St. Bernard Catholic Church
St. Bernard Church in 2012
43°05′40″N 89°20′42″W / 43.094318°N 89.344916°W / 43.094318; -89.344916
Location2438 Atwood Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin
CountryUnited States
DenominationCatholic Church
Websitewww.sbmsn.org
History
StatusParish church
Founded1907
Founder(s)Rev. John Fisher
DedicationSt. Bernard of Clairvaux
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)John Flad
StyleGothic Revival
Years built1926–1927
Construction cost$175,000
Specifications
MaterialsSandstone
Administration
DioceseMadison
Clergy
Bishop(s)Most Rev. Donald J. Hying
Pastor(s)Rev. Michael Radowicz

St. Bernard Catholic Church, in Madison, Wisconsin, United States, is a parish church in the Diocese of Madison. The parish was founded in 1907 and the church building was completed in 1927. In 2023, Bishop Donald J. Hying petitioned the Holy See to designate the church building as the diocesan cathedral. Pope Francis erected St. Bernard's as the new cathedral the same year. The official decree has yet to be issued by the Holy See.

History

On October 1, 1907, Archbishop Sebastian Messmer of Milwaukee sent the Rev. John Fisher to Madison to establish a parish on the city's east side.[1] The first Mass was celebrated in a neighborhood home on November 10, 1907. Masses continued to be celebrated there until the Fair Oaks Town Hall was completed in early 1908, and they were transferred there. A combination church and school building, and a rectory were completed in 1910. The Racine Dominican Sisters taught in the school.

The current church building was completed during the pastorate of the Msgr. William Eggers, who would serve the parish for 30 years.[1] The Gothic Revival and sandstone structure was designed by Madison architect John Flad. It was the city's largest Catholic Church at the time.[2] When the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946, St. Bernard's was its largest parish.[1] Growth in the 1950s saw Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish created from St. Bernard's, and St. Bernard's built a new school building to accommodate the rising number of students. The increased numbers were short lived, however, as the school closed in 1970.

In 1978, the parish's pastor, Msgr. George Wirz was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Madison. The parish offices were moved from the rectory to the school building in 1993.

On March 14, 2005, St. Raphael's Cathedral was destroyed by an arsonist. For the next 18 years the diocese would be without a cathedral.[3] It used parish churches for diocesan celebrations while deciding how to replace St. Raphael's.

In December 2022, Bishop Donald Hying outlined three proposals to settle the cathedral question as part of the Into the Deep strategic planning process for the diocese: build a new cathedral on the St. Raphael site, maintain the current status quo of no cathedral while utilizing facilities of the diocese for diocesan events, and elevate an existing parish church for the cathedral.[4] He rejected building a new cathedral as too expensive, and the status quo as undesirable. In January 2023, the bishop proposed that he petition the Holy See to name St. Bernard's Church as the diocesan cathedral. This would require less of a financial burden and the plan could be accomplished with a small capital campaign to raise the necessary funds.[5] A petition to name St. Bernard's as the cathedral has subsequently been submitted to the Holy See for its approval.[3]

After the cathedral petition was submitted, the parish began a large renovation project to make the church more suitable for function as a cathedral and restore the building. On August 15, 2023, the community celebrated its final Mass in the church itself before moving to the former school's gymnasium.[6]

On September 11, 2023, the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C. alerted the Diocese of Madison that Pope Francis erected St. Bernard's as the new cathedral. The Dicastery for Bishops will issue an official decree of erection at a future date.[7]

Pastors

The following priests have served St. Bernard's as its pastor:[1]

  • Rev. John Fisher, 1907–1908
  • Rev. John Bach, 1908–1916
  • Rev. Loughney, 1916–1925
  • Msgr. William Eggers, 1925–1960
  • Msgr. Theodore Thome, 1960–1974
  • Msgr./Bishop George Wirz, 1974–1984
  • Msgr. John Hebl, 1984–1993
  • Msgr. Michael Hippee, 1993–2013
  • Rev. Michael Radowicz, 2013– present

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The History of St. Bernard: A Great Tradition of Faith and Trust". St. Bernard Parish. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  2. ↑ "St. Bernard's Catholic Church 1926 – 1927". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Jolles, Ward (March 10, 2023). "18 years after cathedral fire, Madison Diocese hopes to name St. Bernard's as new home". WKOW. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  4. ↑ Wondrash, Kevin (December 14, 2022). "Cathedral future to be addressed". The Catholic Herald. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Proposals for cathedral, Traditional Latin Mass". The Catholic Herald. January 11, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2023.
  6. ↑ "St. Bernard Parish Bulletin for the week of August 13th, 2023" (PDF). Parishes Online.
  7. ↑ "Statement from the Diocese of Madison regarding approval of the new cathedral". Office of Communication, Diocese of Madison. September 11, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023. click on the link "NEW CATHEDRAL"
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