Tag: bishop

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Bishop Donald J. Hying of Madison

Making Mary a bigger part of our lives

In this month of October, we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary; we celebrated this feast on October 7.

All of the saints and indeed the Church herself encourage us to pray the Rosary on a daily basis.

We find in this simple and repetitive prayer a profound meditation on the Gospel, as we ponder the mystery of the Incarnation in the Joyful Mysteries, the revealed grace of the Lord’s ministry in the Luminous Mysteries, the overwhelming suffering of Christ’s Passion in the Sorrowful Mysteries, and the triumph of the Resurrection in the Glorious Mysteries.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

‘Christianity is for losers!’

Ted Turner, the famous media mogul, once memorably said that Christianity is for losers.

In his opinion, religious faith is a crutch for those who are too weak to stand on their own two feet and simply acknowledge that we are alone in the universe.

What he hurls at us as an insult, we should actually wear as an epithet of honor. Christianity is for losers!

Our faith is custom-designed by God for those who are humble enough to acknowledge that they are sinners in need of a savior, those who do not have it all put together, those who need Christ’s help.

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Kevin Wondrash

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

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Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is October 4, remains one of Catholicism’s most popular saints.

Statues and pictures of him abound, especially in gardens and fields, and young people often choose him as their Confirmation saint.

He captures the imagination of artists, writers, poets, intellectuals, and common folk alike.

It is easy to romanticize his story, but like all saints, Francis shows us what happens when an individual gives everything to Christ.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

Hying logo

Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is October 4, remains one of Catholicism’s most popular saints.

Statues and pictures of him abound, especially in gardens and fields, and young people often choose him as their Confirmation saint.

He captures the imagination of artists, writers, poets, intellectuals, and common folk alike.

It is easy to romanticize his story, but like all saints, Francis shows us what happens when an individual gives everything to Christ.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

How to vote according to our Catholic faith

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Many faithful Catholics have asked me to offer some direction regarding conscience formation and the moral aspect of the many issues facing us as a nation, as we approach this year’s presidential election.

We would all agree that this election has a contentious and angry divisiveness that we have not seen in our lifetimes.

This is due, in part, to the personalities, policies, and factions in play, and it certainly has been exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and social unrest (I believe that there are other, more significant and fundamental reasons for the growing tension in our society, but that’s a topic for another time).

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Why attending Mass is important

Recently, the Catholic bishops of Wisconsin jointly decided to lift the suspension of the Sunday Mass obligation in all five dioceses in the Province during the month of September.

So, beginning the weekend of September 26 to 27, it will be once again obligatory for Catholics in our diocese to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.

I lifted the obligation six months ago, beginning on March 17 in the very beginning of the COVID pandemic.

These months have been long and difficult; the inability to go to Mass and receive the Eucharist has been a great hardship, but I made that decision out of concern for the public health and in union with my brother bishops in the state and the country.

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the Wisconsin Catholic Conference

Wisconsin bishops to announce end of dispensation from Sunday Mass

In March, as communities responded to the growing coronavirus outbreak, the bishops of Wisconsin’s five Roman Catholic dioceses each granted a dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass. As the outbreak grew into a pandemic, all dioceses suspended the public celebration of Mass until it was safe to resume in-person worship.

In recent months, dioceses and parishes throughout the state have been able to resume public worship by adhering to strict safety standards and by restricting access to services for those who are symptomatic, sick, or at risk of serious illness. Throughout this time, the faithful have not been required to attend Mass on Sundays.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Care and support for rural life

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Last week, I met with Tom Nelson and a dedicated group of priests, social workers, and farmers who care deeply about the troubling crises facing our rural communities.

I listened as they spoke movingly about the fact that, in the last 10 years, 50 percent of family farms in Wisconsin have disappeared, milk prices are untenable, and no economic future exists for young people who would like to remain in farming.

COVID and its impact on the economy and the food supply chain has only exacerbated these challenges. Depression and suicide are on the rise in troubling numbers.

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Brent King, For the Catholic Herald

Follow Bishop Hying on social media

MADISON — In late June, Bishop Hying waded back into the Twitterverse, and started tweeting brief personal messages and reflections for the first time since coming to Madison last year.

His messages are clearly designed to inspire and invite us all into closer relationship with Christ, and therefore with one another.

So, here in print, and online, is your invitation to “follow” Bishop Hying on social media (@bishophying on both Twitter and Facebook) and invite your friends, children, and grandchildren to do the same.

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