St. Bernard Catholic Church (Madison, Wisconsin)
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2023}}
{{Infobox church
| name = St. Bernard Catholic Church
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| image = St Bernard Catholic Church Madison, WI - panoramio.jpg
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| caption = St. Bernard Church in 2012
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| location = 2438 Atwood Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|43.094318|-89.344916|format=dms|type:landmark_region:US-WI|display=inline,title}}
| denomination = Catholic Church
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| website = {{URL|www.sbmsn.org}}
| founded date = 1907
| founder = Rev. John Fisher
| dedication = St. Bernard of Clairvaux
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| status = Parish church
| functional status = Active
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| architect = John Flad
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| style = Gothic Revival
| years built = 1926–1927
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| construction cost = $175,000
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| materials = Sandstone
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| diocese = Madison
| bishop = Most Rev. Donald J. Hying
| pastor = Rev. Michael Radowicz
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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 consecration of the church as a cathedral is expected to take place in 2025.
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.{{cite web |title=The History of St. Bernard: A Great Tradition of Faith and Trust |url=https://www.sbmsn.org/about |accessdate=May 21, 2023 |publisher=St. Bernard Parish}} 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. The Gothic Revival and sandstone structure was designed by Madison architect John Flad. It was the city's largest Catholic Church at the time.{{cite web|title=St. Bernard's Catholic Church 1926 – 1927|url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=40825|publisher=Historical Marker Database|accessdate=May 21, 2023}} When the Diocese of Madison was established in 1946, St. Bernard's was its largest parish. 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.{{cite web|title=18 years after cathedral fire, Madison Diocese hopes to name St. Bernard's as new home|url=https://www.wkow.com/news/18-years-after-cathedral-fire-madison-diocese-hopes-to-name-st-bernards-as-new-home/article_c78a11aa-bfbb-11ed-a63f-ebacd274f9dc.html|publisher=WKOW|date=March 10, 2023|accessdate=May 21, 2023|first=Ward|last=Jolles}} 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.{{cite news| title=Cathedral future to be addressed|url=https://madisoncatholicherald.org/cathedral-future-to-be-addressed/|first=Kevin|last=Wondrash|date=December 14, 2022|newspaper=The Catholic Herald|accessdate=May 21, 2023}} 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.{{cite news|title=Proposals for cathedral, Traditional Latin Mass|url=https://madisoncatholicherald.org/proposals-for-cathedral-traditional-latin-mass/|first=|last=|date=January 11, 2023|newspaper=The Catholic Herald|accessdate=May 21, 2023}} A petition to name St. Bernard's as the cathedral was submitted to the Holy See for its approval.
After the cathedral petition was submitted, the parish began a $15 million renovation project to make the church more suitable for function as a cathedral and restore the building.{{cite news|title=Cathedral importance and update shared in press conference|url=https://madisoncatholicherald.org/cathedral-importance-and-update-shared-in-press-conference/|first=Graham|last=Mueller|date=February 14, 2024|newspaper=The Catholic Herald|accessdate=March 2, 2024}} On August 15, 2023, the community celebrated its final Mass in the church itself before moving to the former school's gymnasium.{{Cite web |title=St. Bernard Parish Bulletin for the week of August 13th, 2023 |url=https://container.parishesonline.com/bulletins/01/0336/20230813B.pdf |website=Parishes Online}}
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.{{Cite web |title=Statement from the Diocese of Madison regarding approval of the new cathedral |url=https://madisondiocese.org/pr|publisher=Office of Communication, Diocese of Madison|date=September 11, 2023|accessdate=October 20, 2023}} click on the link "NEW CATHEDRAL" Bishop Hying held a press conference in St. Bernard's Church on January 24, 2024, to officially make public the decision of the Holy See. Once the renovation of the church building is completed in mid-2025, St. Bernard's will be consecrated as the cathedral.
Pastors
The following priests have served St. Bernard's as its pastor:
- 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
Gallery
File:St. Bernard interior Holy Week Madison WI.jpg|Holy Week 2022
File:St. Bernard altar Madison WI.jpg|Altar
File:St. Bernard right interior Madison WI.jpg|Right-hand windows
File:St. Bernard left interior Madison WI.jpg|Left-hand windows
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.sbmsn.org Parish website]
- [https://madisondiocese.org/ Diocese of Madison website]
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Bernard Catholic Church (Madison, Wisconsin)}}
Category:1907 establishments in Wisconsin
Category:Roman Catholic churches completed in 1927
Category:20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States
Category:Churches in Madison, Wisconsin