Category: Bishop

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Building a monastery of the heart

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Last week, I was blessed to lead the annual retreat for the Cistercian Nuns here in our diocese.

The Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac has been a sacred place of contemplative prayer, cloistered life, and beautiful peace since it was established in the 1950’s.

This community of Sisters radically dedicated to God through a life of prayer, silence, and work is a blessing for all of us. Being with them was a privilege and a grace.

Four degrees of love

St. Bernard of Clairveaux breathed new life into Cistercian monasticism in the Middle Ages during the 11th century and monasteries began all over Europe in a refreshing movement of spiritual fervor.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

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The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of the Church and serves as an enriching compliment to the daily Mass.

A compilation of psalms, Scripture, prayers, and writings of the saints, the Hours are divided into seven daily prayer times with morning and evening prayer as the pillars.

Priests, deacons, most Religious, and many lay faithful pray it on a daily basis and find its rhythm and cycle to be rich spiritual fruit.

Having prayed it myself for almost 40 years, the psalms and readings have become comforting and holy companions on my path to God.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Keeping strong during difficult times

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These past months have been long and difficult. I pray often for the victims of COVID-19 and those who mourn them, heroic health care workers who give their all, political leaders faced with difficult choices, those suffering economic hardship and unemployment, the elderly and isolated, those who daily die from violence of all kinds, victims of hatred and prejudice, our priests, deacons, Religious, lay leaders, and faithful who all face their own crosses at this time.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

Call to a whole new way of life

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Note: Bishop Donald J. Hying is serializing his Pastoral Letter on the new Evangelization Initiative being launched in the Diocese of Madison. This is the fourth and last part of that letter. For the complete letter, go to the Diocese of Madison and Catholic Herald websites.

I know that many people in our diocese are already working so hard in these efforts. Some have devoted their entire lives to the Lord and to evangelization, and for that, I am very grateful. But the Lord is challenging all of us, especially me, in this crucial moment of history, to consider what we are doing and to set out afresh.

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Bishop Donald J. Hying

The love of God compels us to evangelize

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Note: Bishop Donald J. Hying is serializing his Pastoral Letter on the new Evangelization Initiative being launched in the Diocese of Madison. This is the third part of that letter. For the complete letter, go to the Diocese of Madison and Catholic Herald websites.

As I have considered this effort of evangelization, I return often to the story of Pentecost. It is a portion of our story that is perfect for this effort, and also the starting point for my entire ministry as a bishop.

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