ,
Since its founding in 1845, Saint Francis de Sales Seminary has cultivated the Catholic faith in the state of Wisconsin and beyond.
Fr. Joseph Salzmann, one of the seminary's founders, described the seminary as "a garden, of whose trees your children and your children's children will enjoy the fruit of life, the knowledge of truth." The blossoming of Saint Francis de Sales Seminary more than 179 years ago as a garden of priestly formation has nourished the lives and the faith of innumerable Catholic faithful in this state, and indeed throughout the entire country.
In our own day, through the Lord's generous favor, this seminary once again has begun to blossom anew. In 2016, the seminary renewed its status as the provincial seminary of the state of Wisconsin, with all our Wisconsin dioceses entrusting seminarians to its formation. Since that time, the impact has only broadened, as additional dioceses beyond the state's border continue to send men to be formed at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary. The 90 seminarians currently in formation - the most in decades - has outpaced the capacity of the seminary's facilities, which have not been renovated since the 1980s.
These seeds of renewal demand cultivation on our part. We are called to offer a generous response to God's generosity towards us. For this reason, we warmly recommend anad fully support the Zeal for the Lord's House Campaign, and we urge you to join us in answering the call of this campaign effort!
We do so with the hope and joy of preserving and handing on the Catholic faith to future generations. Through Saint Francis de Sales Seminary's formation of faithful, selfless, and zealous priests, we pray that your children and your children's children embrace the truth and love of Jesus Christ in the life of the Catholic Church.
Let us respond to this call with Zeal for the Lord's House!
Gratefully,
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
Most Reverend Gerard W. Battersby
Bishop of La Crosse
Most Reverend Donald J. Hying
Bishop of Madison
Most Reverend James P. Powers
Bishop of Superior
Most Reverend David L. Ricken
Bishop of Green Bay