MADISON — Recently, it seemed that some in the Diocese of Madison felt that our own Bishop Robert C. Morlino was a bull’s-eye.
For a long time, we sat by not responding, just shaking our heads. Then, we realized that we needed to do something to show our good bishop how much we appreciate his willingness to guide the people of our diocese in the truths of the Catholic faith, as instituted by Christ and handed down to the bishops.
A groundswell of support from the laity arose and started to take shape in the form of a Google Group (groups.google.com/group/support-bishop-morlino), which quickly led to a public letter written to the bishop and signed by 769 lay faithful to date, and of those over 500 within the first week alone, as well as the development of a new Web site, www.SupportBishopMorlino.com
In addition, people gathered at St. Patrick Church in Madison on Priesthood Sunday in late October to pray for all the priests of the diocese.
Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariani even mentioned this groundswell effort and did a brief interview about it in his afternoon drive time show.
On December 7, on behalf of hundreds of signers, Bishop Morlino was presented with a mounted plaque of the Letter to the Bishop which was printed in the Wisconsin State Journal as a keepsake. Many were on hand for the presentation after Sunday Mass at St. Patrick Church in Madison.
Especially in hard times, good fruits abound. Since the negative press earlier this year, it seems that local newspapers are taking notice of positive things that Catholics around the diocese are doing. Doug Erickson’s beautifully written front page story about Eucharistic Adoration in Fennimore in the Sunday, November 30, Wisconsin State Journal is just one example of this. I challenge you to take notice of the fruits that result from the persecutions of the Church and her faithful leaders.
Other Web sites that faithful Catholics of the diocese might be interested in perusing are:
- www.catholicmadison.com
- www.oremusmusic.net/rosary (sign up to pray the rosary for Bishop Morlino)