Right Rev. Msgr. Stanley B. Witkowiak

Council 697 of the Knights of Columbus is named in honor of Right Reverend Monsignor Stanley B. Witkowiak, longtime president of St. Catherine’s High School in Racine and chaplain for Council 697 for 44 years.

Witkowiak was a well-known educator, author and a vocal critic of communism during the 1940s and 1950s. He was among a distinguished group of 11 priests who served as chaplain for Council 697 during its first 90 years.

His tenure as chaplain from July 1945 to June 1989 stands as impressive testament to his service to the Knights. “He has been unsparing of his time and devotion to this work,” a 1952 article read. “His timely and inspiring comments have added color to Council meetings.”

Stanley Benedict Witkowiak came to America as an infant in 1909, the son of Stanislaw and Helen Witkowiak. The family emigrated from the Prussian province of Posen (now part of Poland), possibly from the county, or kreis, of Witkowo. Young Stanley, his parents and three brothers settled in the Polish community in Cudahy, Wis., where the elder Stanislaw found work as a steel laborer. The family grew to include two more girls and a boy, for a total of seven children.

Witkowiak graduated from Pio Nono High School in St. Francis in 1927 and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Francis Seminary. He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Samuel A. Stritch on June 15, 1935 and

assigned to St. Stanislaus parish in Milwaukee. From 1939-1942, Witkowiak did his doctoral work at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., studying under Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. His 1942 doctoral dissertation, “Limitations Imposed upon the Rights and Powers of Respective States over Education by the United State Supreme Court,” became widely cited research in education journals for many decades.

Witkowiak became known as an expert speaker on the philosophy of Commun-ism, just as the Cold War began in the mid-1940s. In 1947, he gave a series of lectures on the topic under the sponsorship of

Council 697. He became a sought-after speaker locally and throughout the region on the dangers of Communism. Speaking in Oshkosh in 1953, he said Communism had plunged mankind into an “abyss of misery” and the only answer to it was God and religion.

As president of St. Catherine’s, where he began work on Jan. 1, 1943,Witkowiak became known as an innovator. He introduced the study of Chinese and Russian into the curriculum in the 1950s, in an effort to better prepare students for the adult world they were about to enter.

“He was always a courteous gentleman, a fine priest and an innovative educator throughout all his years,” recalled Most Reverend Richard J.

Sklba, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and a former pupil of Witkowiak. “I have held him in great respect and reverence over all these years.”

Sklba remembered an “extraordinarily creative system” Witkowiak developed “to allow hard working students to find a place on the Honor Roll, even if their grades weren’t in the 90s.” He used a formula based on IQ and performance.  “It was an educational breakthrough,” Sklba said.

As part of his service as Council chaplain, Msgr. Witkowiak wrote a monthly column called “Chaplain’s Counsel,” in the Compass newsletter. He had a trademark line that he often delivered after Council meetings and other gatherings: “Gentlemen, we’re all going to have a grand reunion in Heaven, in just 100 years!”

Monsignor Witkowiak worked closely with the Knights of Columbus to raise funds for an expansion of the high school in the early 1950s. Knights George H. Wheary Jr. and Robert Hamilton were co-chairmen of the fund drive. Under Witkowiak’s leadership, the school grew from 500 to 1,300 students. Witkowiak was named president emeritus of St. Catherine’s in August 1971, and was appointed pastor of St. Stanislaus Parish in

Racine in 1973. In 1996, Witkowiak was posthumously named to the St. Catherine’s Alumni Hall of Fame for his three decades of service to the high school.

Witkowiak wrote for a variety of educational and other journals, including Catholic Library World and the journal Polish American Studies. He also served on the Milwaukee Archdiocese Board of Education, and was active with the Wisconsin Association of Principals of Catholic Secondary Schools.

In 1959, Blessed Pope John XXIII named Witkowiak a private chamberlain, a papal honor that carries with it the title Very Reverend Monsignor. At the death of Pope John XXIII in 1963, Witkowiak relinquished his monsignor title. In July 1965, Pope Paul VI named him a domestic prelate, which carries the lifetime designation of Right Reverend Monsignor.

In May 1985, Council 697 held a gala affair to honor Witkowiak for 40 years of continuous service as chaplain. On Aug. 4, 1986, he helped break ground for the new K of C Hall on Highway 20 near

Interstate 94. The building, which opened in March 1987, became the seventh home for Council 697. In June 1989, Witkowiak retired and was honored for his 44 years as chaplain of Council 697. The recognition banquet was attended by many K of C state officers and members of Witkowiak’s family. The monsignor was named Honorary Lifetime Chaplain of Council 697, and an oil painting was hung in his honor in Council chambers.

Witkowiak died on July 12, 1993 in South Milwaukee. He was 84. Prior to his funeral he lay in state both at St. Stanislaus in Milwaukee and St. Stanislaus in  Racine. He is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery.

In August 2008, the Knights of Columbus held a special ceremony at the crypt of Msgr. Witkowiak, and installed a bronze medallion on his headstone that memorializes his long service to Council 697.

Council 697 hosted the state K of C convention four times: in 1906, 1931, 1954 and 1972.

Starting in 1936, Racine Knights convinced local businesses to close from noon to 3 p.m. on Good Friday. Led by PGK Ardinal J. Langley, the Knights printed special closing cards and distributed them to businesses. Good Friday closing was a widely accepted practice in Racine for more than 40 years.

The Ladies of Columbus of Council 697 was founded in 1958 with 91 charter members. Over the decades the Ladies of Columbus have conducted many charitable endeavors of their own and provided great support to Council 697.

Council 697 has a long history supporting Catholic education. In the mid-1950s the Knights organized a major fund drive for Dominican College in Racine. Brother Knights from each parish recruited donors, and an impressive $100,000 was raised for the college.