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Thomas Wenski

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend
Thomas Wenski
Archbishop of Miami
Wenski in 2014
Wenski in 2014
Archdiocese Miami
Appointed April 20, 2010
Installed June 1, 2010
Predecessor John Clement Favalora
Previous posts Bishop of Orlando (2004–2010)
Coadjutor Bishop of Orlando (2003–2004)
Auxiliary Bishop of Miami and Titular Bishop of Kearney (1997–2003)
Orders
Ordination May 15, 1976
by Coleman Carroll
Consecration September 3, 1997
by John Favalora, Edward A. McCarthy, and Agustin Roman
Personal details
Born October 18, 1950
West Palm Beach, Florida, US
Motto Omnia omnibus
(Latin for 'All things to all men')
Styles
Reference style His Excellency
The Most Reverend
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Archbishop
Ordination history
History
Episcopal consecration
Consecrated by
John Favalora (Miami)
Date
September 3, 1997
Episcopal succession
Bishops consecrated by Thomas Wenski as principal consecrator
Gregory Parkes
June 5, 2012
Peter Baldacchino
March 19, 2014

Thomas Gerard Wenski (born October 18, 1950) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Archbishop of Miami since 2010. He previously served as Bishop of Orlando from 2004 to 2010, coadjutor bishop of Orlando from 2003 to 2004, and as Auxiliary Bishop of Miami from 1997 to 2003.

Early life and education

Wenski was born on October 18, 1950, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Chester and Louise (née Zawacki) Wenski.[1] His father was born in Poland with the last name "Wiśniewski", and came to the United States with his parents in 1910 at age 2.[2] The family eventually adopted the Anglicized version, "Wenski".[2] Both Chester and Louise were raised in the Polish neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, but moved to Florida after their marriage.[2] Together they ran a business spray-painting stucco houses.[1]

Wenski was raised in Lake Worth, Florida, where he attended Sacred Heart School.[3] He decided to become a priest in the third grade, later recalling, "I never imagined myself as anything else; it was what God wanted me to do, although I sometimes vacillated on whether I wanted to do it."[4] At age 13, he entered Saint John Vianney Seminary in Miami.[1][5] During his twelve years at the seminary, he was a self-described "very liberal seminarian," questioning Catholic teaching on clerical celibacy and the ordination of women.[1] His views eventually became more conservative through his experience working with Cuban immigrants and reading about communism in Poland and Cuba.[1] He graduated from St. John Vianney in 1970 with an associate's degree.[6]

Wenski then began his studies in philosophy and theology at St. Vincent de Paul Minor Seminary in Boynton Beach.[3][7] He earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree (1972) and a Master of Divinity degree (1975).[3] He later received a Master of Arts degree from the School of Sociology of Fordham University in New York City in 1993,[8] and took summer courses at the Catholic University of Lublin in Lublin, Poland.[3]

Priesthood

Wenski was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Miami by Archbishop Coleman Carroll on May 15, 1976.[9] His first assignment was as an associate pastor at Corpus Christi Parish in Miami,[10] where he remained for three years.[3] At Corpus Christi, he took an interest in the Haitian parishioners who attended Mass in Creole; he was later sent to Haiti to study Creole and Haitian culture.[1]

After returning to Miami in 1979, Wenski was appointed to a Haitian apostolate operating out of the Cathedral of Saint Mary.[1] Wenski then served as associate director and later director of the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami until 1997.[3] He also served concurrently as pastor of three Haitian parishes in the archdiocese: Notre-Dame d'Haiti in Miami,[11] Divine Mercy in Fort Lauderdale, and St. Joseph in Pompano Beach.[1] His outreach to the Haitian Catholic community in Miami was initially met with staunch opposition by Haitian priest and activist Gérard Jean-Juste, who later came to regard Wenski as an ally.[1] He also befriended Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a now-laicized priest who later became the first democratically elected President of Haiti,[1][12]

Wenski celebrated weekly Mass for shut-ins in English at WPLG, the local ABC affiliate, from 1992 to 1997, and directed the Ministry to Non-Hispanic Ethnic Groups.[3] He became an adjunct professor at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in 1994.[13] In January 1996, Wenski was named director of the archdiocesan Catholic Charities.[3] In this capacity, he helped form a relationship with Caritas Cuba, the social service arm of the Catholic Church in Cuba. Later in 1996, he spearheaded a relief operation that delivered over 150,000 pounds (68,000 kg) of food to Caritas Cuba for distribution to people left homeless by Hurricane Lili.[3]

Episcopacy

Auxiliary Bishop of Miami

On June 24, 1997, Wenski was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Miami and titular bishop of Kearney by Pope John Paul II.[9] He received his episcopal consecration on September 3, 1997, from Archbishop John Favalora, with Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy and Bishop Agustin Roman serving as co-consecrators, at the Miami Arena.[9] Wenski selected as his episcopal motto: "All Things to All Men" (1 Corinthians 9:22).[14] As an auxiliary bishop, he served as episcopal vicar for Broward and Monroe Counties.[4]

In addition to his episcopal duties, Wenski served on numerous boards, including Catholic Hospice, Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities Legal Services, and St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Florida. He served as chair of Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (1998–2001),[15] and of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration (2001–2004).[3][16] He also served on the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust and the Coordinating Council of Broward, and was appointed by Florida Governor Jeb Bush to the Florida Council on Homelessness, in 2001, and the Task Force on Haiti in 2004.[3]

Bishop of Orlando

Wenski was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Orlando on July 1, 2003, by John Paul II.[9] His installation took place on August 22, 2003.[9] Following the retirement of Bishop Norbert Dorsey, Wenski succeeded him as the fourth bishop of Orlando on November 13, 2004.[9] He was the first Florida-born bishop of Orlando.[17]

Wenski convoked the first synod for the diocese in 2004.[17] He held listening sessions with a diverse group of Catholics to hear about their concerns.[17] He designated 2008 as the "Year of Evangelization," putting a greater emphasis on deepening the faith of all people.[17] At the time of his appointment to Miami in 2010, he was leading the diocese through the early stages of both a $150 million capital campaign and an extensive renovation of St. James Cathedral in Orlando[18]

In October 2007, Wenski was selected to serve on the board of directors of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, a non-profit public charity that assists specialty crop producers and their stakeholders.[3] In September 2008, he gave an invocation at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[19] In March 2009, he joined the conservative Catholic Leadership Institute's national advisory board for their "Good Leaders, Good Shepherds" program.[3] In May of that year, Wenski held a Mass of reparation for the University of Notre Dame's decision to have President Barack Obama deliver its commencement speech and receive an honorary degree, given Obama's views on abortion rights for women.[20] At the Mass, he denounced Obama for his "rather extremist views on abortion" and said that Notre Dame's "actions suggest that, unlike a Carrie Prejean, it lacks the courage of its convictions."[21]

In June 2009, Wenski was elected to a four-year term on the board of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.[3] He chaired the USCCB Committee on International Policy (2004–2008), and currently serves as a consultant to the Committee on Migration and a member of the Secretariat for the church in Latin America,[22] Committee for International Justice and Peace,[23] and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.[3] Wenski is currently the episcopal moderator for Catholic Health Services for the Florida Catholic Conference.[3][24]

During his tenure, Wenski created six new parishes and two missions.[25] His capital and endowment campaign raised $100 million.[26] He petitioned and was granted that two diocesan churches be raised to the status of minor basilicas.[27] He started the Spanish language radio station, Buena Nueva FM. along with the Spanish language newspaper, El Clarin.[28]

Archbishop of Miami

On April 20, 2010, Wenski was appointed the fourth Archbishop of Miami by Pope Benedict XVI.[29] Following his appointment, he said he was "humbled by the Holy Father's confidence in me and aware of my own limitations and shortcomings..."[30] He succeeded Archbishop Favalora. He became the first native of the archdiocese to become its archbishop.[18] Wenski was installed at the Cathedral of Saint Mary on June 1, 2010.[31] At the end of June, he received the pallium, a vestment worn by metropolitan bishops, from Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Basilica.[31]

On February 2, 2012, Wenski celebrated a Pontifical High Mass, a solemn form of Tridentine Mass, the first such celebration in the state of Florida in more than 40 years.[32] Wenski has created the annual Archbishop's Motorcycle Ride, in part due to his enjoying of motorcycles, to raise money for St. Luke's Patient Addiction Recovery Center.[33]

In June 2015, Wenski reacted to the US Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same sex marriage, by comparing it to the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. The latter decision, handed down in 1857, effectively classified enslaved African Americans as property rather than people.[34] On August 7, 2016, Wenski and two other Catholic prelates issued a statement condemning Catholic politicians who officiate at same sex weddings. This came a week after then-Vice President Joe Biden officiated a wedding for two male White House staff members.[35]

See also

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.00 Back to citation occurrence 1.01 Back to citation occurrence 1.02 Back to citation occurrence 1.03 Back to citation occurrence 1.04 Back to citation occurrence 1.05 Back to citation occurrence 1.06 Back to citation occurrence 1.07 Back to citation occurrence 1.08 Back to citation occurrence 1.09 Viglucci, Andres (February 26, 1995). "God's Man in Little Haiti". The Miami Herald.
  2. Back to citation occurrence 2.0 Back to citation occurrence 2.1 Back to citation occurrence 2.2 St. Pierre, Mary (April 15, 2004). "Coadjutor joins in traditional Polish blessing" (PDF). The Florida Catholic.
  3. Back to citation occurrence 3.00 Back to citation occurrence 3.01 Back to citation occurrence 3.02 Back to citation occurrence 3.03 Back to citation occurrence 3.04 Back to citation occurrence 3.05 Back to citation occurrence 3.06 Back to citation occurrence 3.07 Back to citation occurrence 3.08 Back to citation occurrence 3.09 Back to citation occurrence 3.10 Back to citation occurrence 3.11 Back to citation occurrence 3.12 Back to citation occurrence 3.13 Back to citation occurrence 3.14 Back to citation occurrence 3.15 "Bishop Wenski Biography". Diocese of Orlando. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 "Call Of Two Shepherds". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. September 3, 1997. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011.
  5. Back to citation St. John Vianney Minor Seminary
  6. Back to citation Quaroni, Marlene (October 8, 2009). "Seminarian's mural honors Mary". Florida Catholic. Archived from the original on December 25, 2009.
  7. Back to citation St. Vincent de Paul Major Seminary
  8. Back to citation School of Sociology
  9. Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 Back to citation occurrence 9.2 Back to citation occurrence 9.3 Back to citation occurrence 9.4 Back to citation occurrence 9.5 "Archbishop Thomas Gerard Wenski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
  10. Back to citation Corpus Christi Church
  11. Back to citation Notre-Dame d'Haiti Church
  12. Back to citation BBC article, Haiti makes voodoo official.
  13. Back to citation "The Florida Catholic Conference | Bishop Wenski". Archived from the original on May 6, 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2007.
  14. Back to citation "Bishop Wenski Coat of Arms". Diocese of Orlando. Archived from the original on January 3, 2008.
  15. Back to citation Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.
  16. Back to citation "Committee on Migration". Archived from the original on September 28, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  17. Back to citation occurrence 17.0 Back to citation occurrence 17.1 Back to citation occurrence 17.2 Back to citation occurrence 17.3 "Diocese of Orlando History". Diocese of Orlando.
  18. Back to citation occurrence 18.0 Back to citation occurrence 18.1 Palmo, Rocco (April 20, 2010). "Holy Goalie: A Two-Pole Tuesday". Whispers in the Loggia.
  19. Back to citation "REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION 2008 PRAYER – SEPTEMBER 2008". Diocese of Orlando. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008.
  20. Back to citation "Bishop Wenski leads Mass of Reparation for Obama invite and Catholic 'complacency'". Catholic News Agency. May 5, 2009.
  21. Back to citation "Mass of Reparation – May 2009". Diocese of Orlando. Archived from the original on January 26, 2010.
  22. Back to citation Secretariat for the Church in Latin America Archived April 29, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  23. Back to citation Committee for International Justice and Peace
  24. Back to citation Florida Catholic Conference
  25. Back to citation Powers, Jennifer (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Extended pastoral reach through new parishes, missions". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A2.
  26. Back to citation Peterson, Teresa Lantigua (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Alive in Christ Campaign reaches $100 million". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A3.
  27. Back to citation Dobson, Laura (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Churches elevated to status of minor basilicas under leadership of Archbishop Wenski". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A14.
  28. Back to citation Goodman, Tanya (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Helping Spanish-speaking Catholics feel at home". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A16.
  29. Back to citation "Archbishop Thomas Gerard Wenski". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved January 21, 2015; "Pope Names Orlando Bishop As Archbishop Of Miami, Chicago Auxiliary Bishop As Bishop Of Springfield In Illinois". United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. April 20, 2010; Rodriguez-Soto, Ana (April 20, 2010). "'Native son' comes home". Archdiocese of Miami; Sedensky, Matt (April 20, 2010). "Miami archbishop resigns, Orlando bishop replaces". Associated Press.
  30. Back to citation "Statement from Archbishop- Designate Thomas Wenski". Archdiocese of Miami. April 20, 2010.
  31. Back to citation occurrence 31.0 Back to citation occurrence 31.1 Rodriguez-Soto, Ana (April 20, 2010). "'Native son' comes home". Archdiocese of Miami.
  32. Back to citation "Solemn Pontifical Mass in Miami".
  33. Back to citation "Archbishop Wenski revs up for annual motorcycle ride". February 4, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  34. Back to citation Munzenrieder, Kyle. "Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski Compares Gay Marriage Ruling to Dred Scott Decision". Miami New Times. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  35. Back to citation Shine, Robert (August 7, 2016). "Bishops Criticize Vice President Joe Biden for Officiating Same-Gender Marriage". New Ways Ministry. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
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