PHOTO: Wisconsin Native Bishop Donald J. Hying becomes the new Bishop of The Diocese of Gary

For the past ten months, the Diocese of Gary has been getting to know its new bishop. The bishop has been getting to know his new diocese. Bishop Donald J. Hying has made it his mission to visit every parish, school, Catholic hospital, and any other Catholic institution in the diocese, which includes four counties.

Hying, who was born in Wisconsin and has lived there for most of his life, discussed his college days during an interview in May. He was a student at Marquette University in Milwaukee from 1981 through 1985, where he triple-majored in history, theology, and philosophy. His photographic memory enabled him to get through all four years with only one notebook. Yet, he does not see that as any particular source of pride. “It’s just always been there,” Hying says.

Hying’s course of study reflected not only his interests, but also made sense to him in light of his vocational path, as well. He says he would have been a history professor if he didn’t become a priest. He recalls being fascinated by the convergence between the classes he was taking.

“I’d be studying some particular thing in a philosophy class and that same thing would emerge in a history class. Or something that I was studying in history would emerge in theology,” Hying says. “There was just such a confluence between those three disciplines and I found that a remarkable testament to the unity of truth, that everything is somehow part of the one thing.”

According to Hying, it was pretty clear to him by the age of sixteen that God was calling him to the priesthood. He grew up in a Catholic home, with parents who passed on the faith through example. He had an older brother who was in the seminary for a while. Hying found visits to his brother in the seminary “deeply impactful.” Also significant to the Bishop was the death of his 10-year-old brother from cancer when Hying was 6. He says that that event led him to begin to explore the fundamental questions about God and death and suffering that most people only confront later in life.

Additionally, Hying also cites a very important role model outside of his family who influenced his decision to become a priest: Pope John Paul II, now Saint John Paul II. Named pope in 1978, when Hying was only fifteen, John Paul II became, in Hying’s words, “My great inspiration and role model for priesthood,” Hying said. “I just felt that from the very first moment of his pontificate, everything that he said and did was directed to me.”

Where John Paul II was his role model as a priest, the current Archbishop of New York City, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, is Hying’s role model as a bishop. Even though he didn’t know at the time that Dolan was teaching him how to be a bishop, Hying recognizes the lessons he learned as a priest when Dolan served as Archbishop of Milwaukee. According to Hying, “A lot of what I tried to do since I’ve been a bishop is modeled on his approach in terms of just really being out amongst the people, being joyful, being engaged in keeping the big picture in focus and looking at how do we bring people into the faith?”

“Joyful” is an adjective that describes Bishop Hying well. His sense of humor easily puts others at ease, making him very approachable. His genuine care for people makes him an excellent priest, as well as bishop.

The Diocese of Gary is very lucky in Pope Francis’ choice in appointing Bishop Hying to lead it.