America’s First Polish Bishop

Today marks the death of Paul Rhode (1870-1945), the first Pole to be named a Roman Catholic Bishop in the United States. Born in Werowo, an area of Poland under Prussian rule, he came to Chicago with his family at age nine. By the turn of the century Chicago had more Poles than Warsaw. Rode’s childhood parish, St. Stanislaus Kostka, was reputedly the world’s largest, with 50,000 parishioners. Ordained a priest for the Chicago Archdiocese in 1894, during his early years as a priest, a schism took place within the city’s Polish community. One of the big complaints Poles had was that none of their countrymen had yet been elevated to the ranks of the hierarchy in America, and they brought a petition to Rome. The Vatican responded by having the Archbishop of Chicago assemble all the Polish pastors to name a Polish priest who would make a good auxiliary bishop. Rhode was picked as someone who could appeal to first and second generation Poles, and for his ability reconcile warring factions. In 1908, he was consecrated an auxiliary for Chicago. He was active in bringing schismatic communities back into the Church. In 1915 he became Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he served for thirty years.