Archdiocese of Milwaukee history

In 1847 Henni laid the foundation of the new cathedral, dedicated to St John the Evangelist, also designed by Schulte.

Built out of Cream City brick, a cream or light yellow-colored brick made from a clay found around Milwaukee, the cathedral was consecrated by Papal nuncio Archbishop Gaetano Bedini 31 July 1853.

1856 Father Caspar Rehrl, with the Sisters of St Agnes, founded Barton School in West Bend.

1864 St Catherine’s Academy was founded by the Racine Dominicans as an all-girls’ school.

In 1866 two new dioceses were established in Wisconsin with episcopal sees in La Crosse and Green Bay.

In 1875 Milwaukee was made an archiepiscopal see, with Bishop Henni as first archbishop.

Upon the death of Henni in September 1881, he was succeeded by Michael Heiss, Bishop of La Crosse.

1887 Mother M. Alexia Hoell established St Joseph Normal School to educate future teachers within the School Sisters of St Francis community.

1889 The Bennett Law required compulsory education for children between ages 7 – 14.

Archbishop Katzer lobbied strongly for the repeal of the Bennett Law in 1890.

1902 Archbishop Katzer called for the formation of a new archdiocesan school board.

Swiss-born Sebastian Gebhard Messmer was installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee in December 1903.

1904 The Catholic Education Association (CEA), later the NCEA, was established to professionalize Catholic schools and teacher training.

1921 Father Joseph Barbian was appointed by Archbishop Sebastian Messmer as the first superintendent of schools for the archdiocese.

In 1924, it became the first coeducational high school in the archdiocese.

1925 Marquette University High School was opened on 24th and Wisconsin.

1930 Messmer High School, the first diocesan high school, was opened on 8th and Capitol Doctor The school originated at St Elizabeth, but in 1930 opened in it's present location.

1936 The Congregation of Sisters of St Agnes opened Marian College, later Marian University, in Fond du Lac.

Centennial, the story of the development of the Kingdom of God on earth in that portion of the vineyard which for one hundred years has been the Diocese of Galveston.1947

As a diocesan school in the 1960’s, with an enrollment of over 2,000 students, it was the largest Catholic high school in Wisconsin.

1967 Primarily for financial reasons, the precipitous decline in Catholic school enrollment began.

1968 Milwaukee Archdiocesan Elementary Principals’ Association (MAEPA) was formed.

1969 Consolidated Parochial Elementary School (CPES) in rural Fond du Lac County (now Holyland Catholic) and Rosemary School in Ozaukee County (now Divine Savior) were founded.

1974 An annual National Catholic Schools Week was instituted and promulgated by the NCEA as part of the initial marketing campaigns on behalf of Catholic education.

1990 Milwaukee’s Parental Choice Program, considered to be the nation’s first modern private school choice program, was enacted and launched.

1994 St Rose Urban Academy and St Leo Catholic Academy were formed and were managed by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

In a report released by the Wisconsin State Senate in 2003, a total of 58 priests were revealed to have been accused of sexually abusing children while serving in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

2007 Messmer Catholic Schools assumed management of St Rose and St Leo Urban Academies at the request of the archdiocese.

On 17 July 2011 the archdiocese launched "a national advertising campaign to notify sex abuse victims of their deadline to file claims.

2013 The statewide Wisconsin Parental Choice Program began.

2015 Cristo Rey High School, sponsored by the Society of Jesus and the newest Catholic high school in the archdiocese, was founded.

2016 Seton Catholic Schools was founded: a network of 11 urban Catholic elementary schools in the city of Milwaukee.

2017 Siena Catholic Schools, a network of five elementary schools and St Catherine’s High School in Racine, was announced.