Thomas Wenski was born on October 18, 1950, in West Palm Beach, Florida, to Chester and Louise (née Zawacki) Wenski.[5] 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.[6] The family eventually adopted the Anglicized version, "Wenski".[6] Both Chester and Louise were raised in the Polish neighborhoods of Detroit, Michigan, but moved to Florida after their marriage.[6] Together they ran a business spray-painting stucco houses.[5]
Wenski was raised in Lake Worth, Florida, where he attended Sacred Heart School.[7] 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."[8] At age 13, he entered Saint John Vianney Seminary in Miami.[5][9] 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.[5] His views eventually became more conservative through his experience working with Cuban immigrants and reading about communism in Poland and Cuba.[5] He graduated from St. John Vianney, in 1970 with an associate's degree.[10]
After returning to Miami in 1979, Wenski was appointed to a Haitian apostolate operating out of the Cathedral of Saint Mary.[5] Wenski then served as associate director and later director of the Pierre Toussaint Haitian Catholic Center in Miami until 1997.[7] He also served concurrently as pastor of three Haitian parishes in the archdiocese: Notre-Dame d'Haiti in Miami,[14] Divine Mercy in Fort Lauderdale, and St. Joseph in Pompano Beach.[5] 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.[5] He also befriended Jean-Bertrand Aristide, a now laicized priest who later became the first democratically elected President of Haiti,[5][15]
Wenski celebrated the weekly Mass in English for shut-ins at WPLG, the local ABC affiliate, from 1992 to 1997, and directed the Ministry to Non-Hispanic Ethnic Groups.[7] He became an adjunct professor at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in 1994.[16] In January 1996, Wenski was named director of the archdiocesan Catholic Charities.[7] 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.[7]
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),[18] and of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration (2001–2004).[7][19] 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.[7]
Bishop of Orlando
Wenski was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Orlando on July 1, 2003, by John Paul II.[4] His installation took place on August 22, 2003.[4] Following the retirement of Bishop Norbert Dorsey, Wenski succeeded him as the fourth bishop of Orlando on November 13, 2004.[4] He was the first Florida-born bishop of Orlando.[20]
Wenski convoked the first synod for the diocese in 2004.[20] He held listening sessions with a diverse group of Catholics to hear about their concerns.[20] He designated 2008 as the "Year of Evangelization," putting a greater emphasis on deepening the faith of all people.[20] 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[21]
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.[7] In September 2008, he gave an invocation at the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[22] In March 2009, he joined the conservative Catholic Leadership Institute's national advisory board for their "Good Leaders, Good Shepherds" program.[7] 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.[23] 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."[24]
In June 2009, Wenski was elected to a four-year term on the board of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.[7] 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,[25] Committee for International Justice and Peace,[26] and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.[7] Wenski is currently the episcopal moderator for Catholic Health Services for the Florida Catholic Conference.[7][27]
During his tenure, Wenski created six new parishes and two missions.[28] His capital and endowment campaign raised $100 million.[29] He petitioned and was granted that two diocesan churches be raised to the status of minor basilicas.[30] He started the Spanish language radio station, Buena Nueva FM. along with the Spanish language newspaper, El Clarin.[31]
Archbishop of Miami
On April 20, 2010, Wenski was appointed the fourth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami by Pope Benedict XVI.[4] Following his appointment, he said he was "humbled by the Holy Father's confidence in me and aware of my own limitations and shortcomings..."[32] He succeeded Archbishop Favalora. He became the first native of the archdiocese to become its archbishop.[21] Wenski was installed at the Cathedral of Saint Mary on June 1, 2010.[2] At the end of June, he received the pallium, a vestment worn by metropolitan bishops, from Benedict XVI at St. Peter's Basilica.[2]
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.[33] 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.[34]
In June 2015, Wenski reacted to the US Supreme Court decision that legalized same sex marriage by comparing it to the Dred Scott decision. That Supreme Court decision in 1857 effectively classified enslaved African-Americans as being property, not people.[35] 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.[36]
^Powers, Jennifer (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Extended pastoral reach through new parishes, missions". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A2.
^Peterson, Teresa Lantigua (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Alive in Christ Campaign reaches $100 million". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A3.
^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.
^Goodman, Tanya (May 21 – June 3, 2010). "Helping Spanish-speaking Catholics feel at home". Orlando, Florida: Florida Catholic. pp. A16.
