‘It’s really answering the call to be missionary disciples’
By Jeff Kurowski | On Mission
GREEN BAY — Fr. Mike Seis wants more people to know about what he describes as the “Diocese of Green Bay’s best-kept secret.”
He’s referring to the mission the diocese supports in the province of Elías Piña in the Dominican Republic.
Fr. Seis, an Antigo native, is in his 29th year serving the mission. When he returns to Wisconsin for vacation time in the summer, he also does mission appeals at parishes in the diocese. This weekend, he will be the celebrant at Masses at St. John the Baptist Parish in Howard. Last weekend, he was at SS. Edward and Isidore Parish in Flintville.
“When I go to parishes and tell them that the Diocese of Green Bay has sponsored a mission for 60 years, the response is, ‘What?’ They never realized the diocese had a mission,” he said. “Pope Francis talks about the ‘peripheries’ (encouraging people to go to the outskirts). The Diocese of Green Bay has been doing that for the last 60 years.”
Fr. Seis is pastor of St. Teresa Parish in Elías Piña, celebrating six Masses each weekend.
His ministry also includes serving at chapels in rural areas.
He also serves the Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana as vicar general, chancellor, president of Catholic Charities and director of catechetical formation.
“I probably spend two to three days a week at the diocesan offices, an hour away,” he said. “Part of the Catholic Charities work is development, but not just raising money. We do projects like water, roads, houses. We just bought a brand-new Caterpillar backhoe for that kind of work.”
Fr. Seis credits Cross Catholic, a ministry that serves the poor in more than 30 counties, for its support of Catholic Charities in San Juan.
“It’s been a wonderful partnership that we’ve had with them for at least 20 years,” he said.
A housing project is currently underway through the support of Cross Catholic, he added. In his interview with On Mission, Fr. Seis also spoke about a water project in a mountainous area in the province that includes building latrines.
Elías Piña is located on the Haitian border. Gang violence in Haiti has led to more people crossing the border into the Dominican Republic, said Fr. Seis.
Traffic on the roads in the community has greatly increased and the influx of people may have led to recent crime, he said.
“The situation in Haiti has become a little dicey,” said Fr. Seis. “Being a border town, we have to deal with that situation. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of petty theft. The parish has been broken into five times. Fortunately, they never desecrated the Blessed Sacrament. They were always going after the sound system. We invested in putting in security cameras. That seems to have scared them off.”
Volunteer groups from the diocese have served the mission over the years doing various projects, including teams, made up primarily of deacons, who have built chapels in rural areas.
The pandemic prevented groups from traveling to the mission in recent years. Fr. Seis said that students from Xavier High School in Appleton are scheduled to serve the mission in 2025.
“Smaller groups are better,” he said. “Some of the chapels need repairs, painting, that sort of thing. There is always something to do.”
Membership at the main parishes has remained stable, but there have been recent challenges, said Fr. Seis, who was ordained to the priesthood in 1993.
“The Evangelical Protestants are very aggressive. You are dealing with poverty and they’re offering them things, so it’s a little difficult,” he said.
“The church, even though we have our difficulties with the modern world we live in, continues to be the most respected institution in the country,” he said. “People still look up to the church and the priests.”
The Diocese of San Juan de la Maguana has a half million Catholics and 42 parishes.
“We have a newly ordained priest,” said Fr. Seis. “We have a newly ordained transitional deacon, so, God willing, there will be another priest in a year or so. We are up to 18 diocesan priests. There are still more missionary priests (serving the diocese) than local priests.”
Next year, the Catholic grade school and high school in Elías Piña will both mark anniversaries. The grade school, which has an enrollment around 600, will celebrate 20 years. The high school will celebrate its 15-year anniversary.
“We have three graduates from the high school who are now teachers there, so we’re seeing the fruits of our labor,” said Fr. Seis. “There are also other graduates employed in the area. One is employed at the local bank. Some are staying in the area.”
Two years ago, nine classrooms were built for the high school through the support of two donors from the Diocese of Green Bay. Programs offered at the technical high school are nursing, agriculture, logistics and administration.
“We are trying to get two new careers started, but they have not been quite approved yet,” said Fr. Seis. “We want to start electricity and also there is a new career that is really big down there, computer maintenance.”
The high school runs an experimental farm in El Llano for the agriculture students.
“It’s named after Sr. Roselyn Nichols, a Sister of the Sorrowful Mother,” said Fr. Seis. “It’s a property she bought for her mission. Right now, they have rice planted and chickpeas. We are going to be planting guava fruit.”
Fr. Seis emphasizes that all these developments at the mission would not be possible without the support of the Diocese of Green Bay, including the Bishop’s Appeal and the Catholic Foundation.
“All the bishops have been supportive,” he said. “I’m grateful for the Diocese of Green Bay, the people of the parishes for 60-plus years. Hopefully, more people will come to appreciate what the diocese has done in the Dominican Republic. Sixty years is certainly something to be proud of.”
“It’s really answering the call to be missionary disciples,” he added. “All of us are called to be missionaries. All of us are disciples. (The mission in Elías Piña) is a way the diocese is fulfilling missionary discipleship at a worldwide level.”
To support the Diocese of Green Bay’s mission in the Dominican Republic, visit Dominican Republic Mission Supported by the Diocese of Green Bay for More Than 50 Years – Catholic Foundation – Green Bay, WI (catholicfoundationgb.org) or call (920) 272-8192.