Pope Names Milwaukee Auxiliary Bishop Hying Bishop of Gary, Indiana, Accepts Resignation of Bishop Melczek

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Donald J. Hying, 51, auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee, as bishop of Gary, Indiana, and accepted the resignation of Bishop Dale J. Melczek, 76, from pastoral governance of that diocese.

WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Donald J. Hying, 51, auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee, as bishop of Gary, Indiana, and accepted the resignation of Bishop Dale J. Melczek, 76, from pastoral governance of that diocese.

The appointment was publicized in Washington, November 24, by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Donald J. Hying was born August 18, 1963, in West Allis, Wisconsin, and ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee on May 20, 1989.

He holds bachelor’s degrees in history, philosophy and theology from Marquette University, a master of divinity degree from St. Francis de Sales Seminary, and is currently completing his thesis for a doctor of ministry degree from St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois.

Assignments after ordination included associate pastor, St. Anthony Parish, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, 1989-1994; team member, La Sagrada Familia Parroquia, Dominican Republic, 1994-1997; temporary administrator, St. Peter Parish, East Troy, Wisconsin, 1998; associate pastor, St. Anthony Parish, Milwaukee, 1998-1999; pastor, Our Lady of Good Hope Parish, Milwaukee, 1999-2005; dean of formation, St. Francis de Sales seminary, Milwaukee, 2005-2007; temporary administrator, St. Augustine Parish, Milwaukee, 2006; and rector, St. Francis de Sales Seminary, 2007-2011.

On May 26, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him auxiliary bishop of Milwaukee. He was ordained a bishop July 20 of that year. Bishop Hying is fluent in Spanish.

Dale J. Melczek was born November 9, 1938, in Detroit. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1964 and appointed auxiliary bishop of Detroit in 1982. In 1995, Pope John Paul II appointed him coadjutor bishop of Gary. He succeeded Bishop Norbert F. Gaughan as bishop of Gary on June 1, 1996.

The Diocese of Gary comprises 1,807 square miles in the State of Indiana and has a total population of 793,759 people, of which 185,100, or 23 percent, are Catholic.
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Keywords: bishop appointment, Bishop Donald J. Hying, Diocese of Gary, Indiana, Bishop Dale Melczek, Archdiocese of Milwaukee, auxiliary, Pope Francis, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò, apostolic nuncio to the United States
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