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On January 9, 1946, Pope Pius XII established the Diocese of Madison, taking territory from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the Diocese of La Crosse. Created right at the end of World War II, our diocese was poised to grow dramatically in the ensuing decades of population boom and economic ascendancy. Bishop William P. O’Connor, a priest from Milwaukee, became Madison’s first bishop and was immediately faced with the many challenges of shaping a brand new diocese.

It was only a few days after Donald Hying had been installed as the Madison Catholic Diocese’s new bishop that the priest at Immaculate Conception in the Grant County hamlet of Kieler, population 500, called him up and invited him to the parish’s July 4 picnic. Not only did Hying become the first diocese bishop to attend the annual, 65-year-old event; he also stayed for more than two hours and “cleaned off all of our plates for us,” Rev. Bernard Rott said. “He’s just that kind of guy,” he said. “Willing to serve.”

Many Black Americans have expressed reluctance to take the new COVID-19 vaccine which can be attributed to a long legacy of distrust in the medical industry — including the infamous Tuskegee syphilis study. Rev. Dr. Marcus Allen, the senior pastor at Mt. Zion Church on Madison’s south side, wants to make sure that his parishioners and his community get all of the information they need from a panel of experts as the vaccine becomes more readily available.

MONONA — “When you find something that you really love to do, and you’re passionate about it, it changes everything,” said Sr. Anne Joseph from the Sisters of Mary Morning Star in Monona. She was speaking about her recent involvement in the practice of “writing” icons, an ancient Christian art form that dates back to the earliest centuries of Christian history.

The Wisconsin State Journal asked a cross-section of area Christian clergy members to share with readers excerpts from the sermons they plan to deliver on this most extraordinary Christmas. In most cases, the messages are being delivered online as churches adjust to new forms of worship during a pandemic, although some are also holding in-person services. At least one — Gateway Community Church in Middleton — planned to hold a drive-in service on Christmas Eve. Here are excerpts of their glad tidings.

On one of the holiest nights of the Christian year, there will still be candle-lighting, the singing of “Silent Night,” children’s pageants and sermons heralding the birth of a savior. It’s just that much of it will be live-streamed, prerecorded, in very small groups and — in at least in one case — conducted in the bitter cold. The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing Madison-area churches to come up with inventive, 21st century ways to celebrate Christmas Eve — perhaps the most traditional of Christian services when people pack the pews to sing hymns, listen to the story of a pregnant…

When the world hits the longest night on Dec. 21 in this year that has had more than its share of darkness, four congregations from very distinctive traditions will be worshipping together to bring a bit of light into the lives of the folks who join in.

(RNS) — Even before the coronavirus pandemic, Sister Mary Bede was no stranger to quarantine life. Sister Bede and 22 other Cistercian nuns who live with her at Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin, are cloistered in silence according to the rule of their ancient monastic Catholic religious order.

Think of it as driving around to see Christmas lights, but based on the Christmas story.Think of it as a way to honor Christmas traditions in the time of a pandemic.Think of it as a venture in cooperation among seven congregations that could be the groundwork of future collaboration.Seven Lutheran churches that stretch from McFarland, across the east side of Madison and touching the city’s south side have come up with what they are calling an Advent Adventure. Starting Dec. 6 and running through Jan. 6, each congregation will have an outdoor lighted display that tells a part of the…

When Jon Anderson was a pastor working on community outreach in Madison, he found a lot of overlap in how churches tried to work with nonprofits to help the city. “What I started to see in those jobs was a lot of redundancy happening in the county, especially in church efforts,” he said. “And an ongoing need for resources of all kinds (with) direct service providers doing amazing work, but not seeing that the church was a part of the solution to reaching the community.” Helping church leaders better collaborate, understand and serve Dane County is now at the heart…