Bishop Peter Muhich, of the Diocese of Rapid City, Announces he is Entering Hospice Care due to his Cancer

Bishop Peter M. Muhich,  of the Diocese of Rapid City, is entering hospice care after his battle with cancer. Pope Francis named Father Peter M. Muhich, the 9th Bishop of Rapid City, on May 12, 2020.

Bishop Peter M. Muhich wrote on the diocesan website: This morning I write to let you know that I have reached another step along my journey with cancer. Despite the best efforts of my health care team, all treatment options have been exhausted and there is no more that can be done without causing greater harm to my system.
Therefore I have accepted the recommendation of my doctors and will move to hospice as soon as a space is prepared for me. Thanks to all of you for your many prayers, which have sustained me and strengthened me through the many trials along the way. I am grateful.
Through the coming weeks or months, as God wills, I will continue to handle as much of the administrative work of the diocese as I can manage with the assistance of my capable vicars and chancellor.
Let us pray that many graces flow from God to our diocese as I await God’s will. I offer all my sufferings for a true Eucharistic Revival in our diocese.
Yours, +Bishop Peter

Previously, upon his diagnosis (in September 2023), he wrote: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Let me begin by thanking you for all the prayers and support you have given me since my diagnosis. As you may remember, the doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in my lower esophagus and have been treating it with radiation and chemotherapy.

I completed the course of treatments in mid-August and am now in a recovery phase. Both treatments took a toll on the body and I am still weak. Another side effect is that swallowing solid food is still a challenge, so I have been mostly on a liquid and soft diet. I will be slowly reintroducing more solids as time goes on.

Because of the radiation treatments a new PET scan cannot be done until mid-November. The reason for this is that the effects of the radiation treatments would lead to “false positives” if the test was done too soon.

So I ask for your continued prayers that the treatments have been successful in killing the cancer and that I am able to eat more normally so that my body can heal properly. Please continue to ask Servant of God Nicholas Black Elk to intercede for me and for Fr. Andrzej.

I am offering the trials of this sickness for a deep and fruitful revival of Eucharistic faith in our diocese. I have constantly felt the Lord’s presence with me in these days of illness and uncertainty. God is good and will bring many graces out of this time of illness if we are open to receiving them.

+Bishop Peter Muhich

 Bishop Muhich was born on May 13, 1961 and ordained to the priesthood on September 29, 1989 for the Diocese of Duluth.  The Diocese of Rapid City is comprised of 43,000 square miles in the State of South Dakota and has a total population of 227,211 of which 23,934 are Catholic. 
Source: https://www.rapidcitydiocese.org/office-of-bishop/