Bishops' Schedules: Bishop Robert C. Morlino Saturday, June 11, 2005 4:00 p.m. -- Preside and Preach at Celebration of the Eucharist, 4th Degree Exemplification, Knights of Columbus,Western District, St. Mary Church, Platteville Sunday, June 12, 2005 10:30 a.m. -- Preside and preach at the Celebration of the Eucharist, 50th Anniversary of St. Pius X Parish, Cambridge 5:30 p.m. -- Attend Clergy Appreciation Night, KC Council 4527, Council Clubhouse, Madison Tuesday, June 14 - Saturday, June 18, 2005 Attend USCCB Meeting , Chicago, Ill. Bishop William H. Bullock Tuesday, June 14 - Saturday, June 18, 2005 Attend USCCB Meeting, Chicago, Ill. Bishop George O. Wirz Sunday, June 12, 2005 5:30 p.m. -- Attend Clergy Appreciation Night, Knights of Columbus Council 4527, Knights of Columbus Clubhouse, Madison Tuesday, June 14, 2005 6:00 p.m. -- Attend Fund Raiser Dinner, Schoenstatt Fathers, St. James Parish, Madison Saturday, June 18, 2005 7:00 p.m. -- Attend Dinner and Program, Catholic Committee on Scouting, Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center Monday, June 20, 2005 5:15 p.m. -- Attend Catholic Charities Golf Tournament Dinner, Nakoma Country Club, Madison

Pope Benedict XVI, our Holy Father, promises his blessing to Bishop Robert C. Morlino for all in the Diocese of Madison during a recent audience at the Vatican. In the background of the photo is Commandant Elmar Maeder of the Pontifical Guard, who also greeted Bishop Morlino at the General Audience. For more on Bishop Morlino's visit to Rome, see his column, below. (Servizio Fotografico of L'Osservatore Romano)

Call to friendship
with Christ

		Under the Gospel Book + Bishop Robert C. Morlino

Dear Friends,

Since writing to you the last time the Lord has blessed me with two privileges which I consider truly major: a visit to Rome and to the Holy See, and the gift of conferring the Sacrament of Holy Orders on our two new priests, Father Michael Radowicz and Father Eric Sternberg.

The visit to Rome was one that I had hoped to make last November but clearly it had to be postponed because of recovery from surgery. There were several items of diocesan business to which I wanted to give attention, one in particular. But there were two very important moments during the Rome visit which I would want to recount to you.

Visiting tomb

It was marvelous to see the throngs of tourists in Rome, so many Americans, and as one might predict now, so many Germans. The tourist groups were so large that many days just walking on the sidewalk was a challenge because there was so little room left for even one extra person.

But it amazed me when I witnessed the very high percentage of those throngs that had come to visit the tomb of Pope John Paul the Great. The lines waiting to pass by the tomb had to be at least ten deep and extended the whole length of the basilica of St. Peter. The line then had to narrow to single file in order to go down the stairway into the grottos beneath the basilica where the Popes are buried, one level above that sacred place where the bones of St. Peter himself are at rest.

Once downstairs in the grotto the line expanded to about eight across, and unfortunately there were so many people, that generally individuals were not allowed to pause and pray - there were two ushers encouraging them, strongly if need be, to keep moving along. A very short distance from the tomb there was a small area reserved, out of the line of traffic, for those who might want to pause and pray for longer period of time. I did want to spend some time there, and I found myself in the midst of about 20 other people and of course that group kept changing as some left and others added themselves. The countenances of the vast majority of passersby were so filled with faith. Most paused for just a moment blessing themselves or bowing or genuflecting or placing gifts or cards or flowers at the tomb.

People were swarming all around John Paul in death as they had in life. His ministry of pulling the whole world together, as happened miraculously at the time of his funeral, is indeed continuing throughout the daytime hours at St. Peter's in Rome. Many are saying that this is the first public miracle that should be attributed to John Paul the Great as the process of canonization has been begun by Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope Benedict XVI

The sadness in the Vatican grottos especially near the tomb of John Paul the Great is not the end of the story in Rome. Again many are saying that his second public miracle took the form of his intercession before the Lord Jesus for the election by the College of Cardinals of Pope Benedict XVI. Many call this a miracle because the mass media in so many instances had portrayed the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in so negative a light that it was thought impossible that he would be elected Pope. But the sadness in the grottos and near the tomb quickly gives way to the realization that John Paul the Great is interceding for the Church and for the world in heaven, and the joy of that realization fills the hearts of those who come to mourn most when they experience the presence of Pope Benedict XVI.

I was privileged to attend the Wednesday general audience of Pope Benedict XVI during which he gave a marvelous reflection, as he always does, and afterwards we continued the long standing custom where the Pope greets each Bishop present individually. But it was different. Because the Pope always had to greet so many people individually at the general audience, Bishops knew enough to "keep moving" as they greeted the Pope, usually simply wishing him well, promising prayers and asking for his.

Pope Benedict surprised me and the other Bishops by taking our hands in his own and standing and talking with us for the better part of five minutes or even more. Most of the Bishops found the exchanges to be substantial even in their brevity. It seems that Pope Benedict has decided to focus a lot of his time on Bishops, which leaves him with less time to greet others since he still has a day full of responsibilities on the day of the Wednesday general audience. But each of us Bishops was thrilled with the opportunity to have this exchange with Pope Benedict.

At the end of our shared comments he asked for our prayers, yours and mine, and I promised him our loyal and loving prayers and asked for his as well and for his blessing upon our diocese which he joyfully imparted. I have had contact with him over the years, and with many others I have to say that he looks younger, he looks more energetic and he is smiling and even beaming more than I remember in past times. He is a wonderful, loving gentle pastor for the whole Church. It is no wonder that the sadness of those who mourn the death of Pope John Paul the Great so readily gives way to Resurrection joy as we thank God for the eternal life in Christ which John Paul the Great has received, and for the great Pope Benedict XVI whom we as God's Church and children have received.

Friendship with Christ

Pope Benedict XVI returns frequently to the theme of our call to friendship with Christ, as I have noted previously in this column. Of course Christ said to His apostles in a particular way, and says today to His Bishops and priests, "I no longer call you servants, but rather I call you friends." What a joy for our diocese. What a privilege for me as Bishop to receive from Christ two new special friends of His and ours, Father Eric Sternberg and Father Michael Radowicz. I hope and I pray that with them and with all of my brother priests, I can always more faithfully live up to my responsibilities as one called to be a special friend of Jesus Christ.

Friends are completely open to one another. Especially for the priest, friendship with Christ means openness to His presence in our lives especially through the Eucharist. Friendship with Christ means daily celebration of the Eucharist, never missing the opportunity to be mystically united with Christ as the one in the person of Christ offering the Sacrifice of the Mass, making present once again the one great act of worship and sacrifice that took place on Mount Calvary, making present the one great act of worship that is the work of the angels and saints in heaven. For priests especially, openness to Christ is not some abstraction; it is concrete; it means welcoming His Eucharistic presence into our lives each day at Mass and through Eucharistic Adoration.

Openness to Christ means openness to our fellow human beings in solidarity. In our country and in our culture the dictatorship of relativism, as Pope Benedict calls it, tends to isolate us from one another. After all if each one of us is the source of his or her own truth, it would be hard to call that "community" rather than "isolation." This isolation contributes to the incredible divisions about so many things that occur within our country and even within the Church.

The objective truth of our humanity that is the natural moral law does not in any way curtail our freedom. What it does is define the boundaries within which each one of us must live so that freedom can be really shared in community rather than be a source of division and isolation. The natural moral law, the law of reason, is never the enemy of freedom but rather its foundation as Pope Benedict XVI has said. And therefore it is so important for us priests firmly but also lovingly and gently to teach the objective truth of Jesus Christ and of His Church. This is our major way of building human solidarity which means openness to others.

Freedom in community

Likewise the liturgical laws and discipline of the Church are given to us so that we might live out our freedom in community as shared. The gift of freedom was never meant to encourage the priest toward liturgical innovations that are largely personal. The priest is not called to be a liturgical innovator anymore than each human person is called to be the source of his or her own truth. Rather the liturgical laws and discipline of the Church set the boundaries within which the priest functions so that the freedom of all to worship in accord with the mind of Christ and the Church might be lived and respected.

The liturgical law is never an enemy to the freedom of an individual priest, but it is rather the basis for his living out his freedom as the leader of the worshiping community with complete respect for the freedom and the rights of his brothers and sisters whom he leads. Openness is about solidarity. Solidarity is about authentic freedom. Authentic freedom builds communion rather than promoting division or isolation. The openness of friendship is certainly a wonderful call for us priests.

And lastly the openness of friendship means that no one in need is ever excluded from our pastoral care. As we teach the truth of Christ with love, we serve with loving respect not only our brothers and sisters who share our faith but every single human person, whether we like them or not, whether they be in the truth along with us or are in fact in error. The fact that someone is in error never excuses us from loving that someone and treating him or her with the respect due every person, the respect due to someone for whom Jesus Christ died.

Our openness to friendship in Christ means that we are the most inclusive people in the world as His priests. Our communion welcomes not only every human being but brings us close to the angels and saints in heaven and the souls in purgatory as well, when we offer the Eucharistic liturgy. The openness of the priest makes him at one with the ultimate community which unites heaven, purgatory, and earth mystically at the altar.

The priest is a special friend of Christ and friendship means openness. What a wonderful gift has come upon Father Michael Radowicz and Father Eric Sternberg in recent days and what a wonderful gift the priesthood is to every single priest and to our Church. What a wonderful gift! What a wonderful grace!

Thank you for reading this. And God bless you and your loved ones as we move into the days of summer. Please pray with me for all our priests, especially Father Michael and Father Eric. Praised be Jesus Christ!

Official Appointments:

Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, wishes to announce the following:

Reverend Michael R. Radowicz, newly ordained, as Parochial Vicar, Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, Sun Prairie, effective June 15.

Reverend Eric G. Sternberg, newly ordained, as Parochial Vicar, St. John the Baptist Parish, Waunakee, effective June 15.

Mrs. Colleen Shapleigh, Madison, to the Camp Gray Board of Directors, for a term expiring January 31, 2006.

Mr. Scott Truehl, Stoughton, to the Camp Gray Board of Directors, for a term expiring January 31, 2007.

Msgr. Paul J. Swain
Vicar General