The death of Mike Senglaub in June 2007 could have had a devastating impact on the good work performed by Repairers of the Breach in Milwaukee. Mike made a daily stop at Repairers to drop off food, clothing and household goods. Following Mike's death, more than 35 volunteers have dedicated themselves to carrying on Mike's legacy. This article originally appeared in the March 6 issue of the Catholic Herald.
Man leaves legacy of ‘peace, joy’
Following Mike Senglaub’s lead, volunteers continue his charity
By Amy Guckeen of the Catholic Herald Staff
CEDARBURG — Those who knew him are still uncovering the works that Mike Seng-laub, the Cedarburg businessman-turned-messenger of Christ, did for the poor of inner city Milwaukee.
“I don’t know if I even know half the stuff,” son Joe Senglaub said of his father’s works. “I couldn’t believe he was touching that many lives.”
Shortly after Repairers of the Breach, 1335 W. Vliet St., the only daytime shelter for the homeless in Milwaukee, opened in 1994, the elder Senglaub showed up at their doorstep, wanting to help. From that moment, he always made a stop at Repairers’s doorstep, delivering food, clothing and household goods, as he made his daily trip from rural Cedarburg to his office in Brookfield.
From there, his ministry to the homeless, something he considered himself called to do, according to Joe, snowballed. He served as a collection point for donations, adopted roughly a dozen needy Milwaukee families for whom to care, developed a team of volunteers in Cedarburg to assist in the delivery of donated goods, and spearheaded the center’s toy drive at Christmas, among a variety of other activities.
“He didn’t have to say anything, you just saw it,” volunteer Erv Koch said.
Senglaub, 70, died June 30, 2007.
A caravan of the homeless Senglaub helped made the journey from Milwaukee to St. Francis Borgia, Cedarburg, to pay tribute to the man who had reached out to them. The center’s special choir performed as a tribute to Senglaub.
“Mike, to me, was a walking saint,” said Carmella Thomas, daughter of MacCanon Brown, executive director of Repairers of the Breach. “He was like an angel. I always got scared when he went into those inner city neighborhoods. But he left without a scratch. He always said, ‘Peace and joy — I have it.’”
“He was known as Mr. Mike,” said Jim Janisse of Senglaub’s rapport with the people he served. “Just tell them you’re with Mr. Mike and that will protect you.”
In his absence, more than 35 volunteers, led by Janisse, from St. Francis Borgia Parish, have banded around his legacy, ensuring that Senglaub’s motto of “peace and joy” continues to be delivered to the roughest areas of Milwaukee.
“The feeling is we didn’t lose someone; he has added to our lives,” Brown said. “I’m just joyful to bear witness to this collective commitment.”
“He was one of the most holy, Christian people; why did God have to take him?” Thomas said.
“I think your answer is in this room,” said Rich Knoelke, a volunteer, at a meeting of the Inner City Ministry group. “That’s why God took him. To get us to help, to get more people involved.”
The volunteers take shifts, picking up bread from Panera, Pick ‘n Save and other vendors, and delivering the goods to shelters in Milwaukee, including Repairers, House of Peace and the Milwaukee Rescue Mission. The group also collects and delivers excess clothing and other goods, in addition to visiting the families that Senglaub “adopted.” Every day at least one person from the group is following in Senglaub’s footsteps, reaching out to others.
“We are only now beginning to do collectively what Mike did individually,” Tom Guszkowski said. “If there’s only 12 to 15 of us, how are we going to cover what he did?”
When asked why they feel the need to carry on Senglaub’s legacy, the answer is simple — it is the love of Christ.
“If you have Jesus in your heart, you’ll want to do service,” Knoelke said. “You can’t lose track of that. We need him. That’s where Mike got his drive.”
March 19, 2008