Pope Francis Appoints 5 New Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of Chicago's Over 2 Million Catholics

Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Timothy O’Malley, Very Rev. Lawrence J. Sullivan, Rev. José Maria Garcia Maldonado, Rev. Robert Fedek, and Rev. John S. Siemianowski, as auxiliary bishops of Chicago.

December 20, 2024
WASHINGTON - Pope Francis has appointed Rev. Timothy O’Malley, Very Rev. Lawrence J. Sullivan, Rev. José Maria Garcia Maldonado, Rev. Robert Fedek, and Rev. John S. Siemianowski, as auxiliary bishops of Chicago. The appointments were publicized in Washington, D.C. on December 20, 2024, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Bishop-elect O’Malley is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and currently pastor of Most Blessed Trinity parish, in Waukegan. Bishop-elect Sullivan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, currently serving as interim episcopal vicar for Vicariate VI, interim priest director of Catholic Cemeteries, and pastor of Christ the King parish in Chicago. Bishop-elect Maldonado is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, currently serving as pastor of San José Sanchez del Rio parish in Chicago. Bishop-elect Fedek is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, currently serving as the assistant to the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago. Bishop-elect Siemianowski is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago, currently serving as pastor of Saint Juliana parish in Chicago.

The following biographical information for the bishops-elect were drawn from preliminary materials provided to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Bishop-elect Timothy O’Malley

Reverend Timothy O’Malley was born December 17, 1959, in Evergreen Park, Illinois. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Purdue University (1982) and a Certified Public Accountant through the University of Illinois (1983). He earned a Juris Doctor from DePaul University Law School in 1989. After working as an accountant (1982-1987) and practicing law (1990-1992), he attended Mundelein Seminary (1992-1997) and earned a bachelor’s in sacred theology and a master of divinity. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 24, 1997.

Father O’Malley’s pastoral assignments include: associate pastor at Saint Agnes of Bohemia parish in Chicago (1997-2002); pastor of Saint James parish in Highwood (2002-2007); pastor of Saint James parish in Round Lake (2007-2015); and pastor of Saint Genevieve parish in Chicago (2015-2018). He has served as pastor of Most Blessed Trinity parish in Waukegan since 2018.

His other diocesan assignments include: member of the Priest Placement Board (2014-2018); dean of Deanery IV C (2015-2018), Deanery IV A (2017-2018), and Deanery I B (2019-present). Father O’Malley speaks English and Spanish.

Bishop-elect Lawrence J. Sullivan

Very Reverend Lawrence J. Sullivan was born January 22, 1966, in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a bachelor of arts in political science from the Nile College Seminary of Loyola University, Chicago, in 1988. He completed a master of arts in theology at Mundelein Seminary in 1992 and earned a master of science in ecclesial management from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., in 2019. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1992.

Father Sullivan’s pastoral assignments include: associate pastor at Saint Celestine parish in Elmwood Park (1992-1999); pastor of Saint Celestine parish in Elmwood Park (1999-2008); pastor of Saint Christina parish in Mount Greenwood (2008-2014). He currently serves as pastor of Christ the King parish in Beverly, and as interim episcopal vicar for the Vicarate VI of the archdiocese, and as interim priest director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

His diocesan assignments include: associate priest director (2013-2017) and interim priest director (2017-present) of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago; interim episcopal vicar for Vicariate VI of the Archdiocese of Chicago (2023-present); member of the archdiocesan school board (2015-present); member and vice-chair of the presbyteral council; and member of the college of consultors.

Bishop-elect José Maria Garcia Maldonado

Reverend José Maria Garcia Maldonado was born on March 24, 1979, in San Julian, Jalisco, Mexico. He attended the Minor Seminary of the Diocese of San Juan de los Lagos and completed an introductory program in Arandas, Jalisco, before entering the local major seminary. In August 2001, he immigrated to the United States. He entered the Casa Jesus Program in Chicago in 2002 and completed his studies at Mundelein Seminary, earning a masters in divinity in 2008. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 17, 2008.

Father Garcia’s pastoral assignments include: associate pastor at Saint Sylvester parish in Chicago (2009-2010); director of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Des Plaines (2010-2011); staff member at Saint Joseph College Seminary in Chicago (2010-2011); administrator and pastor at Good Shepherd parish in Chicago (2012-2021); administrator of Our Lady of Tepeyac parish in Chicago (2018). Since 2021 he has served as pastor of San José Luis Sanchez del Rio parish in Chicago.

His diocesan assignments include: director of vocations at Saint Joseph Seminary College (2010); member of the presbyteral council (2014-2021); member of the college of consultors (2014-2021); dean of Deanery C in Vicariate IV (2021-2023); and dean of Deanery A in Vicariate IV (2023). Father Garcia speaks English and Spanish.

Bishop-elect Robert Fedek

Reverend Robert Fedek was born on July 17, 1979, in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. He attended the Archdiocesan Theological Seminary in Krakow, Poland, from 1998 to 2001, and continued his studies at the Abramowicz Preparatory Seminary and Mundelein Seminary, earning a masters in divinity in 2005. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 2005.

Father Fedek’s pastoral assignments include: associate pastor at Saint Mary of the Annunciation parish in Chicago (2005-2010); pastor of Our Lady of Victory parish in Mundelein (2010-2017); pastor of Immaculate Conception parish in Chicago (2017-2020). Since 2020, he has served as administrative secretary to the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago.

Bishop-elect Fedek’s diocesan assignments include: assistant vocation director for Vicariate I (2007-2010); and coordinator of the Polish Ministry Council (2015-2018). Father Fedek speaks English and Polish.

Bishop-elect John S. Siemianowski

Reverend John Steven Siemianowski was born on May 26, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a bachelor of science degree and a Secondary Education Certificate from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, in 1982. Before entering seminary, he worked as a teacher at Saint Joseph Catholic School from 1982 to 1984. He attended Mundelein Seminary and earned a masters in divinity in 1989. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 20, 1989.

Father Siemianowski’s pastoral assignments include: associate pastor at Saint Francis de Sales parish in Lake Zurich (1989-1990); associate pastor at Saint Mary parish in Buffalo Grove (1990-1993); associate pastor at Saint Elizabeth Seton parish in Orland Hills (1993-1996); pastor of Saint Agnes parish in Chicago Heights (1996-2001); administrator and later pastor of Saint Paul parish in Chicago (2003-2010); pastor of Saint Kieran parish in Chicago (2013-2021); and pastor of Saint Juliana parish in Chicago (2021-present).

His diocesan assignments include: member of the Priest Placement Board (1994-1998) and executive secretary of the Priest Placement Board (2019-2022). Father Siemianowski speaks English and Spanish.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is comprised of 1,411 square miles in the State of Illinois and has a total population of 5,939,000 of which 2,079,000 are Catholic.

###
USCCB Release