Bishop Hying’s Columns – Page 18 – Madison Catholic Herald

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.

On October 14, 2020May 8, 2021

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.

On October 7, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

We, and everything on earth, belong to God

These past three Sundays, the Gospel spoke of vineyards. We heard the parables of the Workers in the Vineyard, the two sons called by their father to work in the vineyard and the Evil Tenants in the Vineyard.

What does the vineyard symbolize?

What work are we as missionary disciples called to embrace there?

Like much of Scripture, the meanings are multi-layered.

On September 30, 2020May 8, 2021

Kevin Wondrash

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

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.

On September 30, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us!

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.

On September 23, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

How to vote according to our Catholic faith

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).

On September 16, 2020May 8, 2021

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.

On September 10, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

God can shape us into who we are called to be, no matter the challenge

A startling truth that struck me as a young priest was the number of people I encountered in the parish who struggled with chronic depression, anxiety, chemical imbalances, a borderline personality, or other forms of psychological and mental challenges.

Many of them were married, held jobs, volunteered in the parish, and were remarkably productive but suffered profound anguish in their minds and hearts.

Sadly, a taboo still clings to psychological illness.

Most people can talk about cancer, heart conditions, and medical treatments of all kinds, but problems of the mind are often feared and denied.

On September 3, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

Death from a Catholic perspective

Beginning this month, a new series of articles will appear in our newspaper to offer catechesis and formation concerning end of life decisions, dying, death, funerals, and burial of the dead from our Catholic perspective.

No one easily faces these issues because they remind us of our mortality and fragility, but our faith in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, helps us understand how our own death, ending an earthly existence lived out in faith, hope, and charity, becomes the sacred passage to eternal joy in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Church encourages us to prepare for death, most importantly on the spiritual plane of being ready to meet the Lord with our interior house in order, but also on the practical level of health decisions, an updated will, funeral and burial plans, and the dispersal of possessions.

On August 27, 2020May 8, 2021

Bishop Donald J. Hying

Care and support for rural life

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.