Category: Bishop

On
Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Stand up for religious liberty and rights of conscience

Bishop Robert C. Morlino has written a letter to the faithful of the Diocese of Madison pertaining to the recent decision by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requiring all health plans to cover contraception and sterilization free of charge. This ruling affects religious liberty and rights of conscience of millions of people in the United States.

All bishops in the United States are making similar statements and sending similar letters to the faithful in their dioceses. Bishop Morlino has asked that his letter be read, and distributed, at Masses on the weekend of January 28 to 29 in the Diocese of Madison.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

This Christmas pray, profess, forgive, and resolve!

Dear Friends,

Where is Christmas joy to be found? And it IS to be found; it is real, and it is accessible. As I reflected last week, St. Paul tells us that we should, “Rejoice always,” and, “pray always.” I’ll not revisit each of my points from last week, but I’ll remind you that it is in doing all that we do in such a way that we might make it a pleasing offering to God, that we can truly pray always. St. Paul really does mean pray always; it’s not simply an unattainable ideal.

One can glibly say, “well, my work is my prayer,” and then never actually take time for prayer. To make our work into a pleasing prayer does not mean that we should not take time each and every day for focused prayer time. It is both/and; we should be spending time in prayer and also doing our work in such an excellent way that at the end of the day we are proud to present it as a sacrifice to the Lord. That really does turn work into prayer.

This is the very first step toward true Christmas joy — we pray always, so that we might rejoice always. In other words, we put God right at the center of all that we do and all that we are. Each one of us can do as much or as little as we want about that. Is our work a sacrifice of praise, ready to be offered to God? Are all of our interactions sacrifices of praise, ready to be offered to God? Is our prayer steady, daily, and substantial? Those are our very first steps to really experiencing Christmas joy and carrying that joy through the new year. And so, pray always!

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Bless Our Priests (December 1, 2011)

Dear Friends in Christ,

A very happy and holy Advent to you! For the past two years, at this time, I have asked you and your families to consider what you might do to assist the retired and aging priests who have served at our parishes for so many years. As we come upon this Holy Season, I come to you once again.

This year, of course, with the beginning of Advent, it is impossible to ignore the recent changes we’ve experienced by way of the new translation of our Roman Missal. These changes certainly will take some time of adjustment, but at the same time, we’re faced with the opportunity for renewal and a reexamination of what it is that we are really doing at the Holy Mass. This is, likewise, a great opportunity for our priests, to contemplate and pray in a more reverent and always-deeper way. And so, as we continue to reflect on these changes and as we move together towards greater reverence, perhaps we could also take the opportunity to reflect on the rich heritage of our faith, from our parents and other forerunners to the ministers Christ has chosen to serve us, namely, our priests.

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Bishop Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison

Giving thanks this Thanksgiving

Dear Friends,

Thanks to all who joined in prayerful support of us bishops as we recently met in Baltimore for our annual fall assembly. The meeting was very upbeat and very joyful – in very large part due to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, his wonderful wit and sense of humor, and his determination to expedite our proceedings using every possible tactic. The archbishop’s approach meant that we bishops had more time for fraternal companionship, and that the meeting was a time when the Holy Spirit, though Archbishop Dolan and our new, gracious, and warm Apostolic Nuncio, confirmed us in our faith.

 

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