MADISON — The Diocesan Pastoral Council (DPC) held its first meeting with Bishop Donald J. Hying on October 12 at Holy Name Heights. The meeting was preceded by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Hying, at which he thanked members for their involvement in the DPC.
The meeting included most members who served under the late Bishop Robert C. Morlino. Bishop Hying hopes to increase the number of members and representation from around the diocese.
Top priorities
Members were asked to give their thoughts on top priorities for the Diocese of Madison and its parishes, as well as their thoughts on the best use of the DPC. Some ideas included:
• Forming a group of Religious Sisters.
• Establishing a diocesan Hispanic ministry office.
• Reaching out to the “nones” (those who do not have a church affiliation).
• Fostering vocations to the priesthood, Religious Life, and lay ministries.
• Supporting Catholic schools and religious education programs.
• Use of social media and modernizing the delivery of Church teachings.
• Developing stronger prayer life.
• More involvement and education of the laity.
• Supporting marriage and family life.
• Reclaiming our Catholic identity and being unapologetically Catholic.
Members suggested having more DPC meetings. Current Chairman Kevin Kelly, Sun Prairie, said that the DPC can communicate the bishop’s thoughts to people in the diocese and advise the bishop on how things could be changed to be more effective.
Bishop emphasizes evangelization
Bishop Hying himself emphasized the importance of evangelization. “We can’t do the same things the way we’ve been doing them,” he said, noting that numbers of people joining the Church, Baptisms, marriage, and Mass attendance in his previous Diocese of Gary were all declining.
“We have to look to an evangelizing mission where Catholics see themselves as agents of evangelization for others — with confidence and competence.”
Bishop Hying is proposing that the upcoming celebration of the Diocese of Madison’s 75th anniversary in 2021 would be the time to launch a major evangelizing initiative.
Input will be sought between now and January of 2020 on this initiative, which would include prayer, formation, planning, training, and implementation of a focused evangelizing effort in every parish, school, and institution in the diocese.