Robert Fealey Morneau (born September 10, 1938) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Morneau served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Green Bay The Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay ( la, Diocesis Sinus Viridis) was established on March 3, 1868, by Pope Pius IX. It covers the city of Green Bay, as well as Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Manitowoc, Mar ...

from 1978 to 2013.

Biography

Early life

The fourth of six children, Robert Morneau was born on September 10, 1938, in

New London New London may refer to: Places United States *New London, Alabama *New London, Connecticut *New London, Indiana *New London, Iowa *New London, Maryland *New London, Minnesota *New London, Missouri *New London, New Hampshire, a New England town ** ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, to Leroy and Catherine (Fealey) Morneau. After graduating from Bear Creek High School, he studied at

St. Norbert College St. Norbert College (SNC) is a private Norbertine liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the c ...

in De Pere, Wisconsin, and Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corner, Wisconsin. Morneau then entered Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he earned both bachelor and masters degrees.

Priesthood

Morneau was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood for the Diocese of Green Bay by Bishop John Grellinger on May 28, 1966. After his ordination, Morneau worked as an assistant pastor at a parish in New London, Wisconsin. He then took appointments in

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with ove ...

, where he served as a faculty member at Silver Late College. and chaplain at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus and Park Town Home. He has also taught at the Summer Theological Institute of St. Norbert College and served on the college's board of trustees.

Auxiliary Bishop of Green Bay

On December 19, 1978,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Morneau as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay and titular bishop of

Massa Lubrense Massa Lubrense ( nap, Màssë) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples in the Italian region Campania, located about southeast of Naples. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 13,404 and an area of 19.7 km2 ...

. He was consecrated at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay on February 22, 1979, by Bishop Aloysius Wycislo, with Bishops Mark Schmitt and John Grellinger serving as co-consecrators. Morneau served the diocese as a member of the college of

consultor A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

s and the diocesan Finance Council; as the

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

for priests and the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

; and as

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Resurrection Parish in

Allouez, Wisconsin Allouez is a village in Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 13,975 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Green Bay Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Allouez is located between Green Bay to the north, and De ...

. In 1979, a family complained to Morneau that their child had been sexually abused by David Boyea, a parish priest. The family only asked for an apology from Boyea, which Morneau obtained. Morneau did not report the allegations to police or to the public. In 1985, Boyea pleaded guilty to first degree sexual assault of a different child and was sentenced to ten years in prison. In 1986, a $12 million civil suit was filed against Morneau and the diocese by three of Boyea's victims. The diocese eventually settled with the victims. In 1990, Boyea was released from prison and was

laicized In the canon law of the Catholic Church, the loss of clerical state (commonly referred to as laicization, dismissal, defrocking, and degradation) is the removal of a bishop, priest, or deacon from the status of being a member of the clergy. The t ...

by the Vatican. I

Retirement and legacy

On September 10, 2013, Morneau turned 75, the retirement age at which bishops must submit a retirement request to the Vatican. On October 7, 2013, Pope Francis accepted his retirement.Diocese of Green Bay
/ref> On September 14, 2018, the Vatican granted Morneau's request to withdraw from public ministry. In a statement, Morneau cited his failure to report Boyea to police in 1979. In a statement, Morneau said:

I failed to report to local authorities an incident of abuse of a minor by a priest in 1979 and, as a result, this priest was able to abuse again several years later. I intend to spend my time in prayer for all victims and survivors of sexual abuse and I will do
corporal works of mercy Works of mercy (sometimes known as acts of mercy) are practices considered meritorious in Christian ethics. The practice is popular in the Catholic Church as an act of both penance and charity. In addition, the Methodist church teaches that the ...
in reparation for what I failed to do.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morneau, Robert F. 1938 births Living people 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops People from New London, Wisconsin Writers from Wisconsin Religious leaders from Wisconsin Catholic University of America alumni Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops American male writers Catholics from Wisconsin