Father Milton P. Rosera, MM

Born: August 13, 1931
Ordained: June 13, 1959
Died: November 10, 1961

Milton P. Rosera was born in Lena, Wisconsin on August 13, 1931. After high school he entered St. Francis Minor Seminary in Milwaukee to study for the Green Bay Diocese. 1952 saw him accepted for Maryknoll and he entered Glen Ellyn. He was ordained on June 13, 1959 and assigned to the Chile Region. After language study in Cochabamba he went to the parish of Curepto in the Talca Diocese.

November is the month of Mary in Chile and the people crowd the churches for devotions. On Thursday night Fr. Rosera preached on preparation for death. The congregation remarked on the very powerful sermon he had delivered.

Friday, afternoon, November 10th Father died from injuries resulting from a car accident.

The people of the parish kept watch throughout the night, reciting the Rosary continuously. Farmers and cowboys came in from all the outstations; Maryknoll priests arrived from all our missions on Saturday and were kept busy hearing confessions and distributing Holy Communion on Saturday, Sunday and Monday mornings. The funeral took place in Curepto with Fr. Thomas Kirchmeyer, a classmate, singing the High Mass. He was assisted by Fr. Joseph Cappel, pastor of Curepto and Fr. Thomas Haney. Fr. John Bradley preached a beautiful eulogy and Maryknoll priests were the choir. The people insisted on carrying the coffin up the steep hill to the cemetery where the representative of the Bishop, the mayor and a representative of the parishioners delivered eulogies. Father Rosera was laid to rest in the parish cemetery alongside Fr. Thomas Wellinghoff.

Although Father Rosera arrived in Chile in January, 1960, he accomplished many works of zeal in the short two years of his missionary career.