Bishop Emeritus Richard J. Sklba will speak on "Professionalism and the Gifts of the Spirit".
Bishop Sklba was ordained to the priesthood in Rome for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1959. In 1962, he returned to Rome for three more years of study at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas of Aquinas (Angelicum). He was privileged to be present in Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome, for the opening session of the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962.
After returning to the United States, he spent the next 11 years teaching Scripture at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, Milwaukee. In 1976, he was appointed rector of the seminary by Archbishop Cousins. In 1979, Bishop Sklba was ordained as an auxiliary bishop, one of America’s youngest bishops. For the past 30 years, Bishop Sklba has served on various committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Bishop Sklba served as chair of the USCCB’s Committee for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs from 2005-2008. In that capacity, he had the privilege of introducing the nation’s religious leaders from several traditions including Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu and Jain to Pope Benedict XVI during the Holy Father’s historic pastoral visit to the United States in April of 2008. Active in the church’s ecumenical and interreligious relationships on a national and local level, Bishop Sklba has co-chaired the national Lutheran/Catholic Dialogue since 1998.
Bishop Sklba was elected archdiocesan administrator by the College of Consultors in May of 2002, and served in that capacity until the Most Reverend Timothy Dolan was installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee on August 28, 2002. Bishop Sklba continued to serve as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as an auxiliary bishop and general vicar under Archbishops Dolan and Listecki. He also taught Scripture at Sacred Heart School of Theology, Hales Corners, from 2006 through 2009. On September 11, 2010, the occasion of his 75th birthday, Bishop Sklba, as required by canon law, submitted his resignation. On October 18, 2010, the Feast of St. Luke the Evangelist, Pope Benedict XVI accepted Bishop Sklba's resignation. Bishop Sklba continues to serve the archdiocese as a “retired” bishop.
Mass will be celebrated at 7:30 A.M. in the Chapel of St. Edmund Campion, located on the 4th floor of Eckstein Hall. Mass will be followed by a meeting and discussion from 8:00-9:00 A.M., which includes a continental breakfast (suggested donation $4.00). Parking is available in the Eckstein Hall underground parking structure. (Enter the lot, pull a ticket, and find an open parking space. Once parked, take the elevator to main floor, which opens to the foyer, and go to the welcome desk to get your parking ticket validated.)
