Nineteenth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
When he became Bishop of Madison in 1967, Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell emphasized the importance of encouraging and supporting Church vocations, especially the priesthood and Religious Life.
Holds Vocation Sunday
He declared Sunday, Oct. 29, 1967, as Vocation Sunday in the Diocese of Madison.
He encouraged people in the diocese to attend an open house at Holy Name Seminary in Madison on that day, saying in the Catholic Herald Citizen, “I invite you and your families to take advantage of this opportunity to acquaint yourselves with this excellent school which means so much to our diocese.”
He also asked priests to give a homily on Vocation Sunday dealing with vocations “with special emphasis on the diocesan priesthood.”
He encouraged the priests to talk about their own vocation as “a precious gift.”
The bishop also said that Fr. Kenneth Klink would be visiting all the Catholic grade schools in the diocese to talk about vocations.
Seminary is ‘spiritual powerhouse’
Bishop O’Donnell considered Holy Name Seminary a “spiritual powerhouse” for the Diocese of Madison.
He noted that it served the diocese in two ways: As a diocesan high school seminary and as a diocesan center where parish, community, and diocesan groups met.
The bishop made his own residence at the seminary so that he could be closer to future priests, Holy Name faculty, and the many diocesan groups that met there.
In an interview with this writer reflecting on his 25 years as a bishop in 1985, Bishop O’Donnell singled out Holy Name Seminary as a “God-send” because it “keeps alive and before our people the need for priests.”
The bishop added, “Even if a young man decides not to become a priest, he has a good foundation in the Church and becomes a lay leader in our diocese.”
Importance of vocations
Bishop O’Donnell said that one of the key issues facing the Church in the present and the future is the “lack of vocations to the priesthood and Religious Life.”
Although all baptized and confirmed Catholics are obligated to work for the Church, Bishop O’Donnell said the role of priests and Religious are “distinct roles in the family of God.”
He said, “The Second Vatican Council pointed out the essential differences between the ordained priesthood and the priesthood of all believers. We need to carry on the work of the Lord and keep the Eucharist alive in our midst.
“Lack of vocations is one of the greatest problems facing the Church in the last part of the 20th Century,” emphasized Bishop O’Donnell.
He encouraged people in the Diocese of Madison to pray and work for vocations to the priesthood and Religious Life. He himself took part in vocation programs held at Holy Name Seminary and visited schools and parishes in the diocese to talk with young people.
Sources: Building Our Future in Faith: Commemorative History of the Catholic Diocese of Madison (1996); archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper; Wisconsin Pastoral Handbook.
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.