LOVE NEVER FAILS — BISHOP HYING BOLDLY ADVOCATES FOR THE PREBORN
By Therese Aukofer, Pro-Life Wisconsin Program Director
Pro-Life Wisconsin is delighted to have His Excellency Bishop Donald J. Hying as our keynote speaker at the 2020 Love for Life Gala on October 22, 2020. As our spiritual director and the Bishop of the Madison Diocese, Bishop Hying is known throughout the state and world for his unwavering support of all human life and our religious freedoms. He brings his own profound perspective as he speaks of the sanctity of life, and most especially the preborn. “I’m strongly pro-life because I am a Christian and a human being,” His Excellency remarked recently. “To be pro-life without exception really embraces the ideal of Christ in His Church.” Those of you who have heard Bishop Hying in the past know of his warmth, humor, and insightful stories.
Bishop Hying’s pro-life formation started in the home where his parents led by example, and prayer was a daily occurrence. He credits his vocation to the priesthood to this natural witness to the Faith by his parents. The youngest of six sons, Donald Joseph Hying was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, to parents Albert and Catherine Hying on August 18, 1963. He attended St. Aloysius and Immaculate Heart of Mary grade schools, and Brookfield Central High School. He received his bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and his master’s degree from St. Francis Seminary.
On May 20, 1989, he was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. His priestly assignments between 1989 and 2005 included St. Anthony Parish in Menomonee Falls, St. Peter Parish, St. Anthony Parish, Our Lady of Good Hope Parish, and St. Augustine Parish in Milwaukee. Father Hying served as a Team Member for La Sagrada Familia Parroquia in the Dominican Republic from 1994 to 1997. In 2006, Father Hying served as the parochial administrator of St. Augustine Parish in Milwaukee. He served as the Dean of Formation at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary from 2005 to 2007, and was appointed the rector of St. Francis de Sales Seminary by Most Reverend Timothy Michael Dolan, Archbishop of Milwaukee, and served in that capacity from 2007 until 2011. On May 26, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Father Hying the Titular Bishop of Regiae and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He was consecrated a bishop on July 20, 2011 by Most Reverend Jerome Edward Listecki, Archbishop of Milwaukee.
On November 24, 2014, His Holiness, Pope Francis, appointed Bishop Hying as the Fourth Bishop of Gary (Indiana), and his installation took place on January 6, 2015. A little more than four years later on April 25, 2019, Pope Francis, appointed the Most Reverend Donald J. Hying the Fifth Bishop of Madison (Wisconsin).
Bishop Hying’s installation in the Diocese of Madison took place on June 25, 2019. He serves as the Episcopal Liaison for the National Association of Catholic Chaplains and as Episcopal Advisor to the U.S. Society of St. Vincent de Paul. He is also a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People, and the Committee on Catholic Education.
With great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Our Lady of Fatima, and St. Therese of Lisieux, Bishop Hying understands how important it is to be a public witness for life and rely on God in this struggle to save those who are physically and spiritually vulnerable. Countless times, he has prayed on the sidewalks and led Eucharistic processions in front of abortion facilities. Bishop Hying’s motto, “Love Never Fails,” comes from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:8) and articulates the deep truth, that in all we do, we should do in love.
“Every child simply by the fact of his or her existence is a child of God and is made in the image and likeness of God and has a right to life,” stated Bishop Hying. “And that is really the ideal that Pro-Life Wisconsin articulates so well. I encourage everyone to be involved with Pro-Life Wisconsin; they are a voice of truth and of compassion for our state and are having a great impact. The more people get involved, the stronger that collective voice for life becomes.”
We know October 22, 2020 will be a remarkable evening with Bishop Hying and we hope you will join us to be encouraged and inspired!