Dear Friends,
We have entered into the Season of Advent. It is a short Season of Advent this year, so let’s get right to it. Our message from the Lord on this first Sunday is simple: “watch!” The Gospel of this past Sunday (MK 13:33-37) doesn’t even contain 100 words, yet, in this small discourse we hear Jesus say repeatedly, “Be watchful,” “be alert,” “watch,” “What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
Dear Friends,
I pray that you and yours enjoyed a very happy Thanksgiving this past week.
Further, I hope that you are able to enter into a very blessed season of Advent. Please God, it will be an excellent time of preparation for the glorious celebration of Christmas.
Last week, I sent a letter to your priests with regard to an addition to the Prayers of the Faithful and a particular prayer of heavenly intercession I am asking to be included during (at least) every Sunday Mass, at parishes within the Diocese of Madison.
By now you’ve seen or heard a great deal about me and what I’m supposed to have done most recently. It’s been in the papers, online, and on TV and radio news. You’ve been told by your friends, and talked about it over coffee. To some of you, what you’ve heard simply confirms the judgements you’ve already made long ago. For others, what you’ve heard left you sad and scratching your heads.
In truth, I find myself in that latter group.
The observations and reactions that have been made simply do not account for the total context. And what has grown from there is a flurry of opportunity for people to jump to every sort of negative conclusion and to air those negative judgements freely and widely. All of this has occurred very much absent the reality of the situation.
“It is wonderful to be with you. It’s one of the best days of the year for me,” said Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison. “I love our Catholic schools. So much good can happen there as you come closer to Jesus.”
PINE BLUFF — On Friday, Oct, 13, at 6 p.m. at St. Mary of Pine Bluff Church, His Excellency Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, will celebrate a Pontifical Mass at the Throne for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima and the Miracle of the Sun.
As Bishop of Madison, I am pleased to designate Sunday, October 15, [2017], as Catholic Charities Sunday in the Diocese of Madison.
Drew Olson, a seminarian of the Diocese of Madison, will be ordained as a transitional deacon on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the Altar of the Chair at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
“To each of our residents, those still with us this afternoon and those who celebrate with us from their place of eternity, we who have served here owe our profound thanks for trusting us with your care — with your very lives — permitting us to see the face of God in each of you.”
Bishop Robert C. Morlino called the evening “something truly unforgettable.”
Three men — Fr. Jared Holzhuter, Fr. Andrew Showers, and Fr. Luke Syse — were ordained as priests in the Diocese of Madison on June 30.
 |
||
| Bishop Robert C. Morlino gave a talk on the “Ethics of IVF and Surrogacy” at Holy Family Church in Waterloo on May 18. Here he is pictured with Fr. Jorge Miramontes, pastor. (Photo by Laura Karlen) |
WATERLOO — Fewer areas of ethics have become more complex than those surrounding reproductive technologies. How can the Catholic faithful begin to recognize the problems with advancements such as in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and surrogacy and truly understand the Church’s position?
It takes a good teacher. On Thursday, May 18, Bishop Robert C. Morlino drew on his doctoral studies in Moral Theology and specialization in bioethics to teach on the issue of surrogacy at Holy Family Catholic Parish in Waterloo.
In early 2016, an existing surrogacy agency, Pink & Blue Surrogacy and Fertility LLC, moved into a storefront on the main street in Waterloo. The agency matches intended parents who desire a child with a surrogate mother, a woman who is contracted and compensated to carry a child —usually conceived through in vitro fertilization — for the intended parents.
At first glance, Bishop Morlino said this can sound like an “act of charity” on the part of the surrogate mother, who is enabling a couple to bring home a baby. But, a closer look reveals surrogacy’s “moral evil.”
