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Donald William WuerlAmerican Cardinal
Date of Birth: 12.11.1940
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Birth and Early Life
- Education and Ordination
- Career in the Church
- Bishop of Pittsburgh and Archbishop of Washington
- Cardinalate and Later Years
Birth and Early Life
Donald William Wuerl was born on November 12, 1940, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the second of four children born to Francis J. Wuerl and Mary Ann (née Schifauer) Wuerl. His mother passed away when he was young, and his father later remarried Katherine Cavano (d. 1981), who raised Donald and his siblings.
Education and Ordination
Wuerl attended Mount Saint Mary's Parish and School in Mount Washington, Pittsburgh. He then studied at Mount Saint Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he majored in philosophy. He continued his studies in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, where he earned a doctorate in theology in 1974.
On December 17, 1966, Wuerl was ordained to the priesthood. He served as an assistant pastor at Holy Rosary Parish in the Greenfield section of Pittsburgh and as secretary to the then-Bishop of Pittsburgh, John Wright, who was elevated to cardinal in 1969; Wuerl was his personal secretary at the Vatican from 1969 until Wright's death in 1979.
Career in the Church
In 1981, Wuerl became rector of Saint Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh, a position he held until 1985. In 1982, he was appointed executive secretary to Bishop John Marshall for the papal visitation of American seminaries.
On December 3, 1985, Wuerl was appointed Titular Bishop of Rosmarkae and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle. He was consecrated a bishop on January 6, 1986, by Pope John Paul II.
Bishop of Pittsburgh and Archbishop of Washington
On February 12, 1988, Wuerl was appointed Bishop of Pittsburgh. He served in this role until June 22, 2006, when he was appointed Archbishop of Washington.
Cardinalate and Later Years
On October 20, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI announced Wuerl's appointment as cardinal. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals on November 20, 2010, and given the titular church of San Pietro in Vincoli.
Wuerl served as Archbishop of Washington until October 12, 2018, when he became Apostolic Administrator of the Archdiocese. He continues to serve in this role today.
