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On January 9, 1946, Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Madison, taking territory from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Diocese of La Crosse.
Created right at the end of World War II, our diocese was poised to grow dramatically in the ensuing decades of population boom and economic ascendancy.
Bishop William P. O’Connor, a priest from Milwaukee, became Madison’s first bishop and was immediately faced with the many challenges of shaping a brand new diocese.
As we celebrate our 75th anniversary this new year, we pause to give thanks to God for our forebears whose faith, sacrifice, and work helped build this beautiful local Church which we call home.
Settled by immigrants
Settled primarily by German, Irish, and Bohemian farmers, our corner of the state must have reminded our ancestors of home with pristine forests, rolling hills, and fertile fields.
These immigrants settled here, fleeing hunger, joblessness, and sometimes religious persecution back in Europe.
They brought little with them besides their Catholic faith and a firm determination to build a better life in this new world.
Our diocese is dotted with picturesque churches built in the 19th century, often with the labor of the parishioners themselves.
My grandfather helped to build the Church of St. John de Nepomuc in Castle Rock, where my family lived for a time.
Priests accompanied their people in their journey to America, ensuring that these faithful Catholics would continue to receive the sustenance of the sacraments and the moral guidance of the Church in this new and wild place called Wisconsin.
Although the Mass was universally in Latin, sermons, Confessions, and catechesis were in the respective native tongues of the people.
The exponential growth of United States Catholicism in the latter 19th and early 20th centuries was fueled by this remarkable influx of devout, practicing Catholics from every corner of Europe.
We are richly blessed to enjoy the spiritual legacy of Venerable Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, buried in Benton, who tirelessly worked throughout the Midwest in the mid-1800s to plant the seeds of the Gospel in our rich soil.
He established multiple parishes in our diocese, as well as founded the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
Leaving a cultured life in Italy, Father Mazzuchelli sacrificially spent himself for the glory of God and the building up of the Church here in southern Wisconsin.
His life given to Christ profoundly exemplifies the thousands of priests, Sisters, and lay people who embraced the evangelizing spirit of the Gospel to go forth and make disciples of all nations.
Giving thanks and looking forward
This 75th diocesan anniversary is a moment for us to ponder our rich spiritual history and to give thanks to the Lord for all those who have gone before us in faith, showing us the way to Jesus and the salvation He offers.
I praise and thank God for my predecessors in this episcopal office and for all of our clergy, Religious, and lay faithful who have faithfully served the cause of Christ here in the Diocese of Madison and continue to do so.
This year’s celebration is more than a nostalgic looking backward, however, as we continue to embrace our Go Make Disciples evangelizing initiative.
In this 21st century and especially in this year of 2020 now ending, we face challenges and obstacles which would have been unimaginable even a few years ago.
In the midst of a pandemic, political and racial conflict, deep economic suffering, and an unclear future, we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism to carry forward the Gospel to our hurting and broken world.
Amid precipitous declines in Church affiliation and sacramental practice, we have received the mandate of the Great Commission to go forth, proclaim the Gospel to every creature and make disciples of all nations.
How consoling and challenging to ponder the fact that God wills us to live at this critical moment in history.
This unprecedented time demands that we radically recommit ourselves to faith, prayer, the Scriptures, the sacraments, and the Church.
I am profoundly grateful to so many, especially our priests, whose service and sacrifice have sustained our parishes and schools in these times of crisis and difficulty.
A very practical way for all of us to mark both our 75th diocesan anniversary and our Go Make Disciples initiative is to commit to weekly Sunday Mass, either in person or still online, daily prayer, monthly Confession if possible, and some form of sacrifice, both for our own spirituality and the well-being of the poor and suffering.
Imagine if every baptized Catholic simply embraced these basic building blocks of the spiritual life.
The Lord wants us to be excellent Catholics, and the only way we can grow in the faith is practice.
If you want to excel in track, you run — a lot! If you want to be a superb pianist, you practice the piano every day.
If we want to be true disciples of the Lord, we consistently and generously practice the basic elements of our Catholic faith.
A noble New Year’s resolution would be: I want to be an excellent Catholic, more in love with the Lord and more fully alive in the Holy Spirit.
The best way to honor our ancestors is to imitate the treasure of their faith which they have beautifully passed down to us as this legacy of goodness.
Happy 75th Anniversary!