New museum display to open Aug. 1
GREEN BAY — If you have any interest in learning how the Diocese of Green Bay grew into the vibrancy of today, you might want to check out the new exhibit at the diocese’s museum.
The “History of the Green Bay Diocese: 1880 to 1960” opens on Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Green Bay Diocese Museum, located in the lower level of St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, 140 S. Monroe Street in Green Bay.
The 80-year span of the exhibit includes the dedication of the cathedral as well as founding information and timelines for hospitals, religious communities and lay Catholic organizations in northeast Wisconsin.
The first visitor on Aug. 1 will be Bishop David Ricken, for a private tour. Later that day, from 2 to 4 p.m., the public is welcome to visit the museum, said Sherry Steffel, president of the board for the museum.
This temporary display is paired with a permanent one honoring all 12 bishops of the diocese. The museum’s collection on relics of the saints will also remain.
Also on view is the oldest artifact owned by the Diocese of Green Bay: the Perrot Ostensorium. The silver monstrance was crafted in 1686 and given by Nicholas Perrot to the mission of St. Francis Xavier, then located in De Pere.
The museum will be open for tours each week after the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass at the cathedral and on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 p.m.
Since it is not long before the start of the school year, Steffel said the museum can also offer school tours or private tours for “groups as few as one.”
To arrange a tour, call the cathedral parish office at (920) 432-4348.