Thomas Paprocki

Thomas John Joseph Paprocki (born August 5, 1952) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois since 2010.

The third of nine children, Thomas Paprocki was born August 5, 1952, in Chicago, Illinois; he has six brothers and two sisters.

A lifelong fan of hockey—who is sometimes referred to in the media as the "Holy Goalie" —he began playing at a young age in the basement of his father's drugstore and supports the Chicago Blackhawks professional hockey team.

He graduated from Quigley Preparatory Seminary South in Chicago in 1970, and then entered Niles College in Chicago, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974.

From 1974 to 1979, Paprocki studied at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, where he earned a Bachelor's in Sacred Theology (1976), Master's in Divinity (1978), and Licentiate in Sacred Theology (1979).

Paprocki was ordained to the priesthood at Saint Mary of the Lake for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal John Cody on May 10, 1978.

After his 1978 ordination, the archdiocese assigned Paprocki as associate pastor at St. Michael's Parish in South Chicago.

During this period, he received his Licentiate in Sacred Theology in 1979 from St. Mary.

He also studied law at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1981.

He founded the Chicago Legal Clinic in his parish to assist the working poor and disadvantaged.

In 1983, Paprocki left St. Michael's to become parochial administrator of St. Joseph Parish in Chicago.

Cardinal Joseph Bernardin named Paprocki as vice-chancellor of the archdiocese in 1985.

Paprocki then went to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He received a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1989 and a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1991.

Upon his return to Chicago, Bernardin appointed Paprocki as chancellor of the archdiocese in 1992.

He became pastor of St. Constance Parish in Chicago in 2000.

That same year, he spent time in Poland at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków studying Polish language and culture.

He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois from 2003 to 2010.

On January 24, 2003, Paprocki was appointed auxiliary bishop of Chicago and titular bishop of Vulturaria by Pope John Paul II.

He received his episcopal consecration on March 19, 2003, from Cardinal Francis George, with bishops Raymond E. Goedert and Ricardo Urquidi serving as co-consecrators.

As an auxiliary bishop, Paprocki served as episcopal vicar for Vicariate IV, and as the cardinal's liaison for Polonia and for health and hospital affairs.

Paprocki was also a board member of the Polish American Association and the Polish American Leadership Initiative.

Paprocki has shielded at least three priests from sexual assault investigations.

The Chicago media started calling Paprocki the "Holy Goalie" in 2006 due to his participation in an amateur ice hockey league.

He began playing hockey at a young age in the basement of his father's drugstore.

In November 2008, Paprocki said, "If Catholic hospitals were required by federal law to perform abortions, we'd have to close our hospitals."

On April 20, 2010, Paprocki was appointed as bishop of Springfield in Illinois by Pope Benedict XVI.

He was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on June 22, 2010.

In November 2010, he organized a conference on exorcism.

In April 2012, Paprocki was named as part of a three-member board of American Catholic bishops charged by the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) with a multi-year investigation into the U.S. Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).

He coined the name of the Fortnight for Freedom, a campaign of the American bishops on behalf of religious liberty.

Paprocki is episcopal board chair for the Catholic Athletes for Christ, and is the author of Running for a Higher Purpose and Holy Goals for Body and Soul.

In 2013, Paprocki received a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Paprocki is a long distance runner, having completed 24 marathons by 2018.

In February 2018, Paprocki officially upheld a previous decision to bar U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, a Catholic in his diocese, from receiving communion after Durbin voted against a 20-week abortion ban.

He made the following statement:

"'In April 2004, Sen. Durbin's pastor, then Msgr. Kevin Vann (now Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange, CA), said that he would be reticent to give Sen. Durbin Holy Communion because his pro-abortion position put him outside of communion or unity with the Church's teachings on life. My predecessor, now Archbishop George Lucas of Omaha, said that he would support that decision. I have continued that position. The provision is intended not to punish, but to bring about a change of heart.'"On June 6, 2019, Paprocki issued a decree officially barring Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, both Catholics, from receiving communion.

Paprocki said this decree was due to their roles in passing the Reproductive Health Act, which removes spousal consent and waiting periods for abortions.

While singling out Madigan and Cullerton specifically, Paprocki also asked that other Catholic legislators who voted for the bill not present themselves for communion either, stating that they had "cooperated in evil and committed grave sin."

Madigan stated that Paprocki had informed him earlier that he would be forbidden from taking communion if he permitted the House to debate and vote on the measure, but that he chose to do so.