Category: Bishop

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Chris Lee

Diocese of Madison statement regarding retired priest’s arrest and court appearance; accusations of sexual abuse of a minor

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MADISON — The Diocese of Madison offers the following brief statement, regarding the recent arrest and initial appearance in court of a retired priest of the diocese, Fr. William Nolan:

The diocese recently learned that Fr. William Nolan (64) was arrested by the Fort Atkinson police, with charges pending. Today, we were informed that he has been charged with six counts of second-degree sexual assault of a minor (under the age of 16), as documented in the formal criminal complaint, filed today in Jefferson County Circuit Court.

Upon learning of his arrest and pending charges a diocesan representative contacted the Fort Atkinson police assuring them of our full cooperation.

Simultaneously, and although Father Nolan has been retired since 2007 and does not hold any ecclesiastical office or function, Bishop Robert C. Morlino placed him on what is commonly called “administrative leave,” as required by the Essential Norms in force in the dioceses of the USA. This includes a total exclusion from any exercise of priestly ministry while the matter is pending. The diocese also began its own canonical process of investigating these allegations, and the diocesan Sexual Abuse Review Board was engaged.

Father Nolan retired from full-time ministry in the diocese in 2007, at his request. His last assignment was as pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Fort Atkinson, from 2002-2007. This is when and where the allegations being investigated are claimed to have taken place. They were brought directly to the civil authorities in Fort Atkinson and were only shared with Church officials as Father Nolan’s arrest was set in motion. This is the very first the diocese has heard of these accusations.

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Appointments 5-13-2018

Msgr. James Bartylla, Vicar General, announces the following priest appointments made by Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, effective Saturday, July 14, 2018, unless otherwise specifically stated, and announced at weekend Masses of Saturday and Sunday, May 12 and May 13, 2018.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Be defenseless like Jesus was in His Passion

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

This past Sunday was Palm Sunday, and by the time you read this it will likely be in the midst of the Sacred Triduum or even in the glorious season of Easter.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I feel as if this Lenten journey sped by unbelievably fast. And so (it seems to me) that all of a sudden here we are, in the midst of Holy Week.

If you read this in time, I do want to make a pitch for you — insofar as it is possible — to make an effort to attend the most important liturgy in the Church calendar, which occurs on Holy Saturday night.

The Easter Vigil is the pinnacle of our liturgical year, as we walk through salvation history and proclaim once again the glorious news that we have a Savior!

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Make sure the devil has one hell of a Lent

This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop.

Dear Friends,

And so, we begin Lent. It strikes me as though yesterday was Labor Day and yet, here we are. There was the possibility that Ash Wednesday might be overshadowed for some by the blissful celebration of St. Valentine’s Day.

However, a far more sinister overshadowing overtook them both. Once again, wonderful young people, with their whole lives ahead of them, were meaninglessly and horrendously slaughtered and injured. So many family lives were changed forever, and not for the better.

Sadness really hung around this St. Valentine’s Day. Deep sadness. And, if any good was to come from this sadness, I hope that it awakened our consciousness to Lent and to our own mortality and need for both repentance and salvation.

Confrontation with the devil

This past Sunday we heard that the Holy Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, to be tempted by the devil (Mk 1:12-15). He drove Jesus out, into a face-to-face confrontation with him who is pure evil. This confrontation was therefore necessary for the sinless, only begotten Son of God.

And as we begin Lent, that tells us, in a way, that this confrontation with the devil is what Lent is all about. For while Jesus has the ultimate victory over the devil in the life to come, in this world the devil maintains his camp, and so we too must confront him.

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