Joseph C. Taphorn, JCL, (born July 6, 1971) is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

priest of the

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, rector of the

Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter the priesthood and permanent diaconate, and educates lay men and women on Ca ...

, and vice-president of the

University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) The University of St. Thomas (also known as UST or simply St. Thomas) is a private Catholic research university with campuses in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1885 as a Catholic seminary, it is named after Thom ...

Early life and education

Taphorn was born in

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, on July 6, 1971, to Catholic parents, Jim and Joan Taphorn. He attended

Creighton Preparatory School Creighton Preparatory School (simply referred to as Creighton Prep or Prep) is a private, Jesuit high school for boys in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It was established in 1878 under the name Creighton College and is located in the Archdio ...

in Omaha for high school and while he applied to and was accepted at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, he chose instead to attend

Benedictine College Benedictine College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Atchison, Kansas, United States. It was established in 1971 by the merger of St. Benedict's College (founded 1858) for men and Mount St. Scholastica College (founded 1923) for ...

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. There, he studied philosophy and Spanish While studying there, he met and became friends with Andrew H. Cozzens, who would go on to become a priest and bishop. During his college years he was arrested several times for blocking access to a local abortion clinic. After graduation in 1992, he entered seminary at the

Pontifical College Josephinum The Pontifical College Josephinum is a Roman Catholic seminary and private university in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded by Joseph Jessing in 1888 to prepare seminarians for the many German-speaking communities in the United States at that time. ...

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, and was ordained a priest on June 7, 1997.

Priestly ministry

After ordination, Taphorn served as an associate pastor at Sacred Heart Parish in

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, for three years from 1997 to 2000. In 2000 he was sent to the

Pontifical Gregorian University Pontifical Gregorian University (; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana), is a private university, private pontifical university in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as a part of the Roman College, founded in 1551 by Ignatius of Loyo ...

to study

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

, and he received his licentiate in canon law (JCL) in 2002. From 2002 to 2017, he served in a variety of roles in the diocesan chancery and tribunal, including vice-chancellor, chancellor, judicial vicar, and moderator for the curia. In 2016, he became the founding pastor of the Newman Center at the

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

, where he remained until December 2018. In June 2018, it was announced that he would become the 15th rector of the

Saint Paul Seminary The Saint Paul Seminary (SPS) is a Catholic Church, Catholic major seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. A part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, SPS prepares men to enter th ...

in St. Paul, MN. His term at the Newman Center ended December 31, 2018, and he began at the Saint Paul Seminary on January 1, 2019. He was formally installed on February 11, 2019.

References

External links

Official website of the Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taphorn, Joseph C. Taphorn, Joseph Living people 1971 births