Look what Divine Mercy students dropped off at the South Milwaukee Fire Department on Friday … happy Valentine’s Day, indeed.
Thanks, kids.
Tag Archives: Divine Mercy
Mosque, School Planned For Former St. Adalbert’s Site
Update: Read coverage in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and on Fox 6.
The former St. Adalbert’s property has been sold to a mosque for use as an Islamic house of worship and school.
The purchase by Masjid Al-Huda Milwaukee — also known as Guidance Inc. — closed last week.
They plan to use the facility for both worship services — five per day, between the hours of sunrise and sunset — and religious education for primarily middle and grade school-aged children, after the normal school day, and other events.
The mosque hopes to take occupancy by late January.
You can learn more about the mosque, which also has a location in Greenfield, here and on their Facebook page.
I want to officially welcome Al-Huda to South Milwaukee. We are a welcoming and increasingly diverse community, and the fact that Al-Huda sought out St. Adalbert’s is a reflection of that.
I personally look forward to getting to know the members of Al-Huda more, and to see them become a part of this community, as they have pledged to do. They want to open their doors to introduce themselves to South Milwaukee and educate residents about who they are — and, perhaps just as importantly, who they aren’t.
In meeting with them recently, I encouraged them to do just that.
(One way they’re showing community commitment already: They have told me they will continue to allow Lionsfest on their property.)
I also ask South Milwaukeeans to take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about our newest neighbors and their beliefs.
I fully realize there is an increased anti-Muslim sentiment, given recent world events. I pray not to see that here. We are fighting extremists, radicalized terrorists who preach jihad. That is not Masjid Al-Huda Milwaukee.
I turn to their statement about the most recent terror attacks …
Masjid Al-Huda, along with Muslims throughout Milwaukee, are heartbroken over the recent string of violent attacks that have been perpetrated over this past week. The stabbings that took place in London, the suicide bombings in Chad, and the shooting in San Bernardino has left people all over the world shaking their heads and asking the same question: “Why?”
Such acts are cowardly and carry no purpose other than promoting a militant agenda that finds no basis in any religion or humane ideology. We at Masjid Al-Huda encourage all members of the greater Milwaukee community to take this opportunity to fight such ideologies through acts of kindness directed towards everyone, despite our differences.
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
One additional note: I know some have wondered why I have not written about this on my blog until now, and why the city did not formally announce this. The short answer: It’s not our place to do so. This is a real estate transaction that does not require city approval and, because of it, no public meetings, etc. Instead, it’s up to the buyer and seller to announce their plans. We must abide by their wishes. In this case, Divine Mercy and Masjid Al-Huda are announcing the sale to the media today and gave me permission to share the news on my blog.
Filed under South Milwaukee
New Day For St. Adalbert’s?
A new church may be coming to the former home of St. Adalbert’s.
New Day Church — a non-denominational church that currently meets at Martin Luther High School in Greendale — is seeking a conditional use permit for the 2.79-acre property at 16th and Manitoba, as it continues to negotiate with Divine Mercy for purchase of the land and buildings.
According to a letter from Pastor Neal R. Letteney to Plan Commission members, plans include:
- Wednesday and Sunday worship;
- Adult and child Sunday school classes; and
- Adult classes on weekday mornings and evenings in association with Midwest Bible College (current enrollment: 63 students).
The pastor and his wife will live at the rectory, and the church offices will also be located on the property.
“We wish to return the facility to its former use as a church and school,” the pastor writes, and I’m happy to see the interest in the property. The merger of local Catholic parishes has left too many empty buildings around the area, including several in South Milwaukee. The faster we can see these properties come alive again, the better.
The former St. Mary’s hall is now home to a sports auction firm. And Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Home is moving into the former school. So there’s some progress here, and that’s good news.
Learn more about New Day Church — which describes itself as a “modern, non-denominational church where you’re sure to fit right in” — here. And here is the Plan Commission agenda.
An ‘eVentful’ Approach to Keeping Residents Informed
I launched this blog in 2009 as a way to keep residents better informed on local news, information and key issues. That said, I usually don’t do much writing on local events.
Why? Jim Shelenske has those covered.
The city clerk’s (and former alderman’s) monthly eVents newsletter is an invaluable source of information on local happenings, from church dinners to shows at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.
You can sign up for Jim’s newsletter at his strong local website: www.southmilwaukee.org. And I strongly encourage you to do so, as Jim looks to increase his email list to more than 1,000.
He published his latest, and newly redesigned, issue this week, with details on Saturday’s South Shore Noon Lions Spaghetti Dinner, the April 9 Divine Mercy Card Social and various South Milwaukee Library activities, among numerous other events.
On a related note: Another good source of local news is County Supervisor Pat Jursik’s monthly Enews. Check out the April edition here.
In an era where we are barely covered by the mainstream local media, these outlets become even more valuable. I hope you agree.
South Milwaukee Blog 