Fourteenth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
Bishop William P. O’Connor celebrated his 80th birthday on March 10, 1966, at a party given in his honor at St. Raphael Cathedral Parish in Madison.
On February 22, 1967, his request for retirement was accepted, and on the same day, the announcement was made of the appointment of Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell as the second Bishop of Madison.
The Madison Board of Diocesan Consultors met on February 27, 1967, and elected Bishop O’Connor as diocesan administrator until Bishop O’Donnell was to take canonical possession of the diocese in April.
Bishop O’Connor Day
In the meantime, Sunday, March 5, 1967, was designated as Bishop O’Connor Day in the Diocese of Madison.
On that day, each priest of the diocese was asked to offer one Mass for the bishop’s intention.
The faithful of the diocese were asked to offer their Sunday Mass, Communion, and a Rosary for the bishop’s intentions.
Bishop O’Connor celebrated his silver jubilee as a bishop on March 7, 1967, with a Mass at St. Raphael Cathedral.
Before he became Bishop of Madison in 1946, Bishop O’Connor was consecrated as Bishop of Superior, Wis., on March 7, 1942.
Growth of the diocese
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.
What accounted for this growth in the number of priests and Catholics in the new diocese?
Bishop’s leadership
A great part of the growth may be attributed to the leadership of Bishop O’Connor himself. He was an enthusiastic spiritual Father who enjoyed meeting with his priests and people. Of course, he often thanked God along with the priests and people for the growth of the diocese.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the diocese in 1956, he said in a message published in the Catholic Herald Citizen, “By the grace of God and through the zeal of our priests, Religious, and laity, a noticeable spirit of unity and solidarity has become characteristic of the Church of Madison during these early years of its existence.
“Enthusiasm for the faith and an ardent desire to propagate it have contributed much to the growth and development of the Church of Madison during these years of foundation.”
Bishop O’Connor continued, “Looking forward to the future life of the Church in this diocese, there is promise under the guidance of Divine Providence and through the labors and sacrifices of priests, Religious, and faithful of notable physical and spiritual growth and development.
“May Our Blessed Mother, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, to whose patronage the Diocese of Madison was confided on its birthday, continue to represent our sacred cause to Her Divine Son in the years that may lie ahead.”
Growth in population
Another factor in the growth of the Diocese of Madison was the actual increase in population in the state of Wisconsin, including the city of Madison.
Census statistics show that Wisconsin grew from a total population of 3,434,575 in 1946 to 4,303,000 in 1967.
The City of Madison grew from 67,447 people in the 1940 census to 96,056 in the 1950 census, a growth of 42.4 percent. By the 1960 census, Madison had a population of 126,706, and by 1970, the population was 173,258.
The Diocese of Madison’s growth was assisted by the increasing numbers of Catholic parishes and Catholic elementary schools.
There were larger numbers of Baptisms and marriages reported from 1946 to 1967.
In addition, there were 151 priests ordained for the diocese during those years.
After retirement
In his retirement, Bishop O’Connor remained active. He went to his office daily and enjoyed reading and meeting people.
On July 13, 1973, Bishop O’Connor died of an apparent heart attack at the age of 86.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Monona with Bishop O’Donnell, Cardinal John P. Cody of Chicago, and Archbishop William E. Cousins of Milwaukee as concelebrants. Interment was at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison.
Sources: Building Our Future in Faith: Commemorative History of the Catholic Diocese of Madison (1996); archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper; U.S. census records.
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.