December 27, 2018
Dear Fathers, Deacons, Parish Directors, Parish Life Coordinators, Sisters, Lay Leaders/Business Administrators and Staff,
Reverend Monsignor Edward George Meulemans, age 90, died on December 24, 2018, in Mesa, Arizona.
Msgr. Ed was born on February 23, 1928, to Philip and Frances (Aebly) Meulemans, in Glenwood City, Wisconsin.
Msgr. Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Phillip and Frances Meulemans, and his sister, Alice Casey. He is survived by his sister, Jean Jackelen; brother, William Meulemans and many nieces, nephews and many brothers and sisters in Christ.
Funeral Arrangements for
Msgr. Ed are being held in Arizona this week and will be held in Superior beginning
Sunday, December 30, 2018, with visitation from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. at Cathedral of Christ the King, Belknap & Grand, Superior, Wisconsin. Visitation continues on
Monday, December 31, 2018, at 10 a.m. until the 11 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior. Msgr. Ed attended public grade school and high school in Glenwood City. He enlisted in the Army soon after high school and served overseas for thirteen (13) months and then entered St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1952. In June of 1956,
Msgr. Ed, graduated with a B.A. in History and a B.A. in Philosophy. In the fall of 1956, he entered St. John’s School of Theology and was ordained June 11, 1960, at Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior, Wisconsin, by the Most Rev. George A. Hammes, Bishop of Superior, Wisconsin.
Msgr. Ed’s parochial and
diocesan appointments include:
June 1960 Associate Pastor, St. Peter the Fisherman Church, Eagle River
September 1961-62 Attended graduate school at the University of Chicago and St. Zavier College; receiving an M.A. in Educational Administration June 1962 Assistant Principal, Guidance Director, History Teacher, Athletic Director at Cathedral High School, Superior, Wisconsin October 1962 Promoter of Justice for the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal 1963 Received Certification in Education from University of Duluth, Duluth, MN June 1964 Principal of Cathedral High School, Superior, Wisconsin March 1966 Member of the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission October 1966 Chaplain of Douglas County Hospital, Parkland September 1968-78 Diocesan Superintendent of Schools June 18, 1969 Chaplain of St. Joseph’s Hospital, Superior 1970 Education Administration - University of Wisconsin, Superior June 1970-98 Diocesan Consultor December 1970 Assistant Chancellor December 1975-97 Member of Personnel Placement Board June 1978 Rector of Cathedral of Christ the King, Superior
September 1978 Administrator of the Diocese while Bishop was in Rome for Ad Limina visit November 1978 Chaplain of 4th Degree KC# 499 January 1979 Co-chairman of Diocese of Superior Diamond Jubilee Committee September 1979 Member of Religious Education Commission July 1982-98 While remaining Rector, appointed Vicar General 1998 Retired from active priestly ministry in the Diocese of Superior at the age of 70 Began working as a priest in four Indian Reservations near Phoenix, AZ, and in a Spanish speaking parish in Tempe, Arizona. 2006 School Chaplain of St. Peter Indian Mission School June 27, 2010 Invested as a Monsignor in the Diocese of Superior
In 2011,
Msgr. Ed wrote some personal comments which are as follows:
Before I was ordained, I never imagined that this would be such a happy life and it has been consistently so. I have always been welcomed as a priest and friend whether it was with sisters and other teachers with whom I worked in catholic education, with many people of Cathedral Parish or with the little children of St. Peter Mission School out here in the desert of Arizona. Since I have been in Arizona I look forward each summer to “going home” to visit family members, priests, Cathedral parishioners and others but after a few weeks it is always good to get back to the Native American People, especially the little children at St. Peter Mission School with such faith, hope, and love. Whenever I speak to people about the future of the Church, I always do so with great confidence and hope. I often speak to them about the priests with whom I worked and served at the Cathedral. They were very prayerful, gifted, committed young men. I learned much from them and I hope they learned from me. They are all doing great work in our Diocese; they are the future of the Church. It’s in good hands. I have also been so impressed with the faith of the people whom I was asked to serve. It is, among so many of them, a very strong, wise and consistent faith. They are the best proof that the spirit is truly alive in the Church today. Msgr. Ed Meulemans, March 6, 2011 St. Peter Mission, Bapchulte, Arizona
Please keep
Msgr. Ed and his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
Eternal rest grant unto Rev. Monsignor Ed Meulemans, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Members of the Purgatorial Society are asked to please offer the customary three Masses for the repose of the soul of
Rev. Msgr. Edward G. Meulemans.
With Christmas blessings to you,