| Styles of Thomas J. Paprocki |
|
|---|---|
| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | not applicable |
Thomas John Paprocki (born August 5, 1952) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He currently serves as Bishop of Springfield in Illinois since his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI on 20 April 2010.[1] From 2003 until his appointment he served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Before moving to Springfield, Paprocki would often be found running on the Chicago Lakefront path in his trademark White Sox hat running between an 8:00 and an 8:30 pace. He has run marathons all over the world.
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The third of nine children, Thomas Paprocki was born in Chicago, Illinois; he has six brothers and two sisters.[2] A lifelong fan of hockey, he began playing at a young age in the basement of his father's drugstore and supports the Chicago Blackhawks.[2] He graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary South in 1970, and then entered Niles College, from where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974.[3]
From 1974 to 1979, he studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, where he earned a Bachelor's in Sacred Theology (1976), Master's in Divinity (1978), and Licentiate in Sacred Theology (1979).[3]
Paprocki was ordained to the priesthood by John Cardinal Cody on May 10, 1978,[4] and then served as associate pastor at St. Michael's Church until 1983. In 1981, he earned his Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law and founded the Chicago Legal Clinic to assist the working poor and disadvantaged.[5][6]
Paprocki served as administrator of St. Joseph Church from 1983 to 1986, and as vice-chancellor of the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1985 to 1987.[3] He then furthered his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University, where he obtained a Licentiate in Canon Law (1989) and Doctorate in Canon Law (1991). Upon his return to the United States, he was named chancellor of the Archdiocese in 1992, and later pastor of St. Constance Church in 2000.[5]
On January 24, 2003, Paprocki was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago and Titular Bishop of Vulturaria by Pope John Paul II.[4] He received his episcopal consecration on the following March 19 from Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., with Bishops Raymond Goedert and Ricardo Watty Urquidi, M.Sp.S., serving as co-consecrators.[4] As an auxiliary, he serves as Episcopal Vicar for Vicariate IV, and as the Cardinal's liaison for Polonia and for Health and Hospital Affairs.[3] He is also a member of the Boards of Directors of the Polish American Association and the Polish American Leadership Initiative.[3]
When Governor Rod Blagojevich issued an executive order in 2005 requiring all pharmacists in the state to dispense prescription contraceptives,[7] Paprocki condemned the order in Blagojevich's presence, saying, "I am dismayed that our secular society has reached the point that individuals are being required by law to violate their personal religious beliefs in order to accommodate the selfish demands of special interest groups."[8]
In November 2008, Paprocki spoke out against the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), saying, "It could mean discontinuing obstetrics in our hospitals, and we may need to consider taking the drastic step of closing our Catholic hospitals entirely. It would not be sufficient to withdraw our sponsorship or to sell them to someone who would perform abortions. That would be a morally unacceptable cooperation in evil."[9] In a subsequent interview with The Chicago Tribune, he reaffirmed his position, saying, "If Catholic hospitals were required by federal law to perform abortions, we'd have to close our hospitals."[10]
When remarking about who was responsible for the sexual abuse crises in the Catholic Church, he said that the scandal was at least in part influenced by the Devil's taking advantage of the moral weaknesses and psychological instability and sickness of the pedophiliac priest-abusers. However, Bishop Paprocki later made it clear that they were still ultimately totally responsible for their reprehensible conduct and should face civil justice and laicization.
On 20 April 2010 he was appointed as the bishop of Springfield in Illinois by Pope Benedict. He was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on June 22, 2010.