Thirty-third in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison.
On August 31, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Msgr. Paul J. Swain as the eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D.
At the time of his appointment, Bishop Swain was vicar general of the Diocese of Madison and was serving as pastor of the downtown Madison parishes of St. Raphael Cathedral, St. Patrick, and Holy Redeemer.
“I am honored and humbled to be named by Pope Benedict, who has set forth such an uplifting yet challenging call in his first encyclical, homilies, and meditations to live the vocation of love in its deepest sense,” said Bishop Swain, who was age 62 on his appointment to Sioux Falls.
The Diocese of Sioux Falls had been vacant for 20 months since Bishop Robert Carlson was transferred to the Diocese of Saginaw, Mich.
Bishop Morlino’s comments
“This is a tremendous honor for our diocese,” said Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison. “The Holy Father has personally chosen Bishop Swain, and I couldn’t be happier for him and for the whole Church. His appointment brings great honor upon our fine priests and our wonderful, faithful people in the Diocese of Madison.”
Added Bishop Morlino, “His departure will leave a great void here, both in the chancery and in the downtown parishes, but I am confident that the Holy Spirit will provide for us. I will, in a deeply personal way, miss his close and faithful collaboration as my vicar general.”
Bishop Swain’s background
A native of Newark, N.Y., Bishop Swain was an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1971 and a Vietnam veteran, earning a Bronze Star. He obtained a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1974 and was a practicing attorney in Madison for three years before serving as legal counsel to Wisconsin Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus from 1979 to 1983.
In 1983, he converted to Catholicism. He decided to become a priest and obtained his Master of Divinity Degree from Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Madison by Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell in 1988.
He was associate pastor at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Parish, Sun Prairie; pastor of St. Mary of Pine Bluff, Cross Plains, and St. Bernard Parish, Middleton; rector/pastor of St. Raphael Cathedral, St. Patrick Parish, and Holy Redeemer Parish, Madison.
His diocesan appointments included service as assistant to the bishop, vice chancellor, moderator of the Curia, vocations director, and vicar general.
In an interview before he left for Sioux Falls, Monsignor Swain said, “Usually bishops are cradle Catholics. I was an adult convert and a late vocation. I was really startled (at being named a bishop). It was a genuine surprise.”
Returns to diocese
After being installed as the Bishop of Sioux Falls on October 26, 2006, at St. Joseph Cathedral, in Sioux Falls, he returned to Madison to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving in the chapel of the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center on November 19, 2006.
He said at that Mass, “Certainly in these last weeks I have felt the jolt of leaving behind the well-known, the familiar. Over 40 years ago, I arrived here in Madison not knowing how long I would stay. Then discovering how special this place is, I never anticipated leaving, until last August (when he was appointed to Sioux Falls).”
He said he has “cherished” memories of the parishes he has served, his fellow priests, the three bishops, and the staff members of the parishes and diocesan offices, who “put up with my plodding style and seemingly silent demeanor.”
But he said that his ordination as a bishop has changed him. “At some point during the ordination, a peace came over me that I cannot adequately describe. When I walked out, I was different somehow. The worst part of it is that I have become absolutely chatty ever since! I trust it is the grace of holy orders.”
Bishop Swain served as Bishop of Sioux Falls until he retired on December 12, 2019. He currently lives as Bishop Emeritus in Sioux Falls.
Source: Archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper.
Mary C. Uhler served on the staff of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison for almost 47 years, the last 34 years as editor. She retired in July of 2020.
Bishop Swain reflects on time in Madison and Sioux Falls
Reached recently for comment in Sioux Falls, Bishop Paul J. Swain reflected on his time in the Dioceses of Madison and Sioux Falls.
“I will always be a son of Madison and a Badger and Packers fan,” he said. “My life has also been blessed by my time and the faithful here in the Diocese of Sioux Falls.”
He noted that his episcopal motto is “Give Praise to the Lord” taken from the words of St. Raphael in the Book of Tobit. He said, “I give praise to the Lord for his many gifts to me in Madison and in Sioux Falls.”
August 31 marked the 15th anniversary of his appointment as Bishop of Sioux Falls. That date was selected with the approval of the Vatican because it was the date when Bishop Cletus F. O’Donnell, the late Bishop of Madison, died in 1992.
Against the practice of the day, Bishop Swain observed that Bishop O’Donnell “took the chance to send an older recent convert to seminary. How grateful I am for his openness to me and that he ordained me to the priesthood.”
Bishop Swain said that he was “a bit thunderstruck” when he came to the Diocese of Sioux Falls 15 years ago.
“Now I know what a gift it has been,” he said.
In a message sent to priests of the Diocese of Sioux Falls on August 30, Bishop Swain, a Vietnam War veteran, noted that the diocese was observing a day of prayer and fasting for those affected by the war in Afghanistan, including those who served, died, mourn, or remain in harm’s way.
He said, “On a personal note, the happenings of these past weeks have reopened memories long buried of my experience in Vietnam, not a healthy repository. The valor of our men and women in uniform by choice uplifts our spirits. We also pray for their families who served by separation.”