HR1402 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1402 LRB098 23374 GRL 62499 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are pleased to congratulate Blase Joseph Cupich on the occasion of his appointment as the new Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago; and

WHEREAS, Blase Cupich was born on March 19, 1949 in Omaha, Nebraska as a native son of the American Midwest; and

WHEREAS, After attending St. John Vianney College Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota and undergoing further studies in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Blase Cupich was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood on August 16, 1975; and

WHEREAS, Displaying a vocation that included pastoral duties, teaching, and further study, Blase Cupich attained his doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1987; during this time, he served as an associate pastor, pastor, high school instructor, and university instructor in the greater Omaha area and as President-Rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio; and

WHEREAS, On July 6, 1998, Pope John Paul II appointed Blase Cupich as the Bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota; on September 21, 1998, he received episcopal consecration from Bishop Harry Flynn of Saint Paul; he served the diocese of Rapid City from 1998 until 2010, when he was appointed as Bishop of Spokane by Pope Benedict XVI; and

WHEREAS, As the Bishop of Spokane, Blase Cupich took on increasing responsibilities as part of and on the behalf of the American episcopacy of the Roman Catholic Church; he was a member of the Ad Hoc Committee on Scripture Translation and was the author of "The New Roman Missal: A Time of Renewal", a work that placed the new English translation of the Roman Missal into the Catholic Church's tradition of liturgical renewal, in July of 2011; and

WHEREAS, In March of 2013, Blase Cupich commenced a 3-year term as chairman of the National Catholic Education Association; and

WHEREAS, On September 20, 2014, Pope Francis announced that Blase Cupich would succeed Cardinal Francis George in Chicago; he was installed on November 18, 2014, succeeding Francis George, who became the archbishop emeritus; and

WHEREAS, Archbishop Blase Cupich has chosen, for his motto, the 4 words "Peace Be With You"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we welcome Blase Joseph Cupich as the 9th Archbishop of Chicago; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we recognize Archbishop Cupich's life of pastoral leadership, his experience as an instructor in the fields of secondary and post-secondary education, the increasing responsibilities of his life as a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, and the tremendous challenges he faces in his new Archdiocese, and wish him well as he turns to deal with these challenges; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Blase Joseph Cupich, the Archbishop of Chicago.