{"id":8197,"date":"2026-03-03T15:09:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T21:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/missionaryfraternityofmary.org\/?page_id=8197"},"modified":"2026-03-05T14:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T20:07:07","slug":"in-memory-of-mike-cesarz-1944-2026-thank-you-mike-for-40-years-of-your-leadershi","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/missionaryfraternityofmary.org\/es\/in-memory-of-mike-cesarz-1944-2026-thank-you-mike-for-40-years-of-your-leadershi\/","title":{"rendered":"En memoria de Mike Cesarz (1944 \u2013 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 1, 2026<\/h4>\n\n\n
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Mike Cesarz 1944 – 2026<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\"Mike
Thank You, Mike!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Michael (Mike) Cesarz was born in 1944 and was baptized at St. Hyacinth Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on March 12 of that year. He married Mary Cesarz in 1968. They had three sons: Matthew, Joe, and John. On Monday morning, March 2, we in the Missionary Fraternity of Mary (MFM) received the news that Mike had gone to be with God the Father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike came from a Catholic family of Polish heritage, which instilled in him a strong Catholic faith and dedication to the Church. He was a parishioner at Lumen Christi, formerly St. James and St. Cecilia Church. In the summer of 1985, St. James, as part of the Mission Cooperation Plan (a program that offered opportunities to share mission experiences outside the United States), hosted Father Eduardo Aguirre, who was in the process of founding the Missionary Fraternity of Mary. When they heard his Missionary Appeal and about the beginning of the MFM, it touched their hearts. That was the first time they learned about the MFM. From then on, they became interested in learning more about the mission. They visited Guatemala multiple times to understand the origins of our Fraternity and to start a group of parishioners at St. James (Lumen Christi) to support the MFM. This effort led to a close relationship between St. James and the MFM, resulting in the establishment of a “Twinning Relationship” in 1991, which continues today. Additionally, recognizing the needs of the Fraternity, Mike and Mary founded a non-profit organization in Wisconsin called “Missionary Fraternity of Mary, LTD.” This non-profit was responsible for fundraising for the MFM mission, including supporting the construction of our seminary, training future missionaries, assisting missions in need, and creating a fund to secure the Fraternity’s future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike managed all of this while working as an engineer; in his free time, he handled all the affairs of the MFM Corporation and dedicated long hours to calling and contacting various diocesan mission offices across the United States to request participation in their missionary cooperation programs. Meanwhile, Mary focused on finding potential donors for the Fraternity. It was a true labor of love and dedication on the part of the Cesarz couple. On September 23, 2014, Michael and Mary Cesarz received one of the several Vatican II awards presented annually by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee to those committed to their apostolic work. In their case, it was the award for \u201cService to the Missions.\u201d The news of his award appears in the Catholic Herald, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. “Michael and Mary Cesarz, members of Lumen Christi Parish, Mequon, will receive an award for their Service to the Missions. In 1991, the couple helped create a twinning relationship between their parish, formerly St. James, and priests of the Missionary Fraternity of Mary, Guatemala, supporting overseas priests by coordinating room and board with parish families and recruiting parish members to help the priests improve their English. They also schedule mission co-op visits within the archdiocese and throughout the \u201cU.S. and Canada to help gain financial support for the order.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An interesting fact: on MFM’s 40th anniversary in 2025, Mike and Mary announced their intention to retire from managing MFM’s affairs due to health reasons. It’s interesting because they’ve been working with MFM for 40 years. We told Mike that the number 40 is significant, representing that he’s guided us in financial matters in the United States for four decades, and now it’s our turn to carry them forward. Before stepping down from managing MFM, Mike and Mary formed a group of friends, parishioners of Lumen Christi, to handle various tasks for the Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as the news reached all members of the MFM, they expressed, from the various missions, both our sorrow and our joy at having had Mike as a gift in the history of the MFM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest in peace, Mike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With deep sorrow and heartfelt gratitude, we unite in prayer for Mike Cesarz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n