A sample of notes from readers about Bp. Morlino

The death of Bp. Morlino of Madison has had the effect of demonstrating that he truly deserved the nickname The Extraordinary Ordinary.

I have received a flood of emails and text messages from all over the world expressing sorrow at his passing, admiration for his work and for his sheer goodness, and hope with prayers for him and for the continuation of what he set in motion.

Here is a meagre sampling of some notes, which I shall anonymize especially for the safety of some of the writers.

Just a short note to say at Divine Liturgy this morning we prayed not just for the repose of Bp Morlino, but also and especially that the good work you and others are doing with the LMS of Madison may continue under the next bishop. As you have so often and so rightly said, the restoration of the Latin Church begins and ends with her liturgical culture. With very best wishes….

I was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Bishop Morlino over the weekend. What a loss to the Church militant. I celebrated Mass for him this morning in the traditional rite and remembered you and his diocese too. Requiescat in pace.

“Ecce sacerdos magnus, qui in diebus suis placuit Deo.”

Many many priests have written along these lines…

My deepest condolences on the death of Bishop Morlino.
May he rest in peace. My Mass tomorrow will be for the repose of his soul and the consolation of all in Madison.

Also, a priest of the SSPX sent a very gracious note:

I occasionally read your blog and just heard the news of the passing of Bishop Morlino. I offer my sincere condolences and prayers. Whatever differences may at times have existed between our Society and the Bishop, he was a champion of the Faith and excellent example of a good bishop. My colleagues who interacted with him always found him quite gracious. I wish I personally had had the chance to meet him.

While I can speak only for myself, and not for our Society (though imagine many of my colleagues would feel the same way), I wanted to let you know that I will happily offer a Requiem Mass tomorrow for the repose of his soul and will pray the diocese be given another bishop like him to continue his good work.

In fact, we have a good rapport with the priests of the Society who are sent to serve the area around Madison, as is only proper.

This is a tiny sampling of the sort of notes I have received.

I am very grateful for your prayers for the repose of Bp. Morlino’s soul, and for the Masses offered by priests and laity. Who can doubt that they are effective?

Who, I wonder, shall be the next to don the mantle of “Extraordinary Ordinary”? We shall see.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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7 Comments

  1. Chris in Maryland 2 says:

    A few years ago we had the privilege of hearing the Holt Sacrifice of the Mass celebrated by Bishop Morlino at our parish, where he was visiting one of his former students, now a deacon.

    The Mass was celebrated with profound reverence for the presence of The Lord Jesus.

    Bishop Morlino was a great and good shepherd, a man who courageously confronted evil to protect souls in his care…which is the very definition and imitation of the Good Shepherd.

  2. LeeGilbert says:

    “Who, I wonder, shall be the next to don the mantle of “Extraordinary Ordinary”? We shall see.”

    Well, there are some relevant Scripture texts, presuming that you are hoping for a bishop of a certain stamp and not of a certain other stamp: “Ask and you shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

    And if there is a common mind over this among the prayer warriors of Madison, this bodes well, for “Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

    But surely some will think and say, because they have little faith, that getting a bishop of such and such a character is unlikely because extrapolating from the trend of recent episcopal appointments, etc., etc. yet, “Nothing is impossible with God.”

    In fact, it is just such a circumstance as this that throws this truth into relief and gives God another opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence.

    Yet supposing that in fact, the Diocese of Madison is given a bishop of that other, less desirable stamp. Then again, relying on all the above promises of God we pray for his radical conversion, that God will despite all his past history and prejudices will render him a fit successor to Bishop Morlino.

    The entire situation, rather than being threatening, is full of great promise. Jesus Christ is, after all the Bishop of Bishops, King of kings and Lord of lords.

    In short, if we focus on the threat, our hearts will quail; if on the promise, we will see the triumph of Jesus Christ.

  3. Michael says:

    I was privileged to have met Bishop Morlino last July at the Napa Institute conference in Napa, CA. He truly was a holy man who loved the people of God so dearly. May God rest his soul and provide a good and faithful successor for the people of Madison.

  4. bibi1003 says:

    Father, I will pray that the new bishop is a friend of the TLM.

  5. Lurker 59 says:

    The positive impact that Bishop Morlino had on the Madison Diocese cannot be understated. He truly was a priest and truly was a bishop that lead the people of his diocese towards Christ. He ever endeavored, and succeeded, to catechize his flock, grow the Church, and shore up Catholic culture. A good chunk of this website is a testament to Bishop Morlino’s transformation of the diocese, brick by brick, over the 1.5 decade of his leadership.

    My prayers for the repose of his soul and the consolation of the faithful of his diocese.

  6. ajf1984 says:

    My family and I prayed as our private intention at our Mass yesterday for the repose of His Excellency’s soul. Both at Sunday’s Mass and today’s daily Mass, Father asked the congregation to remember Bishop Morlino in prayer, and all the clergy and faithful of the Diocese of Madison. I will, like so many others, be praying that our Holy Father appoint a man with Bishop Morlino’s zeal, who truly has the heart of Christ! –From an Archdiocese of Milwaukee neighbor

  7. Fallibilissimo says:

    Fr Z, please accept my deepest condolences. I have no doubt this must be difficult to all those who knew him well. From my part, I only knew him through the media namely, your blog and EWTN. I would always pay attention when he would speak, and his kindness and warmth would come through the screen.
    I am truly saddened by his passing at such a relatively young age, and from my worldy point of view, I feel frustrated to know he left when he could have served for some years more; but as in all things, His will be done, not mine or ours. However, the emotions I cannot fully control or nip in the bud as we “lose” yet another good man in service of His Bride here on earth.

    I will pray for his soul and all his loved ones, as I will pray that God grants your diocese a Bishop that will make The Extraordinary Ordinary (I’m gonna miss you saying that when referring to him) smile from his resting place. May God have mercy on the soul of Bishop Morlino.

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