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| Encouraging vocations to the priesthood has been one of Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s priorities in his 10 years as Bishop of Madison. Here he greets Fr. David Johannes after ordaining him to the priesthood in 2012. Bishop Morlino has ordained 20 priests for the Diocese of Madison. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner) |
MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino is “grateful to God” for the many blessings he has experienced in his 10 years as Bishop of Madison.
In an interview, Bishop Morlino said “the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit get the credit” for whatever growth the Diocese of Madison has experienced in the past 10 years.
“I have invited people to grow in faith,” he said, pointing to an increase in such things as Eucharistic Adoration throughout the diocese.
Prayer, he said, is the “key” to more Church vocations. “We’re richly blessed with vocations — and with quality vocations — but we still need more.”
Encouraging more vocations to the priesthood — and to consecrated life and sacramental marriage — was one of his three priorities as Bishop of Madison. The others are strengthening liturgy and catechesis.
Increasing vocations
| Bishop Morlino comments about his 10 years in Madison in his column this week. He calls on Catholics to invite others to know Christ in a life-changing way. | |
Since he came to Madison in 2003, Bishop Morlino has been doing everything he can to increase the number of seminarians studying to become priests.
When he came here, there were six seminarians. His goal was to grow the number to 30.
In 2012, the diocese hit that mark with 32 seminarians. This fall there will be 34, with three men ordained to the priesthood in 2013.
Bishop Morlino considers the seminarians and priests he ordains “his spiritual sons.” With his past experiences living with college students, he feels he has a greater rapport with young men.
“They really are like my sons,” he said. “Our efforts are bearing fruit. The quality of our men is very evident.”
Having a full-time vocation director has also helped bring more attention to the efforts to recruit more seminarians.
Rebuilding St. Paul’s
Also tying in with vocations is Bishop Morlino’s “most urgent” project: rebuilding St. Paul’s University Catholic Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
“It’s gotten off to a somewhat slow start,” he admitted, “but I’m very encouraged and very hopeful. I’m strongly committed to helping with this project. Fr. Eric Nielsen (the pastor) and the St. Paul’s board have done a wonderful job.”
Bishop Morlino pointed out that there are about 13,000 Catholic students at UW-Madison. “We don’t have the facilities now to reach out to all of those students. We want young men to consider the priesthood and young women to consider religious life, and we want to invite all to become lay leaders in the Church.
“St. Paul’s is succeeding at this, but we need a better facility for gathering and meeting and a space more conducive to prayer.”
Future cathedral
In 2005, St. Raphael Cathedral was destroyed in an arson fire. Bishop Morlino said it is “most important” to have a cathedral, but it depends on the diocese’s financial situation.
“There are other areas making demands on our resources,” he said, especially the education of those 34 seminarians. “It costs almost $1 million a year to educate our seminarians. We’ve got to satisfy that responsibility.”
Bishop Morlino said he has “no personal need” to leave a legacy for himself in the building of a cathedral. “Absolutely not,” he said.
He smiled when asked if the increasing number of priests ordained — 20 in the past 10 years and many more expected in the next nine years until he reaches the age of retirement at 75 — would be his legacy.
Liturgical, catechetical efforts
Bishop Morlino’s other priorities have been in the areas of liturgy and catechesis. He has encouraged priests and parishes to implement the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and the new translation of the Mass in 2011.
He has emphasized the importance of reverence and beauty in the liturgy, especially during the Year of Faith being observed in the universal Church from October 11, 2012, to November 24, 2013.
“We’ve provided many opportunities for people to grow in solid awareness of prayer and the Eucharist,” he said.
Blending liturgy and catechesis, the diocese’s Seat of Wisdom Institute — established during Bishop Morlino’s time in Madison — has provided sessions on the “real teaching of Vatican II,” said the bishop. “It has exposed people to the documents of Vatican II, including a deeper understanding of the Mass.”
Bishop Morlino established the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (which includes some elements of the former Office of Religious Education and Office of Marriage and Family Life).
He has emphasized the formation of catechists and invited them to be competent and “have a command of the faith.”
“We want catechists to be more intimate in their relationship with Christ,” he said. “No one thirsts for faith unless they meet Christ in a life-changing way,” he said.
New PreK-8 Catechetical Standards were implemented in the diocese in 2012. In 2013, parish religious education programs joined Catholic schools in the diocese in administering the NCEA ACRE Assessment, which helps meet the catechetical needs of students.
The Seat of Wisdom Institute classes include some taught by Abbot Marcel Rooney, former abbot primate of the Benedictine Order. He brought his Orate Institute of Sacred Liturgy, Music and Art to the Diocese of Madison. The institute is devoted to helping people understand more and pray better the sacred liturgy.
In addition, the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has begun more outreach to youth and young adults, including Love Begins Here, the Frassati Fest, and teaching of the Theology of the Body through the Revolution of Love series.
Diocesan priests and staff also work with Camp Gray, the year-round diocesan camp near Baraboo.
Marriage preparation and marriage enrichment programs have been expanded, as have Natural Family Planning efforts.
Bishop Morlino is also proud of the establishment of St. Ambrose Academy in Madison in 2003. “St. Ambrose is one of my greatest joys,” he said. “We are building up faith leaders for the future; they’re outstanding.”
The bishop has taught at St. Ambrose Academy and will continue to do so “as time permits.”
Importance of marriage
Bishop Morlino stresses the importance of marriage as a “building block” in society. In 2006, he supported the effort to amend the Wisconsin Constitutions to define marriage as between one man and one woman. That amendment passed.
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has issued rulings supporting same-sex marriage, Bishop Morlino is hopeful that there are enough people in Wisconsin to sustain the state amendment.
He noted that such issues as marriage and the right to life (including the matters of abortion and euthanasia) should not be considered purely religious issues. Rather, they are issues based on natural law, he said.
“For a civil government to redefine marriage is to destabilize society and open it to tyranny,” he said, noting that Pope Benedict XVI said that an end to traditional marriage could mean “the end of civilization.”
“Marriage is necessary and the best place for children,” said Bishop Morlino. “If you look at it, same-sex marriage, abortion, and artificial contraception all have no room for children.”
He noted that society is storing up debt to be laid on future generations. “And if future generations are diminished, that is a looming catastrophe,” he said. “I wish I could help Catholics understand this. I want to give them a loving wake-up call!”
Comments on Pope Francis
Bishop Morlino is looking forward to meeting Pope Francis for the first time in October.
“I love the Holy Father whoever he is,” he said, “but Pope Francis is easy to love and easy to like. He has really caught the attention of the world and his mission is to strengthen the Church’s bishops to preach the Gospel to the world.
“I think the clear direction of his papacy is yet to be revealed,” said Bishop Morlino. “When he appoints the Secretary of State at the Vatican and other appointments, it will be a major revelation.”
Bishop Morlino says that Pope Francis’ continuity with Pope Benedict theologically and liturgically “is very clear to me.” He said some people — including those in the secular media — “cherry-pick” some of the things Pope Francis says.
“He is spontaneous and when things are said off-the-cuff, the mass media picks out some of the things he says. There’s a temptation to put together an image that isn’t in touch with reality.”
Bishop Morlino said the mass media doesn’t seem to focus on Pope Francis’ frequent remarks about the influence of the devil and the presence of evil in the world. The secular media also didn’t pay much attention to Pope Francis’ call for women to be mothers. The Holy Father told consecrated women that they should be spiritual mothers, noted Bishop Morlino.
The bishop likes that Pope Francis has encouraged Church leaders to “praise the light” more than “condemn the darkness.”
He also likes the Holy Father’s emphasis on care for the poor. There, too, the Church can shine a light on what it is already doing to help the poor. Bishop Morlino pointed to the work of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities, the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women, the Knights of Columbus, and “so many organizations that are all about charity. They operate well,” he said.
“It’s easy for Catholics to take for granted our concern for the poor. But Pope Francis is saying that I need to do more and you need to do more,” said Bishop Morlino.
He also noted that a priest told Pope Francis on his visit to the slums in Brazil that the greatest poverty is lack of knowledge of their faith. “Poverty includes spiritual and material poverty,” said Bishop Morlino. “It’s not reduced to just social work. We must bring Christ to the people.”
Accomplishments
Of his other accomplishments in his 10 years in the Diocese of Madison, Bishop Morlino points to his diocesan staff. “I have the best staff in the world,” he said.
During his tenure, he has fully staffed the diocesan Tribunal, with a full-time Judicial Vicar (Fr. Tait Schroeder) and two lay canon lawyers.
He is also grateful to the priests of the diocese. “They’ve done their best to work with me in most cases. Priests
are so important to the Church and I’m profoundly grateful to them.”
Bishop Morlino has brought in priests from outside the Diocese of Madison to help, including eight priests from the Society of Jesus Christ the Priest. Three priests from that order have been ordained here and three more will be ordained this year.
Bishop Morlino reestablished the Diocesan Pastoral Council and uses that body — in addition to the Presbyteral Council — to advise him on directions to take in the diocese.
Future plans
In the future, he plans to continue to work on his first three priorities while looking to improve institutional identity in Catholic institutions and doing more in the area of ecumenism.
Of institutions, he said “we need a strong Catholic identity.”
In the area of ecumenism, he said, “I’m not satisfied with our level of ecumenical activity.” He has a clear plan in mind which he hopes to implement “in due time.”
Overall, Bishop Morlino is concerned about leaving the diocese in good shape for his successor when he “passes the torch.”
At home in Madison
Bishop Morlino continues to “feel very much at home in Madison. I love the city. Madison is beautiful with its lakes and it’s a lively city,” he said.
He lives in downtown Madison at St. Patrick Parish and enjoys walking to the farmers’ market and to the Capitol.
He said his first 10 years went fast. “The first 10 years have been exciting, but the next nine will be more so,” he predicts. “I don’t know what God’s will for me will be, but I am profoundly grateful for all the blessings he has given me.”