On 1 August 2003, His Excellency Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino was installed as Bishop of Madison. Madison, one of the great liberal bastions of these USA, has been described by some as “47 square miles surrounded by reality”.
Happy 10th anniversary of ministry in MadCity.
With his clear eye fixed on the Church’s mission and doctrine, and his sense of humor, and his willingness to be attacked in the liberal press (and in Madison that’s just about the only kind) Bp. Morlino has been a source of encouragement for many in these cultural wars we are experiencing.
You could in a small way express your congratulations to Bp. Morlino for this milestone by sending online a donation to the Diocese. In the last 10 years the number of seminarians has quintupled, nearly sextupled, from 6 to about 35. To this this strains the budget – but in a good way – doesn’t quite capture the need. Click HERE.
Last year I heard with my own ear him tell the seminarians that he wanted them to know the Extraordinary Form before he ordained them.
I have met a lot of the seminarians and they are outstanding young men.
Tonight His Excellency will be on EWTN with Raymond Arroyo, 8 EDT, 7 CDT.
Say a prayer for the bishop in his heavy pastoral mandate.
I just hit them with my own donation. In reviewing their website, I wish I could have declared the purpose for it, but I trust H.E. to do what he needs to do.
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Prayers have been offered for his continued success!
I prayed for Bishop Morlino today… made a donation to the seminarian fund too, good idea. They are REALLY excellent. And they are being given the best of education, as far as I can tell, but it really costs.
We lived in MadTown when Bp Morlino arrived and he was such a breath of fresh air in so many ways we have since moved away and miss all of our friends in the Diocese of Madison. As we are celebrating this anniversary will you indulge a story about him that I never tire of telling?
In the Spring of 2004 Bp Morlino was in the practice of once a month saying the noon Mass at the Cathedral and then leading the Rosary at the abortuary across the street (they later moved!). Anyway, my wife took our two kids (3 and 1) to one of these when the Gospel reading was from Mark 9:17 – Jesus exorcises a deaf/mute spirit from a young man. So my wife and kids were sitting in the front pew and all through Mass the 1 yr old was jumping up and down and having a great time. To start his homily, Bp. Morlino points to my son and says, “Now there’s a kids that hear’s Jesus!” Well, we had just found out, and no one else knew at the time, that he was born profoundly deaf and couldn’t hear a thing. He has since gotten cochlear implants and you would never know that he was deaf by talking to him. I think about this incident a lot because the Holy Spirit was clearly using Bp. Morlino at that moment to tell us that, yes, he can hear Jesus no matter how screwed up his ears are. God bless Bp Morlino!
Money well spent. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to help a good bishop, FrZ.
jpii_rox, what a great story! How amazing is that, of all the words he could have said.
Imagine if our country were full of Bishop Morlino’s. It’s just such a nice thought, and we would be in such a different place.
How wonderful to read of bishops who are standing up for what is right in the face of so many attacks on Catholic truth by secular orthodoxy. Bishop Morlino will definitely be prayed for. I’ll also just put in a little plug for Bishop Peter Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C. Since he became bishop, there is a quiet revolution going on here, especially in the areas of liturgy, church restoration and assertion of authentic Catholic moral doctrines. It’s going to take time, but we are definitely going in the right direction.
May God Bless His Excellency with many blessed years in his bishopric. Thank you Bp. Morlino for your great love for Christ and His Holy Catholic Church. +JMJ+
This bishop is slated to give a talk on Religious liberty on Aug. 23rd, at 7:30 at a parish in Northern Virginia. I think I’ll go.
Here are the details:
Dignitatis Humanae: Religious Liberty & the Freedom of Conscience
Most Rev. Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, WI
Friday, August 23 @ 7:30 p.m. EST
Holy Transfiguration Church Hall
8501 Lewinsville Road, McLean, VA 22102
Actually, Madison is full of wonderful, caring, faithful people. Even before Morlino arrived. I do wish he hadn’t shut down the Diocese’s primary ministry to the poor–the MultiCultural Center–several years ago. Fortunately, a courageous pastor rallied the support of his parish and one week later rescued it from the Diocese. It’s flourishing today under that parish’s administration, feeding and assisting Madison’s poorest individuals and families. Like most institutions, even the Madison Diocese doesn’t have its priorities in order sometimes. The Church withdrawing support for the poor? Unconscionable. [What a class act you are. BTW… how much did you donate for the seminarians?]
Fortunately, the Church didn’t withdraw support for the poor.
A particular Diocese moved from directly administering and funding a program that other organizations could do just as well, to administering and funding programs that were more directly something it alone could do – like increasing the number of priests through the seminarian program.
After all, it’s been said that the Church isn’t an NGO.
And another organization/parish stepped up and did take care of the Multicultural Center. Isn’t subsidiarity wonderful?
Sounds like a win-win to me. The poor were helped through both the Multicultural Center and through an increase in vocations to the priesthood.
Just think, the poor still have the support of the Multicultural Center, but if Bishop Morlino hadn’t done what he did, they would not have benefited from more priests.
Unless you think that the parish that took over administration of the Multicultural Center would have been willing or able to support the seminary and seminarians like the Diocese of Madison has?
Nice spin. But the bishop simply pulled the plug–he didn’t collaborate with anyone to ensure support of the multicultural center. You’re correct about the syntax, though: the Church–the people–didn’t withdraw support for the poor, just the bishop. [Okay, you get to go to the penalty box for two reasons. First, what you posted was tacky… for this occasion. Second, you have mischaracterized the situation of the multicultural center.]
Because, of course, support for the poor requires both:
1. The direct involvement, administration and funding of the Diocese
and
2. The continuation of the Multicultural Center.
There is a difference between “support for the poor” and “support for the poor via the means one considers to be the best.”
But I suppose you have better insight into how the Bishop should administer the Diocese than he does. You certainly seem to know it would have been better for the poor if the Bishop had continued Diocesan administration and funding of the MultiCultural Center.
Miss Mary, may I humbly suggest that one ought not victuall the imp?
@Ben Kenobi
Indeed. I lost my head.
Back on topic. :-)
Maybe some of the optimism I show elsewhere is because I’m from his diocese. I’ve seen brick by brick up close.
The ugly, tasteless rabbit hole is closed.
The Madison Multicultural Center (MCC) is supported financially by good Bishop Morlino via his Annual Catholic Appeal. (Sorry Fr. Z, I just wanted to get the facts out.)
http://www.madisondiocese.org/Portals/0/Agencies/Stewardship/Appeal/2013%20ACA/2013_ACA_Brochure%20FINAL.pdf