Parish Staff

Most Rev. William P. Callahan, OFM Conv.

The Most Reverend William Patrick Callahan, OFM. Conv., born June 17, 1950, is a Conventual Franciscan of the St. Bonaventure Province in Chicago. A Chicago native, he attended St. Mary Minor Seminary in Crystal Lake, Ill., and studied at Junior College, Chicago, before being accepted in the Novitiate of St. Bonaventure at Lake Forest, Ill., where he continued his formation from 1969 to 1970. From 1970 to 1973, he studied at Loyola University, Chicago, earning a bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television Communications. He earned his master’s of divinity degree from St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto in 1976.

Bishop Callahan was ordained to the priesthood on April 30, 1977, by Milwaukee Archbishop William E. Cousins. His first priestly assignment was as associate pastor of the Basilica of St. Josaphat Parish, Milwaukee, from 1977 to 1978. Bishop Callahan then served as the director of vocations for the Conventual Franciscans from 1978 to 1984; as associate pastor of Holy Family Parish, Peoria, Ill., from 1984 to 1987; and as pastor of Holy Family Parish, Peoria, from 1987-1994.

In 1994, Bishop Callahan returned to Milwaukee and the St. Josaphat congregation. He served as rector and pastor of St. Josaphat Parish until 2005. At that time, he left the parish and went to serve as spiritual director for the Pontifical North American College, the seminary for Americans, Rome, until December 14, 2007.

Pope Benedict XVI named Callahan an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on October 30, 2007. He was the first Conventual Franciscan to be named a bishop in the United States. As an auxiliary bishop, Bishop Callahan serves the Church by helping the diocesan bishop in the pastoral and spiritual leadership of a diocese, and by assisting the diocesan bishop in his role as shepherd – through teaching, leading, serving and celebrating the sacraments with the people of the diocese.

On April 20, 2009, the College of Consultors elected him to serve as the administrator of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee until then Archbishop-designate Listecki was installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee on January 4, 2010. On June 11, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI named him as the Tenth Bishop of the Diocese of La Crosse.

The youngest of four children, Callahan has two older sisters and one older brother. His parents, Ellen and William Callahan, are deceased.

Msgr. Richard Gilles, Rector

I was born to Richard and Diann, one of five children in 1966. My hometown is Boyd, Wisconsin, a village about 18 miles east of Chippewa Falls with a population of fewer than 500. I actually grew up in the country, just across the field from my grandpa and grandma’s dairy farm. They were still young and busy raising the last four (of eight) of their children. My mom was the oldest.  Many of my growing up years were spent on their dairy farm; and then on my Aunt and Uncle’s. It taught me a strong work ethic which has never left me.

I graduated from Stanley-Boyd High School in 1985.  After that, I attended the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire.  I was there for two years until the spring of 1987.  At the invitation (best ever!) of Father Robert Cook, I transferred to the college seminary, St. John Vianney, which is located on the campus of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I graduated from the then college of St. Thomas (now a university) in the spring of 1990. I began my studies in theology at St. Mary of the Lake University Seminary at Mundelein, Illinois. The Most Reverend John J. Paul ordained me to the priesthood in the spring of that year, May 28, 1994. I was the last priest he ordained.   

My first priestly assignment was Chaplain and Instructor of Religion at McDonell Central Catholic High School in Chippewa Falls.  I taught there for three years from the fall of 1994 to the spring of 1997.  During that time, I became parochial administrator of Sacred Heart Parish in Eau Claire for six months.  I think I learned more than the students did!

In the spring of my second year of teaching (April 29, 1996 to be exact—unforgettable moment that it was!) Bishop Burke asked me to go on for further studies in canon law at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Nervous about the whole thing, I agreed and left for Rome August 1, 1997 to begin my studies. In 1999 I received a licentiate in canon law. I returned home to begin my duties serving three bishops and twice as Diocesan Administrator over a period of over 11 years.

Bestowing a great gift upon me, Bishop William Callahan appointed me Pastor of St. Mary Immaculate Conception in Tomah and St. Andrew the Apostle Parish in Warrens, merged now as Queen of the Apostles Parish July 1, 2015. After heavy administrative work, being a parish priest was a dream come true. I only waited 16 years.  After 10 years as pastor there, I was transferred to Cathedral Parish. I am super excited and proud to be rector of this magnificent community of faith. As I said in my first homily here, my “job” is to fall in love with you. This will be easy to do! Our common goal is serve our parish family, the whole Diocese as its Mother Church, and indeed the whole community of this great and beautiful city we call La Crosse. Let’s build a home for all; let’s build something wonderful to behold for God’s glory and honor and for our salvation! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!  St. Joseph the Workman, pray for us!

Deacon Joseph Richards

Deacon Joseph Richards hails from Cleveland, Ohio, although most of his life was spent in different parts of California before he and his wife Carol moved back to the Midwest.  In 2000 they came to La Crosse.  Eventually their three children went to Aquinas High School and have since graduated from different Midwest colleges, the youngest most recently from Chicago’s St. Mary of the Lake University and Mundelein Seminary, before becoming Ordained a priest for the Diocese of La Crosse..

Deacon did college and philosophy studies at St. Michael’s Norbertine Abbey in Orange, California.  He did theological studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, before graduating with the rest of his diaconal formation class, all of whom received Masters Degrees from Madonna University’s Institute for Pastoral Theology, as prescribed by the Diocese.

Deacon Richards and his family have been Cathedral parishioners since 2005.  He was ordained a permanent deacon at Cathedral by (then) Bishop Jerome Listecki on January 27, 2007.  A carpenter and building contractor by profession, he has served as Director of Buildings and Grounds for (then) Coulee Catholic Schools, and afterwards for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  He recently retired after serving nine years as the Director of Holy Cross Diocesan Center.  Deacon Richards remains intent on bringing the benefits of service at the altar to the Church’s work of charity.

Deacon Tom Skemp

Deacon Tom Skemp last full-time job (besides the diaconate) was chaplain at the La Crosse County Jail, from which he retired after 16 years in 2018. He has a B.A. in Ministry from Viterbo University in La Crosse, is a board-certified correctional chaplain and a credentialed police chaplain. Since retiring from the U.S. Navy (Submarine Service) in 1994 he has worked in parish ministry, Citizen Advocacy, has been a core member at the La Crosse Catholic Worker house (A Place of Grace), has served on the Matthew 25 and Ruth House steering committees working to establish safe housing and reintegration for women ex-offenders leaving the correctional system using volunteer advocates and mentors, served as chair of the AMOS Restorative Justice Task Force where he was involved in establishing Circles of Support, a mentoring program for ex-offenders returning to the community, and has conducted victim-offender mediation through the YWCA’s Mediation and Restorative Services office. More recently he was on the Human Trafficking Task Force in La Crosse. He still connects regularly with former offenders that he came to know while working in the jail and coordinates the Front Door Ministry for the Cathedral.

Deacon Skemp is married to Janine, has two grown children and two grandsons. He was ordained by Bishop Callahan in October 2012.

Dr. Brian Luckner