Father John Celichowski Welcomes you to St. Martin de Porres

Milwaukee Pastor Serves in an International Role
April 19, 2006
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
by Tom Heinen
MILWAUKEE -

Father John Celichowski, a Milwaukee native and pastor of St. Martin de Porres Parish on the city's north side, has taken on global responsibilities as the new president of an organization that represents the values of some 800,000 Franciscan men and women worldwide at United Nations offices in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland.
In a recent letter to John Bolton, the United States representative to the U.N., the Franciscan Capuchin priest urged him to reconsider a decision by the U.S. government not to run for election to a seat on the new Human Rights Council that the U.N. voted on March 15 to create.
"While there have been instances of abuses by our troops in Iraq and elsewhere, many throughout the world still look to us for leadership in the critical area of human rights," Celichowski says in the letter, dated April 8.
That was Celichowski's first official action since his election in Geneva last month to a three-year term as president of the board of directors of Franciscans International. The 10-person board represents the various branches of Franciscanism worldwide and, with the current members, includes people from the U.S., Brazil, Guatemala, Germany, Italy, Ireland, Madagascar and India, he said.
"I was just appointed to serve on the board last December, so it was my first meeting," he said. "It was a little shock to me to be elected president."
A member of the governing board of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility in New York, Celichowski thinks that his candidacy also was aided by the fact that he is an attorney with an interest in international human rights law. He took elective courses on that topic while studying at Georgetown University for the law degree he received there in 2000.
Franciscans International has general consultative status at the U.N. It seeks to bring spiritual, ethical and Franciscan values to the U.N. and other international organizations on issues such as human rights, HIV/AIDS, the environment, development, human trafficking, violence against women, peacemaking and the impact of global trade on the poor.
Drawing on the firsthand knowledge of ordained and lay Franciscans working around the world, the organization tries to unite Franciscans in helping to set U.N. agendas and in influencing international policies.
"Also, I think the role of the U.S. government in the United Nations has been controversial and difficult in recent years," he said. "There's been a lot of congressional criticism of the U.N. as a body, a good part of it deserved. I think what we also want to do is encourage the U.S. government to be engaged in the work of the U.N. in a constructive way."
The organization's Web site, www.franciscansinternational.org, includes this description:
"As the poorest people are being exploited in systemic ways, and global peace is increasingly threatened, Franciscan commitment is needed more urgently than ever.
"Franciscans around the world run schools, hospitals, justice and peace offices, shelters, and specialize in many services for the poor. Our programs at (Franciscans International) bring grass-roots Franciscans to the United Nations forums in New York and Geneva, influencing international human rights standards and bringing witness to human rights violations."
Celichowski can be reached at (414) 372-3090.

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Thanks for checking out our parish website! We’ve tried to keep it relatively simple: a source of quick information about our parish, ministries, programs and staff. It’s more meat and potatoes than bells and whistles-much like our faith community.

Like St. Martin de Porres himself, our parish is a rich mixture of people and talents with a commitment to discipleship and service in the spirit of Jesus.

Many Sundays during our Call to Worship one of our ministers will assure our visitors: “If you already have a church home, we hope that you’ll consider St. Martin de Porres your ‘home away from home;’ and if you don’t have a church home, we welcome you to join us.” It’s in that same spirit that I hope that you will visit us in person as well as in cyberspace. May God bless, keep and guide you.

Peace and all good,

Fr. John