Things Visible and Invisible with Bishop Donald J. Hying

Bishop Hying welcomes Fr. James Kubicki, SJ, author and longtime leader of the Apostleship of Prayer, for a conversation about what Fr. Kubicki calls “the devotion of all devotions.” Fr. Kubicki traces devotion to the Sacred Heart from the Beloved Disciple at the Last Supper, through St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, to Pope Francis’ final encyclical. Together they discuss the Sacred Heart as God’s devotion to us, how it answers a cold and rigid view of God, and how it connects to the Eucharist and Divine Mercy. They also explain how families can live the First Friday devotion and enthrone the Sacred Heart in their homes.

As November approaches, the Church turns our hearts toward those who have died and toward the hope of the resurrection. Bishop Hying sits down with Damian Lenshek, director of cemeteries for the Diocese of Madison, to talk about how Catholics understand death, why we pray for those who have gone before us, and what the Wisconsin bishops’ renewed pastoral letter, Now and at the Hour of Our Death, teaches about end-of-life decisions, cremation, and the dignity of every human life. They also offer practical advice on planning a Catholic funeral and burial, and share upcoming Catholic Cemeteries Week events.

Ahead of his Oct. 22 feast day, Bishop Donald J. Hying reflects on St. John Paul II, the Polish pope he calls his spiritual father. He traces the saint’s life from his boyhood in Wadowice through the Nazi occupation, his secret formation for the priesthood, and his fearless stand against communism, to a papacy that carried the Gospel to every corner of the world. Bishop Hying also shares how, as a 16-year-old scrubbing restaurant fryers at 2 a.m., he heard the pope speak to America’s young people on the radio and knew God was calling him to be a priest.

Ivan grew up non-denominational. Charlie was a cradle Catholic whose faith was lukewarm. Through their friendship, each drew the other closer to Christ, and today Ivan is preparing to enter the Catholic Church. Bishop Donald Hying is joined by the two Madison-area high schoolers behind project_2.42, an Instagram apologetics account named for Acts 2:42. They talk about what won Ivan over to Catholicism, why young people are looking for tradition and structure rather than a watered-down faith, and what the Church could do better to form and reach their generation.

October is Respect Life Month, and Bishop Donald J. Hying reflects on the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death. He speaks about the grave evil of abortion and the church's work to support mothers and families, the growing threat of euthanasia and the gift of palliative care, and why a person's worth never depends on what they can produce or do on their own. Drawing on the meaning of the crucifix, Bishop Hying offers a vision of compassion that embraces suffering rather than eliminating the sufferer, and he invites Catholics to pray, vote, and live as missionaries of the gospel of life.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux died at the age of 24, a cloistered nun who by her own account had done nothing remarkable – and yet she became one of the most beloved saints in the history of the Church. In this episode, Bishop Donald Hying reflects on his favorite female saint: her "little way" of doing small things with great love, the spiritual darkness she endured at the end of her life, and the extraordinary power of her intercession. Along the way he shares why Thérèse, who promised to spend her heaven doing good on earth, remains a beloved friend to so many, himself included.

Bishop Donald Hying sits down with renowned Catholic speaker and author Jason Evert for a conversation about love, the human person, and the Theology of the Body. Evert makes the case that the Church's message is good news, not a list of rules: chastity, he says, is the virtue that frees us to love and to know when we are truly loved. Together, he and the Bishop explore why so many young people are turning to the Church for something lasting, and how the Gospel speaks with both clarity and compassion to the deepest questions about who we are.Show NotesJason Evert comes to St. Bernard Church in Watertown on Monday, October 27, 2026, at 6 p.m. for a special event for teens and adults (ages 13+), hosted by St. Therese of Lisieux Parish. The evening pairs two of his talks – Purified and Gender and the Theology of the Body – with Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, plus free resources for all attendees.Early Bird Pricing = $22 (Ends October 6, 2026)Regular Ticket = $25Order Tickets: https://chastityproject.ticketspice.com/watertown

In the second of a two-part conversation, Bishop Donald Hying continues his conversation with Karen Paschke, a consecrated virgin living in the world in the Diocese of Madison, as she shares her conversion and discernment story. Raised Lutheran, Karen spent 15 years away from God before waking one morning in 2009 knowing she had to come home. She entered the Catholic Church in 2010, and not long after, an unexpected question set her on the path to a vocation she didn't know existed. Karen recounts the surprise, resistance, and eventual joy of that discernment, the deeply personal formation process that followed, and the beauty of the consecration itself – a rite that, as she describes it, radiates a joy even her agnostic and atheist friends could see.

What does it mean to give your life entirely to God while living an ordinary life in the world? In the first of a two-part conversation, Bishop Donald Hying speaks with Karen Paschke, a consecrated virgin living in the world and a high school math teacher here in the Diocese of Madison. Unlike a religious sister who steps away from the world into community, a consecrated virgin gives herself completely to Christ in the midst of everyday life. Karen reflects on the interior consecration at the heart of her vocation, her spousal relationship with Christ, and the three identities that shape her life – virgin, bride, and mother.

In the fourth and final episode of his series on the Four Holy Habits, Bishop Donald Hying reflects on Friday penance, offering some small act of sacrifice or mortification on the day the Church remembers the Lord's passion and death. Drawing on Jesus' words about fasting when the bridegroom is taken away, Bishop Hying explores why self-denial has always been part of the spiritual life. Anything worthwhile requires sacrifice, and when there is less of us – less ego and less excess – there is more room for Christ to abide. He considers the many forms penance can take beyond abstaining from meat, and reminds us that spirituality is sometimes a matter not of adding but of subtracting, clearing away distractions so that God can fill the space.