# Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison

The Diocese of Madison (Latin: Diœcesis Madisonensis) is a Latin Church diocese in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the United States. The diocese has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes with 98 priests in active ministry.
As of 2025, the bishop of Madison is Donald J. Hying. St. Bernard Catholic Church is expected to be consecrated as the cathedral in 2025; the previous cathedral, Cathedral of St. Raphael, was destroyed by fire in 2005.

## Territory

The Diocese of Madison comprises Columbia, Dane, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jefferson, Lafayette, Marquette, Rock, and Sauk counties. The area of the diocese is approximately 8,070 square miles (20,900 km$^2$).

## History
### 1630 to 1800

The first Catholic presence in present-day Wisconsin was that of French Catholic missionaries in the Green Bay area in the 17th century. When French explorer Jean Nicolet entered the Green Bay areas in 1634, he was followed by Jesuit missionaries. Wisconsin became part of the French colony of New France.
The first catholic missionary in the Superior region was Reverend René Menard, a French Jesuit missionary who was fluent in the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Huron dialects. In Spring 1661, he explored to Chequamegon Bay on Lake Superior. In 1665, Reverend Claude Allouez started a Catholic mission near Chequamegon Bay, naming it the Mission of the Holy Ghost. In 1669, Reverend Jacques Marquette arrived at the mission after Allouez moved to the Fox River Valley. Marquette baptized over 1,000 converts. In 1669, Allouez and Marquette established St. Joseph in La Pointe, but it was later abandoned.
Allouez celebrated Mass with a Native American tribe near present-day Oconto, Wisconsin in December 1669, the feast of St. Francis Xavier. He established the St. Francis Xavier Mission there. The mission moved to Red Banks for a short time in 1671, and then to De Pere, where it remained until 1687, when it was burned. The missionaries worked with the Fox, Sauk, and Winnebago tribes, protected by Fort Francis near Green Bay. When Fort Francis was destroyed in 1728, the missionaries left the area.
When the British took control of New France in 1763 after the French and Indian Wars, the bishops in Quebec continued to have jurisdiction in the region. In 1791, soon after the conclusion of the American Revolution, Pope Pius VI erected the Diocese of Baltimore. It covered all the American states and the Northwest Territory, which included part of present-day Wisconsin. The rest of Wisconsin became part of the territory after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

### 1800 to 1843

Catholic jurisdiction for the new Wisconsin Territory passed to the Diocese of Bardstown in 1808, then the Diocese of Cincinnati in 1826. The first new Catholic church in the Wisconsin area in over 100 years was constructed in Fort Howard in 1825. Its parishioners included many French Canadians living in the settlement.
In 1833, the new Diocese of Detroit assumed jurisdiction over the area. In 1837, the missionary Reverend Florimund J. Bonduel traveled from Green Bay to visit the French fur trader Solomon Juneau in Milwaukee. While in Milwaukee, Bonduel celebrated the first mass in that city.
Later in 1837, the Diocese of Detroit sent Reverend Patrick Kelly to Milwaukee to serve as its first resident priest. Kelly celebrated mass in the Milwaukee courthouse until 1839, when he opened St. Peter's, the first Catholic church in the city. In 1841, Coadjutor Bishop Pierre-Paul Lefevere of Detroit visited Milwaukee.

### 1843 to 1946

In November 1843, Pope Gregory XVI erected the Diocese of Milwaukee, taking its territory from the Diocese of Detroit. The new diocese covered all of the Wisconsin Territory, including part of present-day Minnesota. During the mid-19th century, Reverend Samuel Mazzuchelli established 11 parishes in the Madison area.
In 1846, Catholic residents of Beloit, Wisconsin, founded St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the first parish in that city. Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848. That same year, the first Catholic church in Madison, St. Raphael, was founded.
Pope Pius IX established the Diocese of Lacrosse and the Diocese of Green Bay in 1868. The Madison region would remain part of these three dioceses for the next 78 years.
In 1871, the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa established the Saint Regina Academy for girls and boys in Madison. Saint Paul's Catholic Student Center, serving the University of Wisconsin Madison community, was founded in 1906.

### 1946 to 2003

The Diocese of Madison was established on January 9, 1946, by Pope Pius XII. The diocese was created out of territory from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Dioceses of La Crosse and Green Bay. The pope selected Bishop William O'Connor from the Diocese of Superior as the first bishop of Madison.
During O'Connor's tenure, the diocese grew from 135 priests serving 82,000 Catholics to 290 priests serving 180,640 Catholics. In his first year as bishop, O'Connor established the Blessed Martin Guild to promote racial understanding and convert more minorities to Catholicism. He also founded Holy Name Seminary in Madison in 1965. As part of the Second Vatican Council's reforms, he established a diocesan priest senate in 1966. O'Connor resigned in 1967.
In 1967, Pope Paul VI appointed Auxiliary Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell from the Archdiocese of Chicago as the second bishop of Madison. He established ministries for the deaf and the developmentally disabled. He also encouraged adult education and created a religious education consultants program to help individual parishes.
After O'Donnell retired in 1992, Pope John Paul II named Bishop William Bullock of the Diocese of Des Moines to replace him. The pope declared Reverend Mazzuchelli, a pioneer priest in the region from the 19th century, as venerable in 1993. In 1995, Bullock closed Holy Name Seminary. Bullock retired in 2003.

### 2003 to present

Bishop Robert C. Morlino from the Diocese of Helena was named the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Madison in 2003 by John Paul II. Morlino supported the application of Summorum Pontificum, an apostolic letter issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 on the use of the Tridentine Mass. Morlino celebrated the Tridentine Mass in several parishes. He ordered all the parishes to move the tabernacles in their churches to central places of prominence. Morlino encouraged parishioners to receive communion on the tongue while kneeling, and he encouraged pastors to enlist exclusively male altar servers.
One of Morlino's main objectives was to increase the ordination of priests in the diocese. He helped raise $44 million for the endowment fund "Priests for Our Future". The number of seminarians grew from six to 30 during his episcopate, one of the largest increases in the United States. Catholics in his diocese had divided opinions of him.
In May 2009, Morlino announced that due to budget cuts, he was closing the Catholic Multicultural Center, which provided food and other support for residents on Madison's south side. A handoff to local parish administration and fundraising drive was announced one week later.
In March 2009, Morlino dismissed Ruth Kolpack from her post as a pastoral associate at St. Thomas the Apostle in Beloit, citing her alleged breaches of orthodoxy. In a brief meeting with Kolpack, he asked her to take an oath of loyalty to the church. Morlino also demanded that she renounce her 2003 doctoral thesis, which advocated women's ordination in the Catholic Church and the use of inclusive language relating to God. Morlino fired Kolpack after she refused this last demand. Morlino died in 2018.
The current bishop of the Diocese of Madison is Donald J. Hying of the Diocese of Gary. He was appointed by Pope Francis in 2018. In 2023, Hying announced the grouping of all the parishes into 30 pastorates to be run by multiple priests. This reorganization was meant to relieve some of the administrative duties of the diocesan priests.

### Cathedral fire

In March 2005, St. Raphael's Cathedral was heavily damaged in an arson attack. William J. Connell was arrested and charged with arson and other crimes, but was deemed incompetent to stand trial due to paranoid schizophrenia. After later being deemed competent, he was tried and convicted. In June 2007, Connell was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by 15 years of close supervision.
In April 2007, Bishop Morlino released plans to erect a new cathedral on the existing site. However, the plans were never realized. In March 2023, Bishop Hying announced that he had petitioned the Vatican to designate St. Bernard Catholic Church in Madison as the new cathedral, and Pope Francis elevated the church the same year. St. Bernard's is expected to be consecrated as the cathedral in 2025.

### Reports of sex abuse

In September 2003, at a legislative hearing in Madison, a woman from Sun Prairie accused Reverend Gerald Vosen, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Baraboo, of sexually assaulting her brother when he was age 14 in the 1970s. Vosen, who denied the accusations, was put on leave by the diocese. The diocesan review board reviewed three allegations against Vosen and in February 2003 recommended the permanent suspension of his ministry. In May 2004, Vosen unsuccessfully sued one of his accusers. His appeals of the review board decision were declined in 2007 and in 2015 by the Vatican.
An Eau Claire man sued the diocese in February 1994, claiming that he had been sexually assaulted by Reverend Michael Trainor in the summer of 1982. The crime allegedly happened in the rectory of St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Trainor left Wisconsin in 1994 after several parents brought accusations to Bishop Bullock. By February 1995, seven other men had joined the lawsuit, claiming abuse by Trainor. The plaintiffs claimed that Bishop O'Donnell was aware of Trainor's abuse of children and transferred him from one parish to another without reporting him to the police or parishioners. A separate suit by nine other men against the diocese regarding Trainor was filed in September 1995. The lawsuits were dismissed in 1995. New allegations of abuse against Trainor were brought to the diocese in 2002 and 2003.
In May 2018, Reverend William Nolan, a retired priest, was charged with six counts of sexual assault. He was acquitted in September 2019 of five of these counts, with the judge dropping the remaining count. The diocese also investigated Nolan and later cleared him from the designation of "credibly accused" priest in March 2020 as well.
In June 2019, the diocese agreed to assemble a list of credibly accused clergy who served in the diocese and hired investigators to assist in this investigation. In March 2020, Bishop Hying announced that they had found two credible sexual abuse allegations against Reverend Patrick Doherty, a retired priest. Hying had previously placed restrictions on Doherty.

## Bishops
### Bishops of Madison

* William Patrick O'Connor (1946 – 1967), his resignation.
* Cletus F. O'Donnell (1967 – 1992), his resignation.
* William H. Bullock (1993–2003), his resignation.
* Robert C. Morlino (2003 – 2018), his death.
* Donald J. Hying (2019–present).

### Auxiliary bishops

* Jerome J. Hastrich (1963 – 1969), appointed Bishop of Gallup (1969–1990).
* George Otto Wirz (1977 – 2004), his resignation.

### Diocesan priest who became bishop

Paul J. Swain, appointed Bishop of Sioux Falls (2006–2019).

## Churches

* Albany – St. Patrick
* Argyle – St. Joseph
* Ashton – St. Peter
* Avoca – St. Joseph
* Baraboo – St. Joseph
* Barneveld – Immaculate Conception
* Belleville – St. Francis of Assisi
* Belmont – St. Philomena
* Beloit – Our Lady of Assumption
* Beloit – St. Jude
* Beloit – St. Thomas the Apostle
* Benton – St. Patrick
* Berlin – All Saints
* Blanchardville – Immaculate Conception
* Bloomington – St. Mary
* Boscobel – Immaculate Conception
* Briggsville – St. Mary Help of Christians
* Brodhead – St. Rose of Lima
* Buffalo – St. Andrew
* Calamine – St. Michael
* Cambridge – St. Pius X
* Cassville – St. Charles Borromeo
* Castle Rock – St. John Nepomucene
* Clinton – St. Stephen
* Clyde – St. Malachy
* Columbus – St. Jerome
* Cottage Grove – St. Patrick
* Cross Plains – St. Francis Xavier
* Cuba City – St. Rose of Lima
* Dane – St. Michael
* Darlington – Holy Rosary
* Dayton – St. James, merged with St. Francis in Belleville
* De Forest – St. Olaf
* Dickeyville – Holy Ghost
* Dodgeville – St. Joseph
* Doylestown – St. Patrick
* Durward Glen – St. Camillus
* East Bristol – St. Joseph
* Edgerton – St. Joseph
* Elk Grove – St. Peter
* Evansville – St. Paul
* Fennimore – St. Mary
* Footville – St. Augustine
* Fort Atkinson – St. Joseph
* Glen Haven – St. Mary Help of Christians
* Gratiot – St. Joseph
* Green Lake – Our Lady of the Lake
* Hazel Green – St. Francis de Sales
* Highland – Ss. Anthony and Philip
* Hollandale – St. Patrick
* Janesville – Nativity of Mary
* Janesville – St. John Vianney
* Janesville – St. Patrick
* Janesville – St. William
* Jefferson – St. John the Baptist
* Jefferson – St. Lawrence
* Johnson Creek – St. Mary Magdalene
* Kieler – Immaculate Conception
* Kingston – St. Mary
* La Valle – Holy Family
* Lake Mills – St. Francis Xavier
* Lancaster – St. Clement
* Lime Ridge – St. Boniface
* Lodi – St. Patrick
* Loreto – St. Patrick
* Madison – Blessed Sacrament
* Madison – Holy Redeemer Church
* Madison – Our Lady Queen of Peace Church
* Madison – St. Bernard
* Madison – St. Dennis
* Madison – St. James Church
* Madison – St. Joseph Church
* Madison – St. Maria Goretti
* Madison – St. Patrick Church
* Madison – St. Paul's University Catholic Center
* Madison – St. Peter
* Madison – St. Thomas Aquinas Church
* Markesan – St. Joseph
* Marshall – St. Mary
* Martinsville – St. Martin of Tours
* Mazomanie – St. Barnabas
* McFarland – Christ the King
* Merrimac – St. Mary
* Middleton – St. Bernard
* Mill Creek – St. John the Baptist
* Milton – St. Mary
* Mineral Point – Ss. Mary and Paul
* Monona – Immaculate Heart of Mary
* Monroe – St. Victor
* Montello – St. John the Baptist
* Montfort – St. Thomas
* Mount Hope – St. Lawrence O'Toole
* Mt. Horeb – St. Ignatius
* Muscoda – St. John the Baptist
* Neshkoro – St. James
* Oregon – Holy Mother of Consolation
* Palmyra – St. Mary
* Patch Grove – St. John
* Pardeeville – St. Mary
* Perry – Holy Redeemer
* Pine Bluff – St. Mary
* Plain – St. Luke
* Platteville – St. Mary
* Portage – St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception
* Potosi – Ss. Andrew and Thomas
* Poynette – St. Thomas
* Princeton – St. John the Baptist
* Reedsburg – Sacred Heart
* Rio – St. Joseph
* Roxbury – St. Norbert
* Sauk City – St. Aloysius
* Seymour Corners – Our Lady of Hope
* Shullsburg – St. Matthew
* Sinsinawa – St. Joseph
* Spring Green – St. John the Evangelist
* Stoughton – St. Ann
* South Wayne – St. John
* Sullivan – St. Mary
* Sun Prairie – Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary
* Sun Prairie – St. Albert the Great
* Truman – Immaculate Conception
* Verona – St. Christopher (St. Andrew and St. William Churches)
* Waterloo – St. Joseph
* Watertown – St. Bernard
* Watertown – St. Henry
* Waunakee – St. John the Baptist
* Westfield – Good Shepherd
* Westport – St. Mary of the Lake
* Wisconsin Dells – St. Cecilia

## Cemeteries

The Diocese of Madison operates the following four cemeteries:
* Calvary – Beloit
* Mount Olivet – Janesville,
* Mount Thabor – Beloit
* Resurrection – Madison

## Schools
### High schools

* Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart – Madison
* St. Ambrose Academy – Madison

### Grade schools

* St. Joseph's Catholic School in Baraboo is a parochial school. The current school building, designed by the Wisconsin Rapids company Billmeyer and Sons and with a cost of over $500,000, has 11 classrooms. The basement has a cafeteria and a combination auditorium/gymnasium. The second building for the school opened on a filled-in ravine in 1912, northeast of its associated church. The building had three floors and a basement. The first and second floors each had three classrooms, and the second floor also housed the chapel and the library. The third floor had a 600-seat auditorium while the basement had a large banquet hall/gymnasium. The second building became overcrowded due to the post-World War II baby boom, so the third school building, north of the second building, opened in 1958.