Dane County changes 50-person cap on religious services

On Friday, Dane County officials agreed to revise its restriction on religious services to 25 percent of capacity. They said the change was made in order to avoid a costly legal battle. Dane County Executive Joe Parisi explained going ahead with the change will mean the county can use the "tens of thousands of dollars" it would have spent on the case for helping families affected by COVID-19 and the associated economic impacts.

NBC15

Madison diocese says it will sue over religious restrictions

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 3, 2020 / 02:10 pm MT (CNA).- Attorneys representing the Diocese of Madison sent a letter to Dane County and City of Madison officials on Wednesday, June 3, notifying officials they will file suit if parishes in the diocese are not permitted to operate at the same capacity as retail outlets.

Under Dane County’s reopening guidelines, retail businesses are permitted to operate at 25% capacity. Places of worship, however, are limited to a maximum of 50 people regardless of the capacity of the building, with regular religious services classified as “mass gatherings,” similar to concerts or music festivals.

“Under the Order, thousands of people may shop together at a mall; hundreds of employees may arrive at an office or factory every morning to conduct the business’s everyday operations; and hundreds of children may spend a few hours bouncing off each other at trampoline parks,” said the June 3 letter sent by lawyers from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

continue at CNA

Bishop Hying installation to be broadcast on EWTN June 25

Solemn Vespers will be streamed live on Relevant Radio, and Facebook. The Mass of Installation will also be streamed live on EWTN.

Madison Diocese

Wisconsin Cistercians attribute their growing membership to young women seeking to live radically for God

When six young aspiring sisters entered Valley of Our Lady Cistercian Monastery the year Prioress Mother Anne Marie’s own mother died in 2006, Mother Anne Marie wondered if her mom (who had six daughters) had anything to do with the new postulants’ arrival.

Whether or not a mother’s intercession played a role in the six millennials entering the community in the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, the new sisters proved to be an abundant blessing for then-novice-mistress Mother Anne Marie, 66, who was used to forming one or two postulants a year.

“I was pestering mom,” said the Mendota, Illinois, native, “‘If you’re pulling strings to get six postulants to enter all in one year, you’re going to have to help me.’”

Four of the six women went on to profess solemn vows, and more continue to enter, so much so that community leaders had to creatively allocate space to house their now 21 members and move ahead with fundraising to build a larger monastery.

continue at NCRegister

It seems Benedictines of Mary consider the move to Madison to be cancelled

Plans moved forward toward Madison, but when Bishop Morlino suddenly and unexpectedly passed to eternity, our foundational compass turned south again. We remain very grateful to the Diocese of Madison for all they had done in preparation for the cancelled move, and if our welcome is still extant when we are again ready to make a foundation, we will happily resume plans to go north, according to God’s will!

Benedictines of Mary Spring Newsletter

There's couple ways this could be read, perhaps they simply are waiting to see if Bishop Hying extends the same offer once he is installed as bishop, or the mention "when we are again ready to make a foundation" which seems to indicate they may be making other plans? 

A good blogger would reach out to a few people to get the scoop, but as you are aware I am not a good blogger, at least until I get some more free time.  If this does come to fruition, it would be an incredible addition to our state.  We need, *need* more women religious of many different focuses and missions all with Jesus Christ at their heart.  I'm still hoping God answers my prayers for an order of women religious medical professionals.

Update:
Ok so I'm told that the move is cancelled, the sisters chose a small town in Missouri instead of Madison

I hope this one will do: on April 28, Divine Mercy Sunday and the feast of our secondary patron, St. Louis Marie de Montfort, we said goodbye to the Sisters setting out to begin our first daughter house! When the search for our first foundation was on, we first headed down to a little town called Ava, Missouri, where Bishop Edward Rice met us and showed us a very large house that had become available.

Bishop Hying, Sweet Home Wisconsin roundup

A live look at the continued celebration in Madison:


via GIPHY
The collective exhale could be heard across the US.  The replacement for Bishop Morlino is a perfect fit.  Outside the three audacious appointments in the US (Cupich, Tobin, McElroy), it seems that Pope Francis has agreed to appoint from the recommendations delivered to him, resulting in some actually pretty boring assignments.  So sure, there's an effort to stack the college beyond the point of reason, however, many middle of nowhere US dioceses have been permitted to work unmolested.

Bishop Hying is a perfect blend of a hands on pastor and a leader faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church.  However big projects loom in Madison, the Cathedral for one, or the more under the radar projects like the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Apostles move to the diocese, which I've been told was put on hold after the death of Bishop Morlino.  I think Hying will be up to the challenge, but a great pastor also needs to be a great administrator and the legion number of fantastic projects in the Madison Diocese is a tall task.

On to the news.

Madison Diocese press conference at 10 AM, Holy Heights Mass at noon with Bishop Hying

Bishop Donald Hying appointed to lead the Madison Diocese!!

Pope Francis Thursday appointed Donald J. Hying the next bishop of Madison, Wis., following the death of Bishop Robert C. Morlino in November.

Hying, 55, has been the bishop of Gary, Ind. since 2014. Before that he was an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisc. for three and a half years.

continue at CNA

More later... This is fantastic news!

Before and after: St Michael's Church in Dane WI

I didn't even think of this but Joe reminded me, this is Fr. Alfred Kunz's parish.

Here is a before/after.

Newly renovated sanctuary at St. Michael Church in Dane

DANE -- Msgr. James Bartylla, diocesan administrator, celebrated a Dedication Mass for Blessed Trinity Catholic Parish at St. Michael Church in Dane on March 17.

“The first day we celebrated Mass after the sanctuary was redone, and I went in and was kneeling there praying, I almost became emotional, because it reminded me so much of the church as it used to be,” said Jeff Karls, parishioner and school principal.

“That was the church where I received First Holy Communion and where I went to school when I was a boy here. It was so strikingly similar to the old church. But it was also so beautiful.”

continue at MadCatHerald

Sorry all I could find is the low res image on the MadCH, I didn't see any other better images on the parish website anywhere.  If any readers can pass some along I'd be happy to post. 

A State of the Diocese of Madison, after the death of Bishop Morlino

State of the Dicoese - RCM Legacy Extended Version for Web by Matt J Korger on Scribd

via Diocese of Madison

Want to hear a weird rumor?  Bishop Barron to Madison to replace Bishop Morlino.  Total rumor, I don't think it makes sense.

More than 120 take next steps to becoming Catholic in Madison Diocese

Brandi Jo Peña, a catechumen from St. William Parish
in Janesville, signs the Book of the Elect during the
Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at
St. John the Baptist Church in Waunakee on March 10.

WAUNAKEE -- “It’s been a wonderful journey and I’m very excited,” said catechumen Brandi Jo Peña from St. William Parish in Janesville, with her husband and sponsor, Steven, at her side.

He said he felt, “extreme joy . . . my heart is full and, this part of the journey, it’s magnificent.”

The Peñas were one of more than 120 pairs of catechumens, candidates, and their sponsors at the annual Diocese of Madison Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion held at St. John the Baptist Parish in Waunakee on March 10.

continue at MadCatHerald

Vatican International Exhibition coming to Janesville March 16-17

JANESVILLE -- St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Janesville will be hosting the Vatican’s International Exhibition of the Eucharistic Miracles of the World on Saturday and Sunday, March 16 and 17.

Free and open to the public, the exhibit’s displays tell the stories of more than 150 Church-recognized miracles that have occurred all over the world throughout that last 1,500 years.

Eucharistic Miracles Exhibit schedule
At St. John Vianney Church, Janesville
Saturday, March 16:
• 8:15 a.m. — Mass
• 8:45 a.m. — Eucharistic Procession
• 9 to 10 a.m. — Confessions
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Eucharistic Adoration
• 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Exhibit in school gym
Sunday, March 17:
• 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. — Exhibit in school gym
Cost: No cost

continue at MadCatHerald

Mass commemorates death of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP

Fr. Mazzuchelli at Guadalupe Shrine

BENTON -- The annual Mass to commemorate the death of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, will be held at St. Patrick Church, Benton, at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24.

The Mazzuchelli Assembly 4th Degree Knights of Columbus invite everyone to attend and join them for a social in the parish hall afterward.

Father Mazzuchelli died in the house near the church on February 23, 1864, and is buried in the parish cemetery. The house is open for tours during warm-weather months.

Father Mazzuchelli began his ministry in the 1830s with Native Peoples of the upper Midwest, providing education and attempting to right the injustices they faced.

continue at MadCatHerald

Also:
This zealous Wisconsin missionary heard confessions for 14 hours a day
The Apostle of the Upper Midwest: Samuel Mazzuchelli

Madison's Catholic diocese considers probe of its abuse cases

Madison Diocese staff members were taking steps toward launching an investigation and had begun interviewing consultants for a potential review of files but the unexpected death of Bishop Robert Morlino from a cardiac event in November put those plans on hold, spokesman Brent King said Friday.

“In recent months, and even in the days immediately preceding (Morlino’s) death, we have had numerous conversations weighing our options in this very regard,” diocese spokesman Brent King said. “The abuse scandal is something Bishop Morlino took very seriously.”

The Madison Diocese was notified by the Green Bay Diocese ahead of its public announcement Thursday that 46 of its priests had substantiated allegations they sexually abused a minor, according to King. The Green Bay Diocese posted the names of the priests on its website Thursday.

continue at WisSJ

Cistercian Sisters invite the public to view and venerate the relics

PRAIRIE DU SAC -- Our communion with the saints is a reality we too often forget. Throughout the history of the Church, the intercession and example of the saints have strengthened and inspired all the faithful, while their relics have been both objects of veneration and sources of miraculous graces.

Relics, from the Latin reliquiae, “remains, remnants,” are of three classes. First class relics are the material remains, in whole or in part, of a saint; second class relics are objects or fragments of objects that a saint owned or used; and third class relics are objects that have been touched to the remains or belongings of a saint.

continue at MadCathHerald

Msgr. James Bartylla discusses role as diocesan administrator

MADISON -- “The general rule is that a diocesan administrator can do whatever a diocesan bishop can do, but with some important limitations, and of course, a priest elected as the diocesan administrator isn’t a consecrated bishop, and therefore doesn’t possess the sacramental grace and character of the episcopacy,” said Msgr. James Bartylla in discussing his role as diocesan administrator of the Diocese of Madison.

On November 26, two days after the death of Bishop Robert C. Morlino, the College of Consultors -- a body of nine diocesan priests -- elected Monsignor Bartylla as diocesan administrator. He had been the vicar general for Bishop Morlino.

“Upon the death of a bishop, all vicars general and episcopal vicars lose their offices,” noted Monsignor Bartylla. “The College of Consultors assumes governance of the diocese upon the death of the bishop.”

continue at MadCathHerald

Madison Diocesan Choir director reflects on Bp. Morlino's passing

Reflecting on Bishop Morlino’s passing, [Dr. Partrick] Gorman agreed the patriarch had his critics, and he acknowledged his own disagreements and lively discussions with the bishop. “Some really nice debates,” said Gorman, adding with a laugh, “I never won one.”

But those debates always ended amicably, and Gorman came to know Bishop Morlino as a kind and generous man of strong faith, one who unbeknown to many, visited nursing homes every Christmas. He said Bishop Morlino paid him a surprise hospital visit following surgery a year ago.

“Both Denise and I thought that certainly was above and beyond the call of duty,” Gorman said. “I was always touched by that.”

And so for Gorman and others, this is a time of sadness. “It’s certainly sad, certainly unexpected,” Gorman said. “As with any death, especially a sudden one, there’s sadness in that you have no chance to say goodbye.”

And yet, there is reason to rejoice.

“He’s about the most joyful person I ever met, and I said this to him a number of times, that to me was just a sign of faith,” Gorman said. “He could have all kinds of things going on, and he would have a smile, he would talk, and not just be kind of artificially upbeat, but truly joyful.

continue at MadCatHerald

The Madison Diocesan Choir will celebrate Advent with a Lessons & Carols concert on Sunday, Dec. 16.  The free Lessons & Carols service begins in the Bishop O’Donnell Chapel at 4 p.m, at Holy Name Heights, the former Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center, located at 702 S. High Point Rd. in Madison. 

WisSJ: Madison Bishop Robert Morlino remembered for having deep knowledge of Catholic doctrine

Madison Bishop Robert C. Morlino was remembered at a funeral Mass Tuesday for having a deep knowledge of Catholic doctrine and representing the “bone marrow” of the Church.

Morlino “wanted to direct people to the truth” because he knew that is the path to Jesus, said Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki, who presided over the nearly two-hour Mass at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church on Madison’s Southwest Side.

Nearly 2,000 people, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, paid their final respects.

continue at WisSJ

Their doubleckick ads have been hanging for me in Chrome, you might have to try a different browser. 

Bishop Robert Morlino - Dead as a Doornail Roundup

Bishop Robert C. Morlino on August 1st, 2018, after celebrating Mass on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of his installation as bishop of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo: Joseph Hanneman)

You will have to excuse my brashness.  It seems to me the good bishop would have some self deprecating jokes about his own death were he permitted to communicate them to us now, perhaps regarding the size of the coffin or the strength of the pallbearers.  At any rate....

Funeral arrangements:

• A Prayer Vigil, with opportunity for visitation, will be held Monday, December 3rd, at the O’Donnell Chapel at Holy Name Heights, 702 S. High Point Rd., Madison, from 1:00-7:00 PM, with Solemn Vespers beginning at 7:00 PM, Bishop Paul Swain presiding.
• Visitation on Tuesday, December 4th, at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, Madison, from 9:00 AM until just prior to the Funeral Mass. 
• The Mass of Christian Burial (funeral) will be celebrated at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church, 4313 Flad Ave., Madison, at 11:00 AM. The Most Reverend Jerome Listecki, Archbishop of Milwaukee, will be the principal celebrant with the Reverend Monsignor James R. Bartylla as homilist. 
• Interment will be at Resurrection Cemetery immediately following the Funeral Mass.

St. Maria Goretti I think has the largest capacity in the area, ordinations have also been done there.  Recently the relics of the patroness stopped at the church.  Funeral attendance request can be found here.

Msgr. James Bartylla unanimously elected diocesan administrator:

A group of priests of the Diocese of Madison known, in Church parlance, as the College of Consultors met today with the task of electing a diocesan administrator. The nine priests unanimously elected Msgr. James Bartylla, most recently the Vicar General for Bishop Morlino, and previously the Vocations Director, and Master of Ceremonies to the bishop.

Some reactions below, but I would just say wait to worry, speculate and pontificate until the man is six feet under.  He didn't raise us to be a bunch of hopeless panickers.  Let us remember, pray, and be grateful at least until the final et lux perpetua luceat ei has completed.

Rocco wrote a surprising eulogy.

Practically from the beginning of the Whispers experience, Madison's fourth bishop has been a devoted friend, confidant – and, as you can well imagine, one of the greatest "quote machines" a beat-writer ever could've dreamt to have.

(In just one of a million priceless examples, while walking into the election that would see Tim Dolan shatter precedent to win the USCCB Presidency, I threw my arm around Morlino and asked him to predict the outcome, which sprung this reply: "I don't know what's gonna happen, but I'm gonna make like Chicago today – vote early and VOTE OFTEN!"

full article at Whispers

Last evening a dear brother Bishop of Wisconsin, Bishop Robert Morlino of Madison passed away. This is a real loss to the Diocese of Madison, to the Bishops of the Milwaukee province and to the church. Requiscat in pace! https://t.co/ySQaAcjlM1

— Bishop David Ricken (@BpDavidRicken) November 25, 2018