The
Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, is the Roman Catholic
DioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
for the southwest corner of Wisconsin. It comprises
ColumbiaColumbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 52,468. Its county seat and largest city is Portage.Columbia County is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
DaneDane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Its estimated population in 2007 was 476,785. The county seat is Madison. The U.S. Census Bureau's Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Dane County...
,
GrantGrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...
,
GreenGreen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 33,647. Its county seat is Monroe.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
Green LakeGreen Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 19,105. Its county seat is Green Lake. The center of population of Wisconsin is located in Green Lake County, in the city of Markesan.-Geography:...
,
IowaIowa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 22,780. Its county seat is Dodgeville.Iowa County is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
JeffersonJefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 74,021. Its county seat is Jefferson.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
LaFayetteLafayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 16,137. Its county seat is Darlington.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
MarquetteMarquette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 15,832. Its county seat is Montello.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
RockRock County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is included in the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 152,307. Its county seat is Janesville.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and
SaukSauk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 55,225. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. Sauk County is included in the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area and in the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
counties. The area of the diocese is approximately 8,070 square miles (20,900 km²). There are about 270,000 Catholics in the Diocese.
There are currently 135 parishes in the Diocese. The current Bishop of this diocese is Bishop
Robert C. MorlinoRobert Charles Morlino is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Madison, having previously served as Bishop of Helena.-Early life and education:...
.
The
Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, is the Roman Catholic
DioceseIn some forms of Christianity, a diocese is an administrative territorial unit administered by a bishop. It is also referred to as a bishopric or Episcopal Area or episcopal see, though strictly the term episcopal see refers to the domain of ecclesiastical authority officially held by the bishop,...
for the southwest corner of Wisconsin. It comprises
ColumbiaColumbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 52,468. Its county seat and largest city is Portage.Columbia County is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
DaneDane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Its estimated population in 2007 was 476,785. The county seat is Madison. The U.S. Census Bureau's Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Dane County...
,
GrantGrant County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 49,597. Its county seat is Lancaster. Estimates for 2008 show a population of 49,238...
,
GreenGreen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 33,647. Its county seat is Monroe.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
Green LakeGreen Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 19,105. Its county seat is Green Lake. The center of population of Wisconsin is located in Green Lake County, in the city of Markesan.-Geography:...
,
IowaIowa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 22,780. Its county seat is Dodgeville.Iowa County is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
JeffersonJefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 74,021. Its county seat is Jefferson.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
LaFayetteLafayette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 16,137. Its county seat is Darlington.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
MarquetteMarquette County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 15,832. Its county seat is Montello.-Geography:According to the U.S...
,
RockRock County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is included in the Janesville, Wisconsin, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 152,307. Its county seat is Janesville.-Geography:According to the U.S...
and
SaukSauk County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 55,225. Its county seat and largest city is Baraboo. Sauk County is included in the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area and in the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:According to the U.S...
counties. The area of the diocese is approximately 8,070 square miles (20,900 km²). There are about 270,000 Catholics in the Diocese.
There are currently 135 parishes in the Diocese. The current Bishop of this diocese is Bishop
Robert C. MorlinoRobert Charles Morlino is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Madison, having previously served as Bishop of Helena.-Early life and education:...
. Saint Raphael's Cathedral in Madison, destroyed by fire in 2005, had been the cathedral for the diocese. The diocese currently has no cathedral. Members of the Cathedral Parish worship at St. Patrick's and Holy Redeemer in Downtown Madison. The
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
title of the Diocese is
Dioecesis Madisonensis. The Metropolitan for the Diocese is the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Camp GrayCamp Gray is a Catholic summer camp and retreat center located in Lake Delton, Wisconsin. It is a ministry of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, and is accredited by the American Camp Association...
, a summer camp and retreat center, is one of the ministries of the Diocese of Madison.
History
The Madison Diocese was established on January 9, 1946, by
Pope Pius XIIPope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as the 260th Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
, in a decree dated December 22, 1945. The diocese was created out of territory from the
Archdiocese of MilwaukeeThe Archdiocese of Milwaukee is a Roman Catholic archdiocese headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses theCity of Milwaukee, as well asDodge, Fond du Lac, Kenosha,Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine,Sheboygan, Walworth, Washington...
and the
Diocese of La CrosseThe Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse covers an area of west-central Wisconsin, including the city of La Crosse and 19 counties: Adams, Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Crawford, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Juneau, La Crosse, Marathon, Monroe, Pepin, Pierce, Portage, Richland, Trempealeau, Vernon, and...
and the
Diocese of Green BayThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay was established on March 3, 1868 by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Outagamie, Shawano, Waupaca, Waushara, and Winnebago counties,...
.
Venerable Father Samuel Charles MazzuchelliFather Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, O.P. was a pioneer Italian Catholic missionary who helped bring the church to the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin tri-state area. He founded a number of parishes in the area, and was the architect for a number of parish buildings.-Background:Father Mazzuchelli was born...
was actively involved in the southwestern part of Wisconsin during the mid 19th century. He established 25 parishes in Wisconsin, 11 of which are in the Madison Diocese. Fr. Mazzuchelli is buried in
Benton, WisconsinBenton is a village in Lafayette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 976 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Benton.-History:...
, which is in the diocese.
Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła served as Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death almost 27 years later. His was the second-longest pontificate; only Pope Pius IX served longer...
declared him
venerableThe Venerable is used as a style or epithet in several Christian churches. It is also the common English language translation of a number of Buddhist titles.-Roman Catholic:...
in 1993. The case for Fr. Mazzuchelli's elevation to the Sainthood is still pending.
Cathedral fire
On March 14, 2005. St. Raphael's Cathedral was heavily damaged in a fire that caused extensive damage to the church. The fire affected not only the families who attended the church, but also the entire diocese. In the days following the fire, it was found that William J. "Billy" Connell had set the fire. Connell was charged with burglary, arson, and bail jumping, but was deemed incompetent to stand trial due to paranoid schizophrenia. He was committed to an institution on August 29, 2005, pending a change in his
mental healthMental health is a term used to describe either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life...
status, and in June 2007, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of close supervision.
Following the fire, the options regarding the future of the Cathedral included:
- Rebuild the Cathedral at the current site. Those in favor of that plan cited the historical significance of the parish as a reason for rebuilding the structure.
- Build a new Cathedral at another location in Madison, such as on the city's west side. People in favor of that cited the fact that St. Raphael's was not intended to be a Cathedral when built. Previous Bishops had considering building a new Cathedral elsewhere in Madison, as there was no room downtown to build a larger Cathedral church.
In June 2007, a decision was reached to erect a new building on the site of the old Cathedral, replacing the structure that was damaged in the fire. The new building will have a different footprint than the previous building and be capable of seating approximately 1,000 people. It will reuse the steeple and other items that can be salvaged from the original building.
Bishops
The following is a list of Bishops of the Diocese of Madison and their terms of service:
- Bishop William Patrick O'Connor
William Patrick O'Connor was the fifth bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior, in Superior, Wisconsin, and the first Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison in Madison, Wisconsin....
(1946–1967)
- Bishop Jerome J. Hastrich
Jerome Joseph Hastrich was the second bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup, in Gallup, New Mexico....
(1963–1969) auxiliary bishop and later Bishop of the Gallup, New Mexico Diocese
- Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell
Cletus Francis O'Donnell was the second bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, in Madison, Wisconsin.Born in Waukon, Iowa, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 3, 1941, for the Archdiocese of Chicago...
(1967–1992)
- Bishop William H. Bullock (1993–2003)
- Bishop Robert C. Morlino
Robert Charles Morlino is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the fourth and current Bishop of Madison, having previously served as Bishop of Helena.-Early life and education:...
(2003–present)
Parishes in the diocese
High schools
- Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart
Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart is a private high school located in Madison, Wisconsin. Part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, it is run by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. In the 2006-2007 School year, it enrolled approximately 600 students. In recent years the enrollment has...
, Madisonhttp://www.edgewoodhs.org/
- St. Ambrose Academy
St. Ambrose Academy is a Roman Catholic middle school and high school located in Madison, Wisconsin. In 2007-2008, it had a combined enrollment in grades 6 through 12 of 35...
, Madisonhttp://www.ambroseacademy.org/
External links