Diocese of Madison Diœcesis Madisonensis
St. Bernard Catholic Church
Coat of arms
Flag
Location
Country	United States
Territory	Counties ofColumbia,Dane,Grant,Green,Green Lake,Iowa,Jefferson,Lafayette,Marquette,Rock andSauk,Wisconsin
Ecclesiastical province	Milwaukee
Statistics
Area	8,070 sq mi (20,900 km2)
Population Total Catholics	(as of 2020) 1,068,466 166,923 (16%)
Parishes	102[1]
Schools	46[2]
Information
Denomination	Catholic
Sui iuris church	Latin Church
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	January 9, 1946 (79 years ago)
Cathedral	Saint Raphael's Cathedral (1946–2005) St. Bernard Catholic Church (2025–)
Current leadership
Pope	Leo XIV
Bishop	Donald J. Hying
Metropolitan Archbishop	Jeffrey S. Grob
Map
Website
madisondiocese.org

TheDiocese of Madison (Latin:Diœcesis Madisonensis) is aLatin Churchdiocese in the southwestern part ofWisconsin in the United States. The diocese has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes^[3] with 98 priests in active ministry.^[4]

As of 2025, thebishop of Madison isDonald 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.

The Diocese of Madison comprisesColumbia,Dane,Grant,Green,Green Lake,Iowa,Jefferson,Lafayette,Marquette,Rock, andSauk counties. The area of the diocese is approximately 8,070 square miles (20,900 km²).

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 explorerJean Nicolet entered the Green Bay areas in 1634, he was followed by Jesuit missionaries.^[5] Wisconsin became part of the French colony ofNew France.

The first catholic missionary in the Superior region was ReverendRené Menard,^[6] a FrenchJesuit missionary who was fluent in theOjibwe,Odawa, andHuron dialects. In Spring 1661, he explored toChequamegon Bay on Lake Superior.^[6] In 1665, ReverendClaude Allouez started a Catholic mission near Chequamegon Bay, naming it the Mission of the Holy Ghost.^[6] In 1669, ReverendJacques Marquette arrived at the mission after Allouez moved to theFox River Valley. Marquette baptized over 1,000 converts.^[6] In 1669, Allouez and Marquette established St. Joseph in La Pointe, but it was later abandoned.

Allouez celebrated Mass with aNative American tribe near present-dayOconto, Wisconsin in December 1669, the feast ofSt. Francis Xavier. He established theSt. Francis Xavier Mission there. The mission moved toRed Banks for a short time in 1671, and then toDe Pere, where it remained until 1687, when it was burned. The missionaries worked with theFox,Sauk, andWinnebago tribes, protected by Fort Francis near Green Bay. When Fort Francis was destroyed in 1728, the missionaries left the area.^[5]

When the British took control of New France in 1763 after theFrench and Indian Wars, the bishops in Quebec continued to have jurisdiction in the region. In 1791, soon after the conclusion of theAmerican Revolution, Pope Pius VI erected theDiocese of Baltimore. It covered all the American states and theNorthwest Territory, which included part of present-day Wisconsin.^[6] The rest of Wisconsin became part of the territory after theLouisiana Purchase in 1803.

Catholic jurisdiction for the newWisconsin Territory passed to theDiocese of Bardstown in 1808, then theDiocese of Cincinnati in 1826.^[7] The first new Catholic church in the Wisconsin area in over 100 years was constructed inFort Howard in 1825. Its parishioners included manyFrench Canadians living in the settlement.^[5]

In 1833, the newDiocese of Detroit assumed jurisdiction over the area. In 1837, the missionary Reverend Florimund J. Bonduel traveled from Green Bay to visit the French fur traderSolomon Juneau in Milwaukee. While in Milwaukee, Bonduel celebrated the first mass in that city.^[8]

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.^[8] In 1841, Coadjutor BishopPierre-Paul Lefevere of Detroit visited Milwaukee.^[8]

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-dayMinnesota.^[9] During the mid-19th century, ReverendSamuel Mazzuchelli established 11 parishes in the Madison area.

In 1846, Catholic residents ofBeloit, Wisconsin, foundedSt. Thomas the Apostle Parish, the first parish in that city.^[10] Wisconsin achieved statehood in 1848. That same year, the first Catholic church in Madison, St. Raphael, was founded.^[11]

PopePius IX established theDiocese of Lacrosse and theDiocese of Green Bay in 1868.^[6] The Madison region would remain part of these three dioceses for the next 78 years.

In 1871, theDominican Sisters of Sinsinawa established the Saint Regina Academy for girls and boys in Madison.^[12] Saint Paul's Catholic Student Center, serving theUniversity of Wisconsin Madison community, was founded in 1906.^[13]

The Diocese of Madison was established on January 9, 1946, byPope Pius XII. The diocese was created out of territory from theArchdiocese of Milwaukee and the Dioceses of La Crosse and Green Bay.^[14] The pope selected BishopWilliam O'Connor from theDiocese of Superior as the first bishop of Madison.^[15]

During O'Connor's tenure, the diocese grew from 135 priests serving 82,000 Catholics to 290 priests serving 180,640 Catholics.^[16] In his first year as bishop, O'Connor established the Blessed Martin Guild to promote racial understanding and convert more minorities to Catholicism.^[17] He also foundedHoly Name Seminary in Madison in 1965. As part of theSecond Vatican Council's reforms, he established a diocesan priest senate in 1966.^[18] O'Connor resigned in 1967.

In 1967,Pope Paul VI appointed Auxiliary BishopCletus F. O'Donnell from theArchdiocese of Chicago as the second bishop of Madison.^[19][20] He established ministries for thedeaf and thedevelopmentally disabled. He also encouraged adult education and created a religious education consultants program to help individual parishes.^[21]

After O'Donnell retired in 1992,Pope John Paul II named BishopWilliam Bullock of theDiocese of Des Moines to replace him.^[22] The pope declared Reverend Mazzuchelli, a pioneer priest in the region from the 19th century, asvenerable in 1993. In 1995, Bullock closed Holy Name Seminary.^[23] Bullock retired in 2003.

BishopRobert C. Morlino from theDiocese of Helena was named the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Madison in 2003 by John Paul II.^[24] Morlino supported the application ofSummorum Pontificum, an apostolic letter issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 on the use of the Tridentine Mass. Morlino celebrated theTridentine Mass in several parishes. He ordered all the parishes to move thetabernacles in their churches to central places of prominence. Morlino encouraged parishioners to receivecommunion on the tongue while kneeling, and he encouraged pastors to enlist exclusively malealtar 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 ofseminarians grew from six to 30 during his episcopate, one of the largest increases in the United States.^[25] Catholics in his diocese had divided opinions of him.^[26]

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.^[27] A handoff to local parish administration and fundraising drive was announced one week later.^[28]

In March 2009, Morlino dismissed Ruth Kolpack from her post as a pastoral associate at St. Thomas the Apostle inBeloit, 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 advocatedwomen's ordination in the Catholic Church and the use ofinclusive language relating to God. Morlino fired Kolpack after she refused this last demand.^[29] Morlino died in 2018.

The current bishop of the Diocese of Madison isDonald J. Hying of theDiocese of Gary. He was appointed byPope 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.^[30]

In March 2005, St. Raphael's Cathedral was heavily damaged in anarson attack. William J. Connell was arrested and charged with arson and other crimes, but was deemed incompetent to stand trial due toparanoid schizophrenia.^[31] 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 designateSt. Bernard Catholic Church in Madison as the new cathedral, andPope Francis elevated the church the same year.^[30] St. Bernard's is expected to be consecrated as the cathedral in 2025.^[32]

In September 2003, at a legislative hearing in Madison, a woman fromSun Prairie accused Reverend Gerald Vosen, pastor of St. Joseph's Catholic Church inBaraboo, 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.^[33] The diocesan review board reviewed three allegations against Vosen and in February 2003 recommended the permanent suspension of his ministry.^[34] In May 2004, Vosen unsuccessfully sued one of his accusers.^[35] His appeals of the review board decision were declined in 2007 and in 2015 by the Vatican.

AnEau 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 therectory of St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Trainor left Wisconsin in 1994 after several parents brought accusations to Bishop Bullock.^[36] By February 1995, seven other men had joined the lawsuit, claiming abuse by Trainor.^[37] 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.^[38] A separate suit by nine other men against the diocese regarding Trainor was filed in September 1995.^[39] The lawsuits were dismissed in 1995. New allegations of abuse against Trainor were brought to the diocese in 2002 and 2003.^[40]

In May 2018, Reverend William Nolan, a retired priest, was charged with six counts of sexual assault.^[41] He was acquitted in September 2019 of five of these counts,^[42] with the judge dropping the remaining count.^[43] The diocese also investigated Nolan and later cleared him from the designation of "credibly accused" priest in March 2020 as well.^[44]

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.^[41] In March 2020, Bishop Hying announced that they had found two crediblesexual abuse allegations against Reverend Patrick Doherty, a retired priest. Hying had previously placed restrictions on Doherty.^[45][46]

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

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

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

• 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

The Diocese of Madison operates the following four cemeteries:

• Calvary – Beloit
• Mount Olivet – Janesville
• Mount Thabor – Beloit
• Resurrection – Madison^[47]

This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(November 2018)

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

• St. Joseph's Catholic School inBaraboo is a parochial school. The current school building, designed by theWisconsin 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 IIbaby boom, so the third school building, north of the second building, opened in 1958.^[48]

• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses (alphabetical) (including archdioceses)
• List of Roman Catholic dioceses (structured view) (including archdioceses)

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison official websiteArchived 2018-07-10 at theWayback Machine
• The Camp Gray Web Site - A ministry of the Diocese of Madison
• Catholic Charities, Diocese of Madison

Coat of arms of Diocese of Madison

Notes Arms was designed and adopted when the diocese was erected Adopted 1946 Escutcheon The arms of the diocese are composed of a field that is wavy bars of silver (white) and blue on which a red cross with a fish is present Symbolism The arms of the diocese are composed of a field that is wavy bars of silver (white) and blue. This is the traditional heraldic representation for water and the field of "water" is divided by a red cross into four sections to remind us of the lakes of the region around Madison. On the red cross is a fish and this conjunction of symbols is a classic symbolic representation for Saint Raphael, the titular of the Cathedral Church of Madison. Raphael means "healer of God" and his ministrations to men make interesting reading in the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. The fish recalls the episode where Raphael ordered Tobias to cook a fish to eat but removed the heart, liver and gall for future medicinal use. Later the liver was used by Tobias to drive out the devil, who had slain seven of the previous husbands of Sara, his wife, while the gall was used to restore sight to his blind father.

43°03′04″N89°31′06″W / 43.05111°N 89.51833°W /43.05111; -89.51833

• Diocese of Madison
• Roman Catholic dioceses in the United States
• Culture of Madison, Wisconsin
• Christian organizations established in 1946
• Roman Catholic dioceses and prelatures established in the 20th century

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