"People can come in and it'll be quiet. Occasionally there might be a run-in with a wedding rehearsal or something, but that's manageable."
Even before Bishop Morlino told his priests of the three year plan to move the tabernacles, he had asked several years ago that every new church built in the diocese place the tabernacle in the center behind the altar.
Many priests were also preferring to move tabernacles to the center of their parishes on their own initiative, so it was a direction in which the diocese was already heading, Gorman said.
The bishop has allowed three years for the project because the nature of tabernacles can make them difficult to move – they are supposed to be made of a solid, unbreakable material and securely attached to the church.
Gorman said in most cases, the move should be simple. Most churches have tabernacles already in the sanctuary that may be a little off-center. A few will require a bit more cost and effort.
Overall, Gorman said, the project has been well-received within the diocese among priests and parishioners alike, with many people sending the bishop their thanks on social media.
"I don't know that too many people are crushed by it, and even most of the priests had already done this to be honest…it's somewhat of a non-issue. We were moving that way, the bishop acknowledged that, but he said let's finish this one up."
"The idea is we're going to put Christ in the most central place in the Church because that's the position he has in the Church, in the body of Christ," he added. "Of course Jesus Christ himself is in it, therefore standing at the head of our church."
"That the tabernacle then has its own prominent space at the center of the church is just one more way to show we believe in this presence of Christ and we're going to follow him wherever he goes."
Corrected on Jan. 8 at 9:30 a.m. MST: Article incorrectly reported that Bishop Morlino was installed in the Madison diocese in 1993. He was installed in 2003.
Mary Farrow worked as a staff writer for Catholic News Agency until 2020. She has a degree in journalism and English education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.