{{Short description|American Roman Catholic archbishop (1934–2020)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2012}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = archbishop | honorific-prefix = His Excellency, The Most Reverend | name = Daniel Edward Pilarczyk | honorific-suffix = | archbishop_of = Archbishop of Cincinnati<br>Titular Bishop of Hodelm | image = Daniel Edward Pilarczyk.jpeg | caption = | province = | diocese = | archdiocese = Cincinnati | appointed = October 30, 1982 | enthroned = December 20, 1982 | ended = December 21, 2009 | predecessor = Joseph Bernardin | successor = Dennis Marion Schnurr | ordination = December 20, 1959 | ordained_by = Gregorio Pietro Agagianian | consecration = December 20, 1974 | consecrated_by = Joseph Bernardin, Nicholas Elko, and James William Malone | other_post = | previous_post = Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati (1974–1982) | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|1934|8|12|mf=yes}} | birth_place = Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|3|22|1934|8|12}} | death_place = Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | buried = | nationality = | religion = Roman Catholic Church | residence = | parents = | alma_mater = | signature = | motto = ''Bonitas justitia veritas''<br>(Goodness, justice, truth) | education = Pontifical Urbaniana University<br>Xavier University<br>University of Cincinnati }}
{{Infobox bishopstyles | name= Daniel Edward Pilarczyk | dipstyle= *His Excellency *The Most Reverend | offstyle=Your Excellency | relstyle=Archbishop | image = Mitre (plain).svg | image_size = 200px }}
'''Daniel Edward Pilarczyk''' (August 12, 1934 – March 22, 2020) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1982 to 2009. He previously served there as an auxiliary bishop from 1974 to 1982.
==Early life and education== Daniel Pilarczyk was born on August 12, 1934 in Dayton, Ohio, the only child of Daniel Joseph and Frieda (Hilgefort) Pilarczyk.<ref name=archdiocese>{{cite news|work=Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati|title=Curriculum Vitae|url=http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=73&Itemid=1292}}</ref> After receiving his early education at Our Lady of Mercy and St. Anthony parochial schools, he attended Sacred Heart Latin School.<ref name=hempel>{{cite news|date=December 17, 2009|work=The Catholic Telegraph|title='I always presumed I would be a priest'|url=http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=899:i-always-presumed-i-would-be-a-priest&catid=1:local&Itemid=2|last=Hempel|first=Tricia}}</ref> At age 14, he entered Saint Gregory Seminary in Cincinnati, Ohio.<ref name=archdiocese/> In 1953, he was sent to Rome to continue his studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University, where he obtained a Licentiate of Philosophy in 1956 and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1960.<ref name=archdiocese/>
==Priesthood== Pilarczyk was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati at the Urbaniana by Cardinal Grégoire-Pierre Agagianian on December 20, 1959.<ref name=hierarchy>{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=Archbishop Daniel Edward Pilarczyk|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpila.html}}</ref> He remained in Rome for his postgraduate studies, earning a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Urbaniana in 1961.<ref name=archdiocese/>
Upon his return to the United States, the archdiocese assigned Pilarczyk as assistant chancellor and a curate at St. Louis Parish in Cincinnati.<ref name="hempel" /> He then taught Latin and Greek at St. Gregory Seminary from 1963 to 1974.<ref name="archdiocese" /> Pilarczyk received a Master's degree from Xavier University in Cincinnati in 1965.<ref name="archdiocese" /> He was named rector of St. Gregory Seminary in 1968; at age 31, he was the youngest man to hold that position.<ref name="hempel" /> He earned a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1969.<ref name="archdiocese" />
==Episcopacy==
===Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati=== On November 12, 1974, Pilarczyk was appointed as an auxiliary bishop of Cincinnati and titular bishop of ''Hodelm'' by Pope John Paul II.<ref name="hierarchy" /> He received his episcopal consecration at the Cathedral of Saint Peter in Chains in Cincinnati on December 20, 1974, from Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, with Archbishop Nicholas Elko and Bishop James W. Malone serving as co-consecrators.<ref name=hierarchy/>
From 1974 to 1982, he served as director of the archdiocesan Educational Services and chairman of the archdiocesan Commission on Education.<ref name="archdiocese" /> He also served as chair of the board of St. Rita School for the Deaf from 1977 to 1982.<ref name="archdiocese" /> He once said, <blockquote>Education means development, growth. When God creates us, He doesn't quite finish it. He lets us do some of the finishing touches. That's what education is. It's a wonderful gift. The ability to become educated ... [is] a wonderful gift which sometimes people overlook or misuse.<ref name="hempel" /></blockquote>Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pilarczyk became a member of the Committee on Doctrine in 1976 and chairman of the Committee on Education in 1978.<ref name="archdiocese" />
===Archbishop of Cincinnati=== Pilarczyk was appointed archbishop of Cincinnati by John Paul II on October 30, 1982.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bpila.html |title=Archbishop Daniel Edward Pilarczyk |first=David M. |last=Cheney |date=October 11, 2008 |access-date=February 2, 2009}}</ref> Pilarczyk served as vice president (1986–1989) and president (1989–1992) of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
In 2003, Pilarczyk pleaded no contest to five misdemeanor counts of failing to report felonies and admitted facts that constituted guilt; the archdiocese was found guilty of failing to report its crimes, and the judge said that church leaders had placed self-preservation ahead of their moral duty to minister to the victims.<ref name=guilt>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cleveland.com/abuse/index.ssf?/abuse/more/1069411185150122.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080629142615/http://www.cleveland.com/abuse/index.ssf?%2Fabuse%2Fmore%2F1069411185150122.html|url-status=dead|title=Cleveland Plain Dealer: Cincinnati archdiocese found guilty of cover-up, 21 November 2003|archivedate=June 29, 2008}}</ref>In October 2008, Bishop Dennis Marion Schnurr was named by Pope Benedict XVI as Pilarczyk's coadjutor archbishop.<ref name="wcpo20081017">{{cite news |first=Bill |last=Price |title=Vatican Names Future Replacement For Pilarczyk |date=October 17, 2008 |publisher=WCPO-TV}}</ref>
=== Retirement and legacy === On August 12, 2009, Pilarczyk resigned as archbishop of Cincinnati on his 75th birthday, as mandated by the Vatican. It was formally accepted by Pope Benedict XVI on December 21, 2009.<ref name=":0" />Pilarczyk continued to be involved in the Greater Cincinnati community. He expressed a fondness for preaching and worked to address what he considered misconceptions regarding Catholicism. In January 2006, his book entitled ''Being Catholic: How We Believe, Practice, And Think'' was published. Pilarczyk wrote at least 12 books on the Catholic faith.
After years of declining health, Pilarczyk died in Cincinnati on March 22, 2020.<ref name="WCPO">{{cite news|work=WCPO|title=Archbishop Emeritus Daniel Pilarczyk has passed away|url=https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/cincinnati/archbishop-emeritus-daniel-pilarczyk-has-passed-away}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Long-time chief of Cincinnati Catholics dead|first=Dan|last=Horn|work=The Cincinnati Enquirer|publisher=Gannett Company|date=March 22, 2020|access-date=March 22, 2020|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2020/03/22/archbishop-pilarczyk-dead-led-cincinnati-archdiocese-quarter-century/567274002/}}</ref> His funeral mass on March 27, 2020 was streamed online from St. Peter in Chains Cathedral. It was closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox19.com/video/2020/03/27/funeral-mass-cincinnati-archbishop-daniel-pilarczyk/|title=Funeral Mass for Cincinnati Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk|website=fox19.com|language=en-US|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref><ref name="coronafuneral">{{Cite web|url=https://local12.com/news/local/funeral-mass-for-archbishop-pilarczyk-to-be-streamed-online-due-to-coronavirus|title=Funeral Mass for Archbishop Pilarczyk to be streamed online due to coronavirus|date=2020-03-27|website=WKRC|access-date=2020-03-28}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal bar|Biography|Catholicism|Ohio}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Catholic Church hierarchy * Catholic Church in the United States * Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States * List of Catholic bishops of the United States * Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{wikiquote}}
* [http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati official website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928015434/http://www.local12.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=7e807068-a61b-460e-8546-ef2a6955d1f7 12 Questions With Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk] from ''Local 12 News'', Cincinnati, Ohio. *{{Cite news |url=http://www.cincypost.com/2002/apr/18/plrczk041802.html |title=Pilarczyk called to testify |first=Kimball |last=Perry |work=The Cincinnati Post |publisher=E. W. Scripps Company |date=April 18, 2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061020215624/http://www.cincypost.com/2002/apr/18/plrczk041802.html |archive-date=October 20, 2006}} *[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_7_40/ai_111616641 "Cincinnati archdiocese convicted for failing to report sex abuse"] from ''BNET Research Center''
{{s-start}} {{s-rel|ca}} {{succession box |title=Archbishop of Cincinnati |before= Joseph Bernardin |after= Dennis Marion Schnurr |years= 1982-2009 | }} {{succession box |title=Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati |before= - |after= - |years= 1974-1982 | }} {{s-end}}
{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati|state=collapsed}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilarczyk, Daniel Edward}} Category:Roman Catholic archbishops of Cincinnati Category:1934 births Category:2020 deaths Category:Writers from Dayton, Ohio Category:Bishops appointed by Pope Paul VI Category:20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Category:21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States Category:American people of Polish descent Category:Presidents of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops