Archbishop names Fr. Hying seminary rector
West Allis native has served as parish priest, formation director

By Brian T. Olszewski, Catholic Herald Staff

ST. FRANCIS – Calling him “a splendid parish priest and a man of learning,” Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan announced that Fr. Donald J. Hying will become rector of Saint Francis Seminary July 1.

Fr. Hying, 43, will succeed Fr. Michael Witczak, who has been rector since December 2001. Fr. Witczak will return to teaching and/or research in liturgy and sacraments at a yet-to-be-determined school.

The youngest of six children born to Albert and the late Catherine Hying, Fr. Hying is a native of West Allis, where he was a member of St. Aloysius Parish. Following graduation from Brookfield Central High School, he became a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, earning an undergraduate degree in 1985 from Marquette University, where he majored in philosophy, theology and history. He completed his graduate studies in theology at Saint Francis Seminary and was ordained a priest in 1989.

His first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Anthony, Menomonee Falls. He served the parish until 1994 when he was appointed to the archdiocese’s sister parish in the Dominican Republic, La Sagrada Familia.

In 1998, Fr. Hying was appointed associate pastor at St. Anthony, Milwaukee, and the following year he received his first pastorate when he was assigned to Our Lady of Good Hope, Milwaukee. He has been dean of formation at Saint Francis Seminary since 2005.

During an interview with your Catholic Herald, for which he writes a monthly faith formation column, Fr. Hying said the archbishop had approached him a couple of months ago about the possibility of becoming rector.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to build a seminary program that forms men for the priesthood of today,” the priest said.

While the academic formation of the archdiocese’s seminarians takes place at Sacred Heart Seminary, Hales Corners, the human and pastoral formation continues to take place at Saint Francis Seminary.

Noting the changes that have taken place and that will take place on the seminary campus, e.g., the move of the archdiocesan central offices to the seminary campus, Fr. Hying said, “Out of all this change will come some very good things.”

Fr. Hying, who is pursing a doctorate in ministry from St. Mary of the Lake University/Mundelein Seminary in Illinois, said he sees several areas into which his work as rector will take him.

“Recruitment is important. I want to be pro-active in getting other dioceses to send their seminarians here,” he said, noting that he will collaborate with the vocations office in that undertaking.

He said a “key issue” will be building financial security for the seminary, and that he also wanted to “make our formation better.”

As he begins the six-year appointment as rector, Fr. Hying said he wants to let the “people in the pews” know that the seminary is open and that great things are happening.

“Working with our vocations office, I hope to go to different parishes on weekends and talk about the seminary, letting people know what we are doing,” he said.

Archbishop Dolan noted that Fr. Hying would work with all of the archdiocese’s seminarians, including those who study in Rome and the men who attend college in Chicago.

“He will be building a community among our future priests,” the archbishop said.

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