Donald Joseph Hying (born August 18, 1963) is an American prelate 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 ...

, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Madison in Wisconsin since 2019. Hying previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Gary (in Indiana and Illinois) from 2015 to 2019 and as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Milwaukee The Archdiocese of Milwaukee ( la, Archidiœcesis Milvauchiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States. It encompasses the City of Milwaukee, a ...

in Wisconsin from 2011 to 2015.

Biography

Early life

The youngest of six sons, Donald J. Hying was born on August 18, 1963, in

West Allis, Wisconsin West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. A suburb of Milwaukee, it is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 60,325 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Histo ...

, to Albert and Catherine Hying. He attended St. Aloysius and Immaculate Heart of Mary grade schools, and graduated from

Brookfield Central High School Brookfield Central High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in the city of Brookfield, Wisconsin, United States. It is a sister school to Brookfield East High School, also in Brookfield. The high school is administered by th ...

in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Hying received his bachelor's degree from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Henni, John Martin ...

and his

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree from

Saint Francis de Sales Seminary Saint Francis de Sales Seminary is a seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, located in the Milwaukee suburb of St. Francis, Wisconsin. Its main building, called Henni Hall, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...

in St. Francis, Wisconsin.

Priesthood

On May 20, 1989, Hying was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop

Rembert Weakland Rembert George Samuel Weakland (April 2, 1927 – August 22, 2022) was an American Benedictine monk who served as Archbishop of Milwaukee from 1977 to 2002. Shortly before his mandatory retirement at the age of 75, it was revealed in the pre ...

. After his ordination, Hying was assigned as associate pastor of St. Anthony Parish in

Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, and is part of the Greater Milwaukee area. The population was 35,626 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous village in Wisconsin. It is the fourth largest communi ...

, serving there for the next five years. In 1994, Hying traveled to the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

to be a team member for the Sacred Family Parish in

Sabana Yegua Sabana Yegua is a municipality (''municipio'') of the Azua province in the Dominican Republic. Geography The current location of the municipality is at the 11 kilometer mark of the Azua- San Juan highway, but it was previously located further ...

. After returning to Wisconsin, he was appointed as temporary administrator in 1998 of St. Peter Parish in

East Troy, Wisconsin East Troy is a village in Walworth County, Wisconsin, Walworth County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,687 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The village is located southwest of the East Troy (town), Wisconsin, Town of ...

. Later that year, he was moved to St. Anthony Parish in Milwaukee, where he worked as associate pastor of St. for one year. Hying was appointed pastor in 1999 of Our Lady of Good Hope Parish in Milwaukee, remaining there until 2005. He then became the dean of formation at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary from 2005 until 2007, when was named rector. In 2006, while serving at the seminary, Hying was placed as a temporary administrator at St. Augustine Parish in Milwaukee.

Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee

On May 26, 2011,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

appointed Hying as

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of Regiae and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. He was consecrated by Archbishop Jerome Listecki on July 20, 2011.

Bishop of Gary

On November 24, 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed Hying as the fourth Bishop of the Diocese of Gary, replacing the retiring Bishop Dale Melczek. Hying's installation in Gary took place on January 6, 2015. While he was bishop of Gary, Hying oversaw that diocese's first

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

in 2017.

Bishop of Madison

On April 25, 2019, Pope Francis named Hying as bishop of the Diocese of Madison to replace the deceased Bishop

Robert Morlino Robert Charles Morlino S.J. (December 31, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as bishop of Diocese of Madison in Wisconsin from 2003 until his death. He was the bishop of Diocese of Hele ...

. He was installed on June 25, 2019. Hying was one of the few Catholic bishops to publicly criticize the removal of statues due to the George Floyd protests, especially those of

Junípero Serra Junípero Serra y Ferrer (; ; ca, Juníper Serra i Ferrer; November 24, 1713August 28, 1784) was a Spanish Roman Catholic priest and missionary of the Franciscan Order , image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg , image_size ...

in California. He also condemned activist

Shaun King Jeffery Shaun King (born September 17, 1979) is an American writer, civil rights activist and co-founder of Real Justice PAC. King uses social media to promote social justice causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement. King was raised ...

's calling for images of Jesus as a white man to be destroyed. In March 2020, Hying announced that investigators had found two

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse, also referred to as molestation, is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using force or by taking advantage of another. Molestation often refers to an instance of sexual assa ...

allegations against Patrick Doherty, a retired priest from the Diocese of Madison, to be credible. Hying had already placed restrictions on Doherty.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison Home Page

Roman Catholic Diocese of Gary Home PageRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hying, Donald J. People from West Allis, Wisconsin Marquette University alumni St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Madison Roman Catholic bishops of Gary Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee 1963 births Living people 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Catholics from Wisconsin