Cardinal Donald Wuerl (b. 1940) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduating from The Catholic University of America with a master’s degree in philosophy, he studied in Rome at the Pontifical North American College and the Gregorian University and earned his doctorate in theology in 1974 at the University of Saint Thomas. Wuerl was ordained to priesthood in 1966. He was made a bishop by Pope John Paul II in 1986, and served as Bishop of Pittsburgh for eighteen years. Wuerl became the sixth Archbishop of Washington in 2006, and was made a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. He serves on the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Congregation for Bishops, the Congregation for Clergy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Pontifical Council for Culture. Wuerl is the author of many articles and books, and is involved in various Catholic social service, health care, and educational organizations.
