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!"



Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis said he was inspired by Bishop Molino’s love for Christ and his Church, and will miss him as a friend and colleague.

“Our hearts go out to the priests and faithful of the Diocese of Madison, who mourn the loss of their selfless shepherd, Bishop Robert Morlino,” the archbishop said in a statement. “As a seminarian and young priest, I was inspired by his love for Christ and his Church. An ardent promoter of vocations, he had a real gift for communicating the truths of our faith to young hearts. I will miss him as a friend and colleague. May he now rest in the loving embrace of the God he served so well.”







From a friend of his:
He told me it was when he was in high school, and God suddenly took his father home. He said he had to make a choice; to either hate God for taking his father so soon, or else to put his trust completely in God. Bishop Morlino chose the latter, and in that moment he told me he felt the closest he'd ever felt to God.
A reflection on Bishop Morlino posted from his friend of many years and two-time Chancellor (in Helena, Mt and Madison) Kevin Phelan.

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