The Second Vatican Council had a profound impact on Madison’s second bishop, Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell. Bishop O’Donnell attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
Category: Diocese of Madison’s 75th anniversary
Diocese of Madison’s 75th anniversary (1946-2021)
Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell becomes the second Bishop of Madison
In February of 1967, Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell was appointed by Pope Paul VI as the second Bishop of Madison succeeding Bishop William P. O’Connor.
A look back: Diocese of Madison experiences growth under Bishop O’Connor
When the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946, there were 122 diocesan priests and 13 Religious Order priests serving 82,000 Catholics in the 11 counties of the diocese.
By the time Bishop William P. O’Connor retired in 1967, the diocese had a total of 290 priests, including 63 belonging to Religious Orders, serving a Catholic population of 180,640.
Bishop Jerome Hastrich known for his work with the poor and minorities
Thirteenth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
As a priest and bishop, Bishop Jerome J. Hastrich will be remembered especially for his service to the poor and minorities.
He was asked in an interview for the Catholic Herald Citizen when he first became interested in helping the poor and minority groups. The native of Milwaukee answered, “About 1929 when I was in high school.” He added that it was during the Depression and his own family was poor.
Before he entered the seminary, he taught religion to the poor at Holy Cross summer school in Milwaukee and taught Sunday school at St. Benedict the Moor and St. Gabriel Parishes.
Fr. Jim McEnery reflects on almost 68 years as a priest in the Diocese of Madison
Twelfth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Fr. Jim McEnery was ordained to the priesthood on May 14, 1953, along with classmates August Buenzli and Tom Massion, by Bishop William P. O’Connor.
New Holy Name Seminary completed by 1965
Eleventh in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Holy Name Seminary in Madison was completed by 1965. The $4 million structure was dedicated on June 10, 1965.
In its second full year in Madison, the student body included four years of high school and two years of college. The seminarians found a modern building with a special concept in learning.
Unit system
The building was planned on a unit system, a concept whereby the student body is broken up into small groups, each under the direct supervision of a priest or unit moderator who lives at the end of his unit’s corridor.
Seminarians study in Milwaukee while Holy Name Seminary is being built
Tenth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
While Holy Name Seminary was being built, 80 young men from 40 different parishes were accepted for the freshman year of the new Diocese of Madison minor seminary.
They actually studied in Milwaukee at a temporary location at the former De Sales Preparatory Seminary. Classes began on September 5, 1963.
A look back: Bishop O’Connor announces plans to build a seminary during golden jubilee as a priest
Ninth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
In 1949, the Pallottine Fathers opened Queen of Apostles Seminary on Madison’s east side. They made it available to diocesan seminarians.
The growth of the Diocese of Madison was reflected in an increase in vocations.
By 1962, Queen of Apostles Seminary was filled to capacity, and neighboring seminaries were overcrowded.
Bishop O’Connor travels to Rome for ad limina visits and to attend the Second Vatican Council
Eighth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Bishop William P. O’Connor traveled to Rome several times after becoming the first bishop of the Diocese of Madison.
Ad limina visits
Bishop O’Connor made three ad limina visits to the Vatican. These visits are called ad limina apostolorum (“to the threshold of the Apostles”) because they are traditionally pilgrimages made by bishops to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul. The bishops in the United States are required to make visits to Rome personally or through authorized delegates about every five years to present a report on the state of the diocese.
St. Raphael Cathedral renovated in early years of Diocese of Madison
Seventh in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
When the Diocese of Madison was created in 1946, St. Raphael Church, the first Catholic church in the city of Madison, was chosen as the cathedral church of the new diocese.
Msgr. William Mahoney was the pastor at that time.
St. Raphael Parish has a history in Madison that dates back to before Wisconsin became a state.