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Most Rev. Donald J. HyingOffice of the Bishop
Fifth Bishop of Madison
The youngest of six sons, Bishop Donald J. 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. Bishop Hying received his bachelor's degree from Marquette University and his master's degree from St. Francis Seminary.
On May 20, 1989, Bishop Hying was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. His first priestly assignment was as a parochial vicar for St. Anthony Parish, Menomonee Falls, from 1989 to 1994. Father Hying served as a Team Member for La Sagrada Familia Parroquia in the Dominican Republic from 1994 to 1997. He returned to the United States and served as the parochial administrator of St. Peter Parish (1998), then as the parochial vicar of St. Anthony Parish, Milwaukee, from 1998 to 1999. He was then appointed the pastor of Our Lady of Good Hope Parish, Milwaukee from 1999 to 2005. In 2006, Father Hying served as the parochial administrator of St. Augustine Parish, 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 Donald 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). Bishop Hying's installation in the Diocese of Gary took place on January 6, 2015. On April 25, 2019, His Holiness, Pope Francis, appointed 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.
Bishop Hying is a member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities; the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, & Youth; and the Committee on Catholic Education. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Catholic Relief Services and Relevant Radio and is the Chair of the Board for the Institute on Religious Life as well as the St. Paul Evangelization Society.
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Coat of ArmsBishop Donald J. Hying
By heraldic tradition, the arms of the bishop of a diocese, called the “Ordinary,” are joined to the arms of his jurisdiction, seen in the dexter impalement (left side) of the shield. In this case, these are arms of the Diocese of Madison.
The arms of the diocese are composed of a field that is wavy bars of silver (white) and blue. This is the traditional heraldic representation for water which is divided by a red cross into four sections to remind us of the lakes of the region around Madison. On the red cross is a fish and this conjunction of symbols is a classic symbolic representation for Saint Raphael, the titular of the Cathedral Church of Madison. Raphael means “healer of God” and his ministrations to men make interesting reading in the Book of Tobit in the Old Testament. Parts of the fish were later used by Tobias to drive out the devil, who had slain seven of the previous husbands of Sara, his wife, while the gall was used to restore sight to his blind father.
Bishop Hying’s arms are drawn from four principle aspects and devotions of his life. In the first quarter on a red field is the displayed silver (white) eagle of St. John the Evangelist, patron of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and in quarter IV is the pattern heraldically called “gyronny,” that is the background of the arms of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, where the bishop served during his priestly ministry. In the second quarter, on a silver (white) field is the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and in the third quarter, also on a silver (white) field, is a red rose, to honor both the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Therese, “The Little Flower,” to whom the bishop has such deep devotion. For his motto, Bishop Hying has selected the Latin phrase “CARITAS NUMQUAM EXCIDIT.” This phrase, taken from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:8) that expresses the profound Christian doctrine that in all that we do, we should do it with love, because “LOVE NEVER FAILS.”
The achievement is completed by the external ornamentation which are a gold (yellow) processional cross, that is placed in back of the shield and which extends above and below the shield, and the pontifical hat, called a “galero,” with its six tassels in three rows on either side of the shield, all in green.
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Pastoral Letters and StatementsBishop Donald J. Hying
- Letter from Bishop Hying on Press Conference Allegations - Sept. 6, 2025
- Letter from Bishop Hying with Updates on Fr. Showers - Aug. 27, 2025
- Letter from Bishop Hying to the Diocese Regarding Priest's Arrest - Aug. 26, 2025
- Pastoral Letter on the Jubilee Year 2025 - Dec. 29, 2024
- Pastoral Letter on Fiducia Supplicans - Jan. 5, 2024
- Statement on Antisemitism - Nov. 20, 2023
- Questions We Should Ask Ourselves as we Exercise Our Moral and Civic Duty to Vote - March 30, 2023
- Into the Deep: Reflection on Our Current Reality and the Path Forward - Aug. 30, 2022
- Statement on Violence - May 25, 2022
- Regarding Pope Francis' Motu Proprio "Traditionis Custodes" - July 16, 2021
- Statement on Eucharistic Coherence - May 28, 2021
- Statement on Archbishop Cordileone's Pastoral Letter - May 7, 2021
- Reflection on the Need for a Renewed Unity in Christ - January 27, 2021
- La necesidad de una unidad renovada en Cristo - 27 de enero de 2021
- Statement on the Inauguration of President Joseph Biden - January 20, 2021
- Statement on the Call for the Destruction of Christian Statues - June 23, 2020
- Statement on Racism - June 11, 2020
- Pastoral Letter on Go Make Disciples - May 31, 2020
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A Moment with the BishopLatest Video
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Past BishopsDiocese of Madison
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Appointed Bishop of Madison, Wis.: May 23, 2003
Fourth Bishop of Madison
Installed as Bishop of Madison, Wis.: August 1, 2003
Service Before Madison: Bishop, Diocese of Helena
Born: December 31, 1946, Scranton, Pa.
Date of Death: November 24, 2018 (age 71), Madison, Wis.
Education- High School: Jesuit High School, Scranton, Pa.
- College: Fordham University
- Seminary for the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
- University of Notre Dame
- Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass.
- Gregorian University, Rome
Degrees- 1969 – B.A., Fordham University, Philosophy
- 1970 – M.A., University of Notre Dame, Philosophy
- 1974 – M.A., Master of Divinity, Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass.
- 1990 – S.T.D., Gregorian University, Rome, Moral Theology
Ordained a priest: June 1, 1974, Loyola College Chapel, Baltimore, Md., for Society of Jesus, Maryland Province
Incardinated into the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich., October 26, 1983
Assignments- Loyola College, Baltimore, Md., instructor of philosophy
- St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, Pa., instructor of philosophy
- Boston College, instructor of philosophy
- University of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College, South Bend, Ind., instructor of philosophy
- Instructor in continuing education for priests, religious, and laity
- Director of parish renewal programs
- Diocese of Kalamazoo, Mich.: 1981-1983, Episcopal Vicar for Spiritual Development, Executive Assistant and Theological Consultant to the Bishop; 1983, Moderator of the Curia; Promoter of Justice in Diocesan Tribunal
- St. Mary Parish, Niles, Mich.; St. Ann Parish, Gull Lake, Mich.; and St. Ambrose Parish, Delton, Mich., administrator
- 1990, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit, Mich., professor of moral theology
- 1991, St. Augustine Cathedral, Kalamazoo, Mich., rector
- Appointed Bishop of Helena, Mont., by Pope John Paul II July 6, 1999
- Ordained a Bishop September 21, 1999 at Cathedral of St. Helena, Helena, Mont.
- Appointed Bishop of Madison, Wis., May 23, 2003
- Installed as Bishop of Madison, Wis., August 1, 2003
Membership- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Committees- Chairman, Bishops’ Committee on the Diaconate, 2001-2004
- Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on Health Care Issues and the Church, 2001-2004
- Chairman, Board of Directors of the National Catholic Bioethics Center, 2005 to present
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Third Bishop of MadisonAppointed Bishop of Madison, Wis.: April 13, 1993
Installed as Bishop of Madison, Wis.:June 15, 1993- Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation May 23, 2003
- Served as Diocesan Administrator until August 1, 2003
Service Before Madison: Bishop, Diocese of Des Moines
Born: April 13, 1927, Maple Lake, Minn.
Date of Death: April 3, 2011 (age 83), Madison, Wis.
Education- Grade School: Maple Lake Grade School, Maple Lake, Minn.
- High School: Annandale High School, Annandale, Minn.
- College: St. Thomas College, 1944-45, St. Paul, Minn.
- U.S. Navy — World War II, 1944-46
- University of Notre Dame, 1946-48
- St. Paul Seminary, 1948-52
Degrees- 1948 — B.A. University of Notre Dame, Philosophy
- 1962 — M.A. University of Notre Dame, Liturgy and Religious Education
- 1969 — ED.S. St. Thomas University, Education and Administration
- 1989 — Honorary Doctor of Humanities Degree, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, Iowa
- 2005 — Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters Degree, Honoris Causa, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn.
Ordained a priest: June 7, 1952, St. Paul Cathedral, St. Paul, Minn.
Assignments- 1952-55 — St. Stephen Parish, Minneapolis, Minn., associate pastor
- 1955-56 — Our Lady of Grace Parish, Edina, Minn., associate pastor
- 1956-57 — Incarnation Parish, Minneapolis, Minn., associate pastor
- 1957-71 — St. Thomas Academy, St. Paul, Minn., instructor
- 1967-71 — St. Thomas Academy, St. Paul, Minn., headmaster
- 1971-80 — St. John the Baptist Parish, Excelsior, Minn., pastor
- 1980 — Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Minneapolis, Minn., pastor
- Appointed Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul/Minneapolis by Pope John Paul II June 3, 1980
- Ordained a Bishop Aug. 12, 1980 at St. Paul Cathedral, St. Paul, Minn.
- Appointed Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa Feb. 10, 1987
- Installed as Bishop of Des Moines, Iowa April 7, 1987
- Appointed Bishop of Madison, Wis. April 13, 1993
- Installed as Bishop of Madison, Wis. June 15, 1993
- Pope John Paul II accepted his resignation May 23, 2003
- Served as Diocesan Administrator until August 1, 2003
Membership and Activities- National Conference of Catholic Bishops (now the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
- Member, Knights of Columbus, Fourth Degree
- Member, Knights of the Holy Sepulchre, KGCHS
- Member, St. Francis Seminary Board of Trustees, Milwaukee, Wis.
Past Offices and Committees- Member, Catholic Telecommunications Network of America, C.T.N.A.
- Bishops’ Committee on Liturgy
- Religious Life and Ministry Committee
- Tri-Conference Committee
- USCC Communications Committee
- Catholic Relief Services, Executive Committee, Subcommittee on Africa, and Committee on Overseas Programs and Operations
- Advisory Council of the School of Theology and Seminary of St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minn.
- NCCB/USCC Agenda Committee: Planning Committee for General Meetings and Assemblies
- NCCB/USCC Evangelization Committee
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Year of Ordination: 1941
Second Bishop of Madison
Service Before Madison: Auxilliary bishop, Archdiocese of Chicago
Date of Death: August 31, 1992 (age 75)
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Year of Ordination: 1912
First Bishop of Madison
Service Before Madison: Bishop, Diocese of Superior
Date of Death: July 13, 1973 (age 86)
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Past Auxiliary Bishops
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Year of Ordination: 1952
Service Before Madison: Priest, Diocese of Madison
Date of Death: November 23, 2010 (age 81)
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Year of Ordination: 1945
Service Before Madison: Priest, Archdiocese of Milwaukee and Diocese of Madison
Date of Death: May 12, 1995 (age 80)
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ContactsOffice of the Bishop
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Bishop of Madison -
Nathan SimmonsNate.Simmonsmadisondiocese.orgExecutive Assistant to the Bishop
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