Category: Around the Diocese

News from around the 11 counties of the Diocese of Madison.

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Mary C. Uhler, Catholic Herald Staff

Bishop Morlino grateful for God’s blessings after 10 years in Madison

Encouraging vocations to the priesthood has been one of Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s priorities in his 10 years as Bishop of Madison. Here he greets Fr. David Johannes after ordaining him to the priesthood in 2012.  Bishop Morlino has ordained 20 priests for the Diocese of Madison. (Catholic Herald photo/Kat Wagner)

MADISON — Bishop Robert C. Morlino is “grateful to God” for the many blessings he has experienced in his 10 years as Bishop of Madison.

In an interview, Bishop Morlino said “the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit get the credit” for whatever growth the Diocese of Madison has experienced in the past 10 years.

“I have invited people to grow in faith,” he said, pointing to an increase in such things as Eucharistic Adoration throughout the diocese.

Prayer, he said, is the “key” to more Church vocations. “We’re richly blessed with vocations — and with quality vocations — but we still need more.”

Encouraging more vocations to the priesthood — and to consecrated life and sacramental marriage — was one of his three priorities as Bishop of Madison. The others are strengthening liturgy and catechesis.

Increasing vocations
Bishop Morlino comments about his 10 years in Madison in his column this week. He calls on Catholics to invite others to know Christ in a life-changing way.

Since he came to Madison in 2003, Bishop Morlino has been doing everything he can to increase the number of seminarians studying to become priests.

When he came here, there were six seminarians. His goal was to grow the number to 30.

In 2012, the diocese hit that mark with 32 seminarians. This fall there will be 34, with three men ordained to the priesthood in 2013.

Bishop Morlino considers the seminarians and priests he ordains “his spiritual sons.” With his past experiences living with college students, he feels he has a greater rapport with young men.

“They really are like my sons,” he said. “Our efforts are bearing fruit. The quality of our men is very evident.”

Having a full-time vocation director has also helped bring more attention to the efforts to recruit more seminarians.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

24-hour confessional, app attracts penitents, worldwide attention

PINE BLUFF — On Sunday, Aug. 4, Catholics around the world celebrated the feast day of St. John Vianney, the patron saint of priests and tireless confessor. In Pine Bluff, just west of Madison, the day took on some extra meaning.

Fr. Rick Heilman, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Pine Bluff, dedicated a 24-hour confessional and related smartphone app, asking for intercessory prayers from the saint.

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Trisha Hebert, For the Catholic Herald

Cottage Grove parish welcomes priest from India

COTTAGE GROVE — St. Patrick Parish in Cottage Grove welcomes a new priest from India to the Diocese of Madison.

Please join the congregation of St. Patrick’s for a “meet and greet” reception with Fr. Michael Tarigopula at St. Patrick Church, 424 N. Main St., on Sunday, Aug. 11, following the 10 a.m. Mass.

Father Michael is from Pannur, a village in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He is the eighth of 10 children born to his father, a farmer, and his mother, a housewife.

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Kevin Wondrash, Catholic Herald Staff

EWTN personality concerned about modern education

WAUNAKEE — The air-conditioned parish hall at St. John the Baptist Parish in Waunakee was a welcome break from the heat one recent Sunday afternoon.

A crowd of families and supporters from Madison’s St. Ambrose Academy, as well as varying degrees of literary fans, gathered to hear about Catholic writer G.K. Chesterton.

Chesterton has become one of the most quoted writers in the English language. Scholars and fans of the author say he foresaw and wrote about the issues Catholics struggle with today, such as social injustice, the culture of death, the decline of the arts, assaults on religion, and attacks on the family and on the dignity of the human person.

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Jane Lepeska Grinde, For the Catholic Herald

Catholic women from diocese meet in Belmont

mdccw convention
Officers of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women include, from left: Carol Rogers, secretary; Rosa Ropers, president-elect; Coreen Marklein, president; Barbara Agasie, treasurer; and Carol Brennan, immediate past president. (Photo by Kathy Loy)

BELMONT — Hosted by the Grant Vicariate, the 59th annual meeting of the Madison Diocesan Council of Catholic Women (MDCCW) focused on the theme of “Uniting Women of Faith” and brought together women from throughout the 11-county Madison Diocese to the Belmont Convention Center recently.

MDCCW President Coreen Marklein, Baraboo, presided at the convention. Jeffrey Arrowood, Somerset, founder and director of From the Abbey, gave the keynote on “Take Control of Your Life.” He also led a shareshop on evangelization.

Another shareshop was presented on foster care and resulted in more than 100 backpacks and personal items donated by MDCCW to foster children.

Individual membership approved

Women may now join the MDCCW as individual members whether or not their parish is affiliated with MDCCW as a result of action taken at the convention.

Marklein thanked the members for voting unanimously to change the constitution and by-laws to allow individual membership. Because fewer parishes have councils that provide for membership in MDCCW, the change gives all diocesan women “an opportunity to unite and share our spirituality, leadership, and service with other women of the council in the Madison Diocese.”

As a result of the change, the website for the diocesan council, www.mdccw.com, includes a new brochure and membership form.

 

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