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| Bishop William P. O’Connor of Madison receives a warm send-off from Catholic school children at the Madison airport as he leaves to attend the second session of the Second Vatican Council on September 26, 1963. (Catholic Herald file photo) |
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.
Bishop O’Connor made these visits in 1949 and 1954 to meet with Pope Pius XII, but perhaps his most memorable was the visit in 1959. He was accompanied on this visit by Msgr. Edward M. Kinney, rector of St. Raphael Cathedral, and Fr. Austin Henry, pastor of Holy Mother of Consolation Parish in Oregon. They left Madison on July 30.
They joined Bishop John P. Treacy of La Crosse, traveling by train to New York City and then sailing on the SS Constitution, arriving in Naples, Italy, on August 10 and arriving in Rome on August 12.
The Wisconsin contingent met with Pope John XXIII at Castel Gondalfo outside of Rome on August 14. Bishop O’Connor met with the Holy Father for 15 minutes and then the Madison priests joined them for another 15 minutes.
The pope did not speak English, so a priest-translator helped facilitate the meeting. Bishop O’Connor reported in the Catholic Herald Citizen that the pope asked him if he was a soldier. “I replied that I was not a soldier anymore, but that I had been a chaplain many years ago in World War I. At that, the Holy Father pointed out that he too had been a soldier-chaplain in the same war. The pope said, ‘Now we must be soldiers of Christ for the Kingdom of God on earth.'”
The pope told Bishop O’Connor to give his personal blessing to the people of the Diocese of Madison, which he did on his return.
While in Rome, Bishop O’Connor offered Mass at the tomb of St. Pius X for the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine workers in the Diocese of Madison. He also celebrated Mass at the tomb of St. Peter and at the altar over the tomb of St. Camillus.
The bishop and the Madison priests left Rome on August 17 and traveled to Assisi and Milan and then toured Switzerland. On their return to Madison, there were about 3,000 people on the train platform at the Milwaukee Rd. depot welcoming Bishop O’Connor home. The bishop stepped from the train to the accompaniment of music from the Edgewood High School Band.
School children lined W. Washington Ave., and there was a procession of cars to St. Raphael Cathedral, where a solemn benediction was held.
Bishop attends Second Vatican Council
Bishop O’Connor traveled to Rome again in 1962 and 1963 to attend the first two sessions of the Second Vatican Council.
The first session of the Council opened on October 11, 1962. Bishop O’Connor again traveled by train and ship (this time on the Leonardo da Vinci), accompanied by Msgr. George O. Wirz, chancellor of the Diocese of Madison. They left for Rome on September 20 and returned to Madison on December 11.
It was reported that 2,363 Council Fathers attended from throughout the world. Bishop O’Connor reported in the Catholic Herald Citizen, “Both inside and outside the Council there are most unusual opportunities to learn anew the great truths of our faith as they are understood and interpreted by some of the acute intellects of our day.”
He said, “The Council was a satisfying experience. Day by day the unity and solidarity of the hierarchy was manifest as the Fathers prayed and talked together.”
Bishop O’Connor noted that the Council Fathers discussed possible changes in the Roman Liturgy. “There appear to be winds of change blowing through the ancient and storied nave of the Basilica of St. Peter, but it will be some time before the number and extent of these changes will be made known to the outside world.”
It was decided that the Council commissions would continue their work during the nine-month recess before the second session opened in September of 1963. In the meantime, Pope John XXIII died on June 3, 1963. Pope Paul VI succeeded him on June 21, 1963.
The second session of the Second Vatican Council — slated to open on September 8 — was delayed until September 29.
This time, Auxiliary Bishop Jerome J. Hastrich, consecrated on September 3, 1963, as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Madison, preceded Bishop O’Connor to Rome. They were able to fly for this trip.
At the conclusion of the second session of the Council, Bishop O’Connor reported that the bishops of the United States were proud of the decree on the liturgy — Sacrosanctum Concilium (the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy) — promulgated on December 4, 1963. This provided among other things for greater use of Scripture and vernacular languages at Mass.
Bishop O’Connor said in the Catholic Herald Citizen that he hoped to put this decree into effect as soon as possible. He pointed out that the decree would need to be adapted to the needs of Catholics in the U.S. and texts must be prepared, such as translating parts of the Mass into English.
Sources: Building Our Future in Faith: Commemorative History of the Catholic Diocese of Madison (1996); 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.