Pope Francis announced on Sept. 19 that he had accepted the resignations of Archdiocese of Chicago Auxiliary Bishops Joseph Perry and Andrew Wypych. Perry is 75, the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignation to the pope. Wypych, 68, resigned for health reasons. “We are blessed to have had the service of Bishops Perry and Wypych for so many years. They have made significant contributions to the life of the church both as priests and as episcopal vicars, and I am grateful for their ministry,” said Cardinal Cupich. “I am particularly pleased that Bishop Perry will continue in his pivotal role as diocesan postulator for the canonization cause of Venerable Augustus Tolton.” Bishop Perry was born in Chicago in 1948 and attended high school here. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee in 1975. St. Pope John Paul II named him an auxiliary bishop of Chicago in 1998. Bishop Perry chairs the Ad Hoc Committee Against Racism for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Committee on African-American Catholics, on which he has served since 2004. He is a member of several other USCCB committees and vice president of the board of the Black Catholic Congress. For more than 15 years, he has served as national chaplain for the Knights of St. Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary, a historically Black Catholic fraternal organization headquartered in New Orleans. He holds a licentiate in canon law from the Catholic University of America. Bishop Wypych was born in Kazimierza Wielka, Poland, in 1954. He came to Chicago in 1983, four years after being ordained for the Archdiocese of Krakow, Poland. Before being named an auxiliary bishop in 2011, he served as associate pastor, pastor or administrator at several archdiocesan parishes. He was pastor at St. Francis Borgia from 2002 to 2019. Before that, he was at St. Pancratius Parish as associate pastor, administrator and pastor since 1986. He also served as administrator and then pastor of Five Holy Martyrs Parish while he was pastor at St. Pancratius. Bishop Wypych was ordained a deacon by the future Pope John Paul II in Krakow. Bishop Kevin Birmingham, who died Oct. 2, had been appointted to replace Bishop Perry as episcopal vicar of Vicariate VI. In addition, Cardinal Cupich has appointed two priests, Father Marek Smolka and Father William Corcoran as interim vicars of Vicariates IV and V, respectively. Smolka, a native of Poland, has served as associate pastor of St. Francis Borgia Parish and Holy Name Cathedral, both in Chicago. He is now pastor at St. Francis Borgia Parish, dean of Deanery IV-D and coordinator of the Polish Ministry Council. Corcoran, a native of Evergreen Park, has served as associate pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Palos Hills and St. John Fisher Parish in Chicago. He was pastor at St. Linus Parish in Oak Lawn and is currently pastor of St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Orland Hills and dean of Deanery V-E. He has been a faculty member at Quigley Preparatory Seminary South Niles College and Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary. Chicago Catholic will have special coverage of Bishop Perry and Bishop Wypych in the Nov. 5 issue.
Auxiliary Bishop Raymond Goedert dies at 96 Retired Auxiliary Bishop Raymond E. Goedert, 96, died Dec. 9. “As we grieve the death of Bishop Emeritus Raymond Goedert, we thank God for giving his servant to us and the Church for 71 years,” said Cardinal Cupich.
Bishop Joseph Perry: Humble servant with pastor’s heart When asked to describe Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Perry, four people who worked closely with him on local and national levels used similar terms, calling him a humble, intelligent bishop of great faith who leads with a pastor’s heart.
Bishop Andrew Wypych reflects on vocation Auxiliary Bishop Andrew P. Wypych might have resigned from ministry in September, but he is clear that he has not retired from being a bishop.