Thirtieth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison.
On May 23, 2003, Pope John Paul II appointed Bishop Robert C. Morlino as the fourth Bishop of Madison, succeeding Bishop William H. Bullock.
Bishop Morlino had served for the previous four years as Bishop of Helena, Mont.
When Bishop Morlino arrived, the diocese, in its 57th year, had 267,000 Catholics in the 135 parishes of its 11 counties, served by 109 active diocesan priests.
Bishop Morlino’s background
Robert C. Morlino was born on December 31, 1946, in Scranton, Pa. He graduated from Jesuit High School in Scranton and entered the seminary for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. He was ordained to the priesthood for that Jesuit Province in 1974.
His education included a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Fordham University, a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, a Master of Divinity Degree from the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass., and a doctorate in moral theology from the Gregorian University in Rome, with specialization in moral theology and bioethics.
After ordination, he taught philosophy at a number of colleges and was an instructor in continuing education for priests, Religious, and laity and director of parish renewal programs.
In 1981, Father Morlino became a priest of the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich., and served there in diocesan posts and as administrator of parishes and rector of St. Augustine Cathedral in Kalamazoo.
He was scheduled to begin a full-time faculty appointment as professor of theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit when, on July 6, 1999, Pope John Paul II appointed him the ninth Bishop of Helena.
Appointment to Madison
Bishop Morlino said he was “surprised and stunned” by his appointment to Madison.
Seeing this new phase of his life as the unfolding “mysterious plan” of God, he said, “I go forth again into the unknown, but I will go forth confident in the strength of the Lord, and therefore with joy, because the joy of the Lord must always be our strength.
“I do look forward to living out in the Diocese of Madison that special bond with priests, deacons, Religious Sisters, and God’s faithful people which is the Lord’s generous gift to the bishop,” he said.
For his motto, Bishop Morlino selected the phrase, “Visus Non Mentietur,” taken from Habakkuk 2:3, translated as, “the vision will not disappoint.”
Bishop Morlino was installed as Bishop of Madison on August 1, 2003, at St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.
Four celebrations of welcome were held between August 3 and 14 at different locations for people to meet, pray, and celebrate with their new bishop.
Early years
On August 22, 2003, after celebrating a 12 noon Mass at St. Raphael Cathedral, Bishop Morlino led the Rosary at a nearby abortion clinic. The bishop encouraged Catholics to pray for unborn babies, their mothers, and even those who perform abortions.
In October of 2003, the diocese implemented Protecting God’s Children and other elements of the VIRTUS program to prevent child sexual abuse.
The Diocese of Madison held an Ad Limina Pilgrimage of Prayer and Praise to Rome from May 27 to June 3, 2004, to accompany Bishop Morlino on his Ad Limina Apostolorum visit.
On July 23, 2004, Bishop Morlino ordained 20 men from parishes throughout the diocese to the permanent diaconate at St. Raphael Cathedral. They were the first permanent deacons to graduate from the Diocesan Institute for Lay and Diaconate Formation.
On August 18, 2004, Bishop Morlino attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at All Saints Retirement Center in Madison. The new facility housed 144 apartment homes for seniors. Owned by Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Madison, it was developed, built, and managed by Horizon Development Group.
On September 15, 2004, Bishop Morlino underwent heart surgery at St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center in Madison to repair an abnormal heart valve and he had bypass surgery following the detection of blockages in the arteries to the heart.
Msgr. Paul J. Swain, vicar general, took over as administrator of the diocese while Bishop Morlino recovered.
Bishops Emeriti William H. Bullock and George O. Wirz handled many of Bishop Morlino’s scheduled Confirmations.
Bishop Morlino was released from the hospital on September 24 and his recovery was projected to be in the vicinity of eight weeks. The bishop greatly appreciated the prayers from people throughout the diocese.
In 2005, the Diocese of Madison celebrated the Year of the Eucharist in the Church. In January, Bishop Morlino was elected chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
Source: Archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper.
Mary C. Uhler served on the staff of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison for almost 47 years, the last 34 years as editor. She retired in July of 2020.