Adam Joseph Maida (born March 18, 1930) is an

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate who served as

Archbishop of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church covering the south-east portion of Michigan in the United States. The archdiocese consists counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oa ...

from 1990 to 2009, and was elevated to the

cardinalate The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

in 1994. He previously served as Bishop of Green Bay from 1984 to 1990.

Biography

Early life and education

Maida was born on March 18, 1930, in East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, to Adam and Sophie (née Cieslak) Maida. The oldest of three children, he has two brothers, Thaddeus (who also became a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

) and Daniel. His father immigrated from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

at age 16, while his mother was the daughter of Polish immigrants. He and his brothers attended public schools in East Vandergrift since there were no local Catholic schools. Maida attended Vandergrift High School and Scott Township High School, each for one year. During his second year of high school, Maida decided to enter the priesthood. He entered St. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, graduating from there in 1948. He then entered St. Mary's College, also in Orchard Lake Village. In 1950, Maida transferred to

Saint Vincent College Saint Vincent College is a private Catholic, Benedictines, Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, it is operated by the Benedictine Monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey, the first Bene ...

in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he earned a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; or or ) is the title of an academic degree in philosophy that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's degrees, the ...

degree in 1952. He received a

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology (; abbreviated LTh or STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theology) which are conferred ...

from St. Mary's University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1956.

Ordination and ministry

On May 26, 1956, Maida was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh by then Bishop

John Dearden John Francis Dearden (October 15, 1907 – August 1, 1988) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, and was created a cardinal in 1969. He previously served as Bishop of Pittsburgh from 1950 to 195 ...

at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Pittsburgh. After his ordination, Maida's first assignment was as assistant pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in

Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania Pleasant Hills is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,504. It is a suburb of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. History The borough was incorporated into Allegheny County in ...

. He later served at Holy Innocents Parish in Sheraden, Pennsylvania. In 1958, Bishop Dearden sent Maida to Rome to study at the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

, where he earned a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law (; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate is the title of a person who ...

in 1960. He received his Juris Doctor from

Duquesne University School of Law The Thomas R. Kline School of Law is the law school of Duquesne University, a private Catholic university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is approved by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Sch ...

in Pittsburgh in 1964; he was admitted to practice law for the

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Maryland to its south, West ...

, the Federal Bar in Western Pennsylvania, and the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

. Maida served as vice-

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

and general counsel (1965–1983) of the diocese. In 1968, he was elected president of the

Canon Law Society of America Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

. He served on a papal commission to draft a due process procedure giving the laity

legal recourse A legal recourse is an action that can be taken by an individual or a corporation to attempt to remedy a legal difficulty. * A lawsuit if the issue is a matter of Civil law (common law), civil law * Contracts that require mediation or arbitration ...

within the church, and participated in the revision of the

Code of Canon Law Code of Canon Law () may refer to: * '' Corpus Juris Canonici'' ('Body of Canon Law'), a collection of sources of canon law of the Catholic Church applicable to the Latin Church until 1918 * 1917 ''Code of Canon Law'', code of canon law for the Ca ...

; for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, he worked on the adoption of a due process procedure and chaired the bishops' Canonical Affairs Committee. Maida served as a member of the diocesan tribunal, assistant professor of theology at

La Roche College La Roche University is a private Catholic university in McCandless, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1963 by the Sisters of Divine Providence and now sits on an campus within the Diocese of Pittsburgh. History La Roche Univers ...

in McCandless, Pennsylvania, and adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University Law School (1971–1983). He was also chaplain of the St. Thomas More Society.

Bishop of Green Bay

On November 8, 1983,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

appointed Maida as the ninth bishop of Green Bay. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on January 25, 1984, from Archbishop

Pio Laghi Pio Laghi (21 May 1922 – 10 January 2009) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. His service was primarily in the diplomatic service of the Holy See and the Roman Curia. He served as Apostolic nuncio to several countries and as the ...

, with Bishops Aloysius Wycisło and Vincent Leonard serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

, at the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier in Green Bay. During his tenure in Green Bay, Maida appointed the diocese's first female chancellor and first female parish director. He also established a diocesan planning council and ministry formation program, initiated a diocesan census, implemented the

RCIA The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (), or OCIA, known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in many English-speaking countries, is a process developed by the Catholic Church for its catechumenate for prospective converts ...

process, and raised $9 million through Lumen Christi education endowment campaign.

Archbishop of Detroit

On April 28, 1990, John Paul II appointed Maida as the fourth archbishop of Detroit. He was installed on June 12, 1990. On November 26, 1994, John Paul II elevated Maida to the

College of Cardinals The College of Cardinals (), also called the Sacred College of Cardinals, is the body of all cardinals of the Catholic Church. there are cardinals, of whom are eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope. Appointed by the pope, ...

Cardinal-Priest A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

of '' Ss. Vitale, Valeria, Gervasio e Protasio''. In 2000, Maida was appointed the first superior of the Mission ''sui iuris'' of the Cayman Islands. In April 2005, following the death of John Paul II, Maida traveled to the Vatican as a

cardinal elector A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. Ca ...

to participate in the

conclave A conclave is a gathering of the College of Cardinals convened to appoint the pope of the Catholic Church. Catholics consider the pope to be the apostolic successor of Saint Peter and the earthly head of the Catholic Church. Concerns around ...

that selected

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

. Maida is no longer eligible to vote in any future conclaves as he reached his 80th birthday. On March 18, 2005, Maida sent his letter of resignation to Pope Benedict XVI, having reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. The Vatican asked Maida to remain archbishop until further notice. On June 8, 2006, Maida celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. In January 2007, Maida relieved Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus

Thomas Gumbleton Thomas John Gumbleton (January 26, 1930 – April 4, 2024) was an American Catholic and a prominent social activist. Gumbleton served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1968 to 2006. According to Gumbleton, the Vatican fo ...

of his pastoral duties at St. Leo Parish in Detroit. Gumbleton claimed he was being punished by Maida for his outspoken views on sexual abuse crimes by clergy. Maida claimed that he was following church rules on retirement of bishops.

Retirement

On January 5, 2009, the Vatican announced acceptance of Maida's resignation and the appointment of Bishop

Allen Vigneron Allen Henry Vigneron (born October 21, 1948) is an American Catholic prelate who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan and ecclesiastical superior of the Cayman Islands from 2008 to 2025. Vigneron previously served as ...

, from the Diocese of Oakland, as his successor. Vigneron was installed on January 28, 2009, at the

Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament is a Neo-Gothic style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States. It is the seat of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. The metropolitan archdiocese for the Roman Ca ...

in Detroit Maida became

apostolic administrator An apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of Detroit and assisted Vigneron with the transition. Maida celebrated his final mass at the cathedral on January 25, 2009. This was also held in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his consecration as a bishop.

References

External links

*
Biography from the Archdiocese of Detroit (in PDF format)
* ttp://www.aod.org/ Archdiocese of Detroit {{DEFAULTSORT:Maida, Adam 1930 births Living people 21st-century American cardinals 20th-century American cardinals American people of Polish descent American theologians Catholics from Michigan Catholics from Wisconsin Cardinals created by Pope John Paul II Duquesne University alumni Duquesne University faculty People from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Religious leaders from Wisconsin Roman Catholic archbishops of Detroit Roman Catholic bishops of Green Bay Saint Vincent College alumni Catholic University of America trustees People from Orchard Lake, Michigan Catholics from Pennsylvania St. Mary's Preparatory alumni