Aloysius John Wycisło

His Excellency, The Most Reverend Aloysius John Wycisło
Bishop of Green Bay
Diocese	Green Bay
Appointed	March 8, 1968
Installed	May 10, 1983
Predecessor	Stanislaus Bona
Successor	Adam Maida
Other post	Titular Bishop of Stadia (1960–1968)
Previous post	Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (1960–1968)
Orders
Ordination	April 4, 1934 by  George Mundelein
Consecration	December 21, 1960 by  Albert Meyer
Personal details
Born	Alojzy Jan Wycisło (1908-06-17)June 17, 1908 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	October 11, 2005(2005-10-11) (aged 97) Green Bay, Wisconsin, US
Alma mater	Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary Mundelein Seminary Catholic University of America
Motto	Caritati instate (Be steadfast in charity)

Styles of Aloysius John Wycisło
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Bishop

Aloysius John Wycisło (June 17, 1908 – October 11, 2005) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1968 to 1983. Previously, he served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 1960 to 1968.

Biography

Early life and education

Wycisło was born on June 17, 1908, to Simon and Victoria Czech Wycisło in Chicago, Illinois. He attended St. Mary of Czestochowa School in Cicero, Illinois; Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary (high school) in Chicago; Mundelein Seminary at the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois; and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned a master's degree in social work.

Priesthood

Wycisło was ordained into the priesthood on April 7, 1934, by Cardinal George Mundelein at the University of St. Mary of the Lake. ^[1] During World War II and into the 1950s, he served in Catholic War Relief Services, establishing refugee camps in the Middle East, India, and Africa. He later coordinated aid throughout Eastern and Western Europe for the Polish American Relief Organization. ^[2] Wycisło was one of the first American priests to enter Poland after the war. ^[3] He reported that the postwar communist government in Poland had forbidden mentioning the pope in the press and in Polish churches. ^[4]

Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago

Wycisło was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago by Pope John XXIII on October 7, 1960 Wycisto was consecrated at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago by Cardinal Albert Meyer on December 21, 1960. ^[1]

In 1962, Meyer asked Wycisło to direct the archdiocesan observance of Poland's millennium of Christianity. Wycisło handled all the preparations, including arrangements for the visit of the primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. ^[5]

Wycisło served as a council father from the first session of the Second Vatican Council in Rome, from 1962 to 1965. Wycisło served as a member of the American Bishops' Commissions on the Lay Apostolate and on the Missions and the Oriental Church. He met and became friends with Karol Wojtyła, then-Archbishop of Krakow in Poland, who later became Pope John Paul II. ^[6]

Bishop of Green Bay

Wycisło was appointed bishop of Green Bay on March 8, 1968, by Pope Paul VI. Wycisło was installed on April 16, 1968. ^{[7] [1]} His episcopal motto was Caritati Instate (Be Steadfast in Charity).

Retirement and legacy

On June 17, 1983, his 75th birthday, Wycisło submitted his letter of resignation as bishop of Green Bay to the Vatican. He remained active during his retirement by performing confirmations.

On Aloysius Wycisło's death in Green Bay in 2005 at age 97, he was the oldest living bishop in the United States. He was also was one of the few living bishops who attended the Second Vatican Council.

Publications

• Vatican Two Revisited; Reflections by One who was there
• The Saint Peter

See also

• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

References

1. "Bishop Aloysius John Wycislo [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
2. Steven M. Avella, This Confident Church: Catholic Leadership and Life in Chicago, 1940–1965, Notre Dame, 1992, pg. 57
3. "Boro Priest Advocates Aid for German Needy". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 8, 1946. p. 4. Retrieved March 24, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Says Pope's Name Is Banned in Poland". Ironwood Daily Globe. January 7, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved March 24, 2015– via Newspapers.com.
5. Wiśniewski, Charles E. (1968). "Religious Millennial Observances". Polish American Studies. 25: 20–23.
6. Schommer, Msgr. Mark (April 29, 2021). "Bishop Aloysius Wycislo: A Man for All Seasons". Salesiamum. Spring/Summer 1986: 5–8 – via Diocese of Green Bay.
7. "History". www.gbdioc.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved October 16, 2025.

External links

• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Stanislaus Vincent Bona	Bishop of Green Bay March 8, 1968 – May 10, 1983	Succeeded by Adam Maida
Preceded by –	Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago 1960–1968	Succeeded by –