The Priests for Our Future: The Church Is Alive! campaign has been very successful in raising funds to support the education and formation of future priests.
Tag: priests
Thanking God for our ‘spiritual fathers’
Friday, June 26, will be a day of great joy in the Diocese of Madison. On that day, Bishop Robert C. Morlino will ordain six men to the priesthood at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison
Priests for Our Future: The Church is Alive! kicks off final phase
More than 500 pastors and lay leadership came together in the past two weeks to celebrate the start of the last phase of the Priests for Our Future: The Church Is Alive! campaign.
Six events were held in parishes spanning the geographic area of the Diocese of Madison to welcome and inform volunteers who will pioneer the final efforts of the campaign.
At Chrism Mass, Bishop blesses oils
It was an hour before Mass and the parking lot at St. Maria Goretti Church in Madison was already filling up.
It was a familiar sight that both spring and Holy Week have arrived.
Awakening deeper faith during the Year of Consecrated Life
Pope Francis has declared this year as the Year of Consecrated Life and you will see from his letter that he has several objectives for this year.
Among them being: thanksgiving for all the Lord has accomplished through the various Religious communities, a greater fidelity to the mission established by the founders and foundresses, and embracing the future with hope.
Diocese involved
The Diocese of Madison is looking to assist the Holy Father with these objectives by engaging the priests, Religious, and laity in various events and activities throughout the year.
We are inviting our consecrated men and women to use this year as an opportunity to highlight the many graces received through the living out of their community’s charisms throughout the history of the diocese.
We also look forward to opportunities to joining the various Religious communities in their prayer which is crucial to their identity.
Priests for Our Future capital campaign seeks $30 million to endow education and formation of future priests
There are now 33 seminarians in the Diocese of Madison, up from six in 2003. Six were missing for this photo, taken at the seminarian gathering in Madison in August. Also pictured are Bishop Robert C. Morlino and Fr. Greg Ihm, director of vocations. A capital campaign seeks to raise $30 million for the education and formation of priests. (Catholic Herald photo/Pam Payne) |
MADISON — Both by lay people and priests alike, it’s been talked about, studied, and identified as the top concern facing the Diocese of Madison for several years now: the vocations crisis.
With a continuous line of faithful senior priests reaching retirement and a decidedly thinner lineup of priests ordained in the 1980s and ’90s, it would be hard to deny a crisis brewing.
Number one priority
In fact, so serious was the concern in the mind of Bishop Robert C. Morlino, and so clear was the message that he received from around the diocese, that he made the fostering of vocations to the priesthood his number one priority upon arriving in Madison in August of 2003.
The bishop, priests, and faithful of the diocese together initiated a program of fostering a “culture of vocations,” of inviting young men to consider the call God might be making to them, and to prayer — especially in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament — asking that more and more might answer the call of Jesus Christ.
Increasing numbers
And increasingly, men have been answering this need and God’s call with a profound “yes.” From six seminarians in 2003, the diocese has seen a near six-fold increase.
This year, the diocese is blessed to have 33 men studying for the priesthood, and the good news is that hopes remain high that (with continued prayers) growth in seminarian numbers will continue.
A nice problem: We have to fund the education of growing number of seminarians
In 2003, the Diocese of Madison had only six seminarians studying to be priests. With the number of ordinations decreasing and retirements of many active priests looming, the future didn’t look very promising.
Priests to hold annual assembly
WISCONSIN DELLS — Priests of the Diocese of Madison will be gathering for their annual Presbyteral Assembly from Sunday evening, Sept. 21, to Wednesday, Sept. 24, at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells.
The assembly is an opportunity for prayer and fellowship among the priests of the diocese, as well as education and reflection.
Annual priets’ assembly offers special grace
A special grace of my priesthood is the privilege of participating in the annual Diocesan Presbyteral Assembly held at Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells from September 21 to 24.
The Presbyteral Assembly grew out of the landmark Madison Diocese Emmaus retreat in 1980, which was intended to bolster the spiritual lives of us priests. It did.
Since I was in high school work at Beloit Catholic High, I rarely was able to attend diocesan functions, but I was free during summers. During summer school, I learned that this was also true of priests who taught high school in other dioceses. I was happy that Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell asked all active priests to attend.
Emmaus experience
Msgr. Frank Bognanno of the Diocese of Des Moines was chosen to lead the Emmaus retreat. The bishop of Des Moines was Bishop Bullock, who later became our bishop. Father Frank returned to Madison for Bishop Bullock’s anniversary celebration. He also led an inspiring priests’ retreat in 2002.
Pope shows how Church must protect children
Many years ago, I received a phone call from someone who complained that a priest had been removed from her parish because of an allegation of sexual abuse of a child. (We have had very few such cases in our diocese, thanks be to God and the vigilance of our bishops and diocesan leaders.)
The caller said to me, “He was such a wonderful priest. I can’t imagine that he would harm a child.”