A Welcoming Community of Faith Rooted in the Catholic Tradition.
​Consecrated July 7, 1997
Biography and Profile
Bishop James Alan Wilkowski
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Bishop James Alan Wilkowski was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 18, 1953. He is the son of Warren and Mary Sertich Wilkowski. The Bishop's father was a 45 year employee of Wisconsin Steel Works which was part of the International Harvester Company in Chicago. The Bishop's parents meet while his mother also worked in the mail department at Wisconsin Steel. During the era of the Depression and WWII, the Bishop's mother worked at an airplane assembly plant in Chicago before going to work at Wisconsin Steel.
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Growing up in the 10th Ward of the Southeast Side of Chicago, the Bishop graduated from George Washington Elementary School and later from James H. Bowen High School - the same high school where the Bishop's father and paternal uncles also graduated from. The Bishop received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Governors State University in Social Studies education.
The Bishop began his formational journey at the age of 28 when he entered Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners Wisconsin under the sponsorship of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet. After rejecting the sexual advances of a priest on the formation team at Sacred Heart, James was manipulated into leaving active studies to take a parish assignment back in the Diocese of Joliet until such time as he would be welcomed back to Sacred Heart to complete his studies. When the Diocese of Joliet chose not to continue its sponsorship, James transferred to the Diocese of Jefferson City Missouri and continued his academic studies at Kenrick Seminary and took on the extra academic responsibilities of working simultaneously towards a Masters of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University in Chicago. In 1988, he was awarded his Masters of Pastoral Studies from Loyola and also his Masters of Divinity from Kenrick Seminary.
During his last year at Kenrick, a priest from the Diocese of Jefferson City became a sexual blackmailer and abuser and forced himself into James' life at seminary. After all of his academic requirements at Kenrick were fulfilled, James reported the abuse to the seminary and to his director of vocation, the future Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell, who promised his attention to the matter but did nothing. After graduation from Kenrick, James was assigned to St. Brendan's Church in Mexico Missouri to await the date of the ordination as Deacon. On October 31, 1988, James was summoned to the office of Bishop Michael McAuliffe to be notified that his reporting of the sexual abuse and blackmail done to him had caused "consternation within the internal forum of the diocese" and plans for his ordination as Deacon were cancelled. James was to vacate the rectory at St. Brendan's within 24 hours and return to Chicago. A check was handed to James for $250.00 - a check that James placed back upon Bishop McAuliffe's desk and walked out of his office and returned to Chicago.
Upon returning to private life, James resumed his career in education and enjoyed the prerogatives of private life and mortgage payments.
But not for long - for private life was not the vocation which God had in mind for James.
The Most Reverend Robert W. Martin & The Most Reverend Mark Shirilau
In the summer of 1995, James' life accidentally crossed paths with Bishop Robert W. Martin and Archbishop Mark Shirilau of the Ecumenical
Catholic Church when a former classmate of James' was being ordained to the priesthood in Illinois by Bishop Martin. This chance meeting with Bishop Martin lead to a rediscovery of James' vocation to the priesthood and on May 25th, 1996, James Wilkowski was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Martin, in Chicago, surround by his parents, family and friends.
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​​​​​​​​As per the nature within the independent or autocephalous catholic movement - James' ordination to the priesthood coincided with the establishment of the Mission Church of the Holy Family in Chicago and James as its founding pastor. After all of the celebrations surrounding his ordination were completed, James began the hard work at nurturing and developing Holy Family.
Within the next 12 months, James was to experience two more significant life changing events.
In December of 1996, James was informed by Bishop Martin that the church community was going to be restructured into four new mission dioceses and that James was being named Bishop for the newly established Mission Diocese of the Northwest. This news came as a complete surprise to James, but he accepted the call from his community to serve as one of its bishops.
Shortly after informing his parents of the news as to his election as bishop, James' 83 year old father fell ill with a ruptured appendix. Due to the factor of age and an inability to thrive after surgery, Warren Wilkowski died on May 12th, 1997; thirteen days shy of his son's first anniversary of priesthood ordination.
On July 7th, 1997, with a rose placed upon the seat of an empty chair next to his mother, James Alan Wilkowski was consecrated Bishop by the Most Reverend Robert W. Martin with the Most Reverend Michael Frost, the Most Reverend Floyd A. Kortenhof, the Most Reverend Michael Ronald Stienhardt Vogtand and the Most Reverend Raphael Byron De Ford as co-consecrators and was seated as the founding bishop for the newly created Evangelical Catholic Diocese of the Northwest.
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Since his consecration, Bishop Wilkowski has remained focused on the goals of building and developing Holy Family parish in Chicago and educating the public to the role and mission of this catholic faith community. Bishop Wilkowski has become a social and pastoral advocate for the rights and needs of military veterans, the need to end gun violence, protection of voting rights, and protection of workers along with all those who suffer from social and pastoral marginalization. †
Since 1997, Bishop Wilkowski has consecrated one bishop. To date, Bishop Wilkowski has ordained three candidates to the priesthood and is always
willing to talk about vocations to the priesthood and religious life to anyone who is interested.
On July 19, 2006, Mary Wilkowski was unable to overcome her eleven month struggle with colon cancer. She died peacefully at the age of 85 with her son at her bedside. A few days later the Bishop celebrated her Mass of Christian Burial.
Less than a year after the death of his mother, the Bishop underwent emergency quintuple heart by-pass surgery on June 18th, 2007 in Chicago. Following a period of recovery and cardio-rehab therapy, the bishop resumed his schedule that October.
Until 2018 the Bishop maintained a full and active schedule which included the creation of the television program “Evangelical Catholic Life” based out of Chicago. It is the Bishop’s desire to resume production in 2025.
In the fall of 2018 the Bishop began to experience a return of cardiac issues. Prior to and including the onslaught of COVID the Bishop’s health began a obvious period of concerning decline.
In 2020, the Bishop amassed a team of Cardiologists, a Nephrologist, Pulmonologists and Heart Failure Specialists to stabilize his condition and to help get him back on his feet.
Today, the Bishop has regained enough energy and desire to rebuild the ECC and to continue embracing the gift of his vocation and to remain vigilant to the faith and trust which Archbishop Shirilau and Bishop Martin place in him beginning in 1996.
Please keep him in your prayers.
Thank You.
Biografía y perfil
Obispo James Alan Wilkowski
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El obispo James Alan Wilkowski nació en Chicago, Illinois, el 18 de noviembre de 1953. Es hijo de Warren y Mary Sertich Wilkowski. El padre del obispo fue empleado durante 45 años de Wisconsin Steel Works, que formaba parte de International Harvester Company en Chicago. Los padres del obispo se conocen mientras su madre también trabajaba en el departamento de correo de Wisconsin Steel. Durante la era de la Depresión y la Segunda Guerra Mundial, la madre del obispo trabajó en una planta de ensamblaje de aviones en Chicago antes de ir a trabajar a Wisconsin Steel.
Al crecer en el distrito 10 del lado sureste de Chicago, el obispo se graduó de la escuela primaria George Washington y más tarde de la escuela secundaria James H. Bowen, la misma escuela secundaria donde también se graduaron el padre y los tíos paternos del obispo. El obispo recibió su licenciatura en educación de estudios sociales de la Governors State University.
El Obispo comenzó su camino formativo a la edad de 28 años cuando ingresó a la Escuela de Teología del Sagrado Corazón en Hales Corners Wisconsin bajo el patrocinio de la Diócesis Católica Romana de Joliet. Después de rechazar las insinuaciones sexuales de un sacerdote en el equipo de formación del Sagrado Corazón, James fue manipulado para que dejara sus estudios activos y aceptara una asignación parroquial en la Diócesis de Joliet hasta el momento en que fuera bienvenido de regreso al Sagrado Corazón para completar sus estudios. . Cuando la Diócesis de Joliet decidió no continuar con su patrocinio, James se transfirió a la Diócesis de Jefferson City Missouri y continuó sus estudios académicos en el Seminario Kenrick y asumió las responsabilidades académicas adicionales de trabajar simultáneamente para obtener una Maestría en Estudios Pastorales en la Universidad Loyola en Chicago. . En 1988, obtuvo su Maestría en Estudios Pastorales de Loyola y también su Maestría en
Divinidad del Seminario Kenrick.
Durante su último año en Kenrick, un sacerdote de la Diócesis de Jefferson City se convirtió en un chantajista y abusador sexual y se metió en la vida de James en el seminario. Después de que se cumplieron todos sus requisitos académicos en Kenrick, James denunció el abuso al seminario y a su director de vocaciones, el futuro obispo Anthony J. O'Connell, quien prometió prestar atención al asunto pero no hizo nada. Después de graduarse de Kenrick, James fue asignado a la Iglesia de St. Brendan en México, Missouri, para esperar la fecha de la ordenación como diácono. El 31 de octubre de 1988, James fue citado a la oficina del obispo Michael McAuliffe para ser notificado de que su denuncia del abuso sexual y el chantaje que se le había hecho había causado "consternación dentro del foro interno de la diócesis" y los planes para su ordenación como diácono. fueron cancelados. James debía abandonar la rectoría de St. Brendan en un plazo de 24 horas y regresar a Chicago. Se entregó un cheque a James por $250,00, un cheque que James volvió a colocar sobre el escritorio del obispo McAuliffe, salió de su oficina y regresó a Chicago.
Al regresar a la vida privada, James retomó su carrera educativa y disfrutó de las prerrogativas de la vida privada y del pago de la hipoteca.
Pero no por mucho tiempo, porque la vida privada no era la vocación que Dios tenía en mente para James.
El Reverendísimo Robert W. Martin y el Reverendísimo Mark Shirilau
En el verano de 1995, la vida de James se cruzó accidentalmente con la del obispo Robert W. Martin y el arzobispo Mark Shirilau de la Iglesia Católica Ecuménica cuando el obispo Martin estaba ordenando sacerdote a un ex compañero de clase de James en Illinois. Este encuentro casual con el obispo Martin condujo a un redescubrimiento de la vocación de James al sacerdocio y el 25 de mayo de 1996, James Wilkowski fue ordenado sacerdote por el obispo Martin, en Chicago, rodeado de sus padres, familiares y amigos.
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Según la naturaleza dentro del movimiento católico independiente o autocéfalo, la ordenación de James al sacerdocio coincidió con el establecimiento de la Iglesia Misión de la Sagrada Familia en Chicago y James como su pastor fundador. Después de que se completaron todas las celebraciones relacionadas con su ordenación, James comenzó el arduo trabajo de nutrir y desarrollar la Sagrada Familia.
En los siguientes 12 meses, James iba a experimentar dos acontecimientos más importantes que cambiarían su vida.
En diciembre de 1996, el obispo Martin informó a James que la comunidad de la iglesia iba a ser reestructurada en cuatro nuevas diócesis misioneras y que James iba a ser nombrado obispo de la recién creada Diócesis Misionera del Noroeste. Esta noticia fue una completa sorpresa para James, pero aceptó el llamado de su comunidad para servir como uno de sus obispos.
Poco después de informar a sus padres de la noticia de su elección como obispo, el padre de James, de 83 años, enfermó con una rotura de apéndice. Debido al factor edad y la incapacidad de prosperar después de la cirugía, Warren Wilkowski murió el 12 de mayo de 1997; trece días antes del primer aniversario de la ordenación sacerdotal de su hijo.
El 7 de julio de 1997, con una rosa colocada sobre el asiento de una silla vacía junto a su madre, James Alan Wilkowski fue consagrado Obispo por el Reverendísimo Robert W. Martin con el Reverendísimo Michael Frost, el Reverendísimo Floyd A. Kortenhof. , el Reverendísimo Michael Ronald Stienhardt Vogtand y el Reverendísimo Raphael Byron De Ford como co-consagradores y fue nombrado obispo fundador de la recién creada Diócesis Católica Evangélica del Noroeste.
Desde su consagración, el obispo Wilkowski se ha mantenido enfocado en los objetivos de construir y desarrollar la parroquia de la Sagrada Familia en Chicago y educar al público sobre el papel y la misión de esta comunidad de fe católica. El obispo Wilkowski se ha convertido en un defensor social y pastoral de los derechos y necesidades de los veteranos militares, la necesidad de poner fin a la violencia armada, la protección de los derechos de voto, la protección de los trabajadores junto con todos aquellos que sufren de marginación social y pastoral.