MADISON, Wis. — Bishop Paul J. Swain, who was ordained a priest in Madison before being appointed the eighth bishop of Sioux Falls, died Saturday at the age of 79.
The Diocese of Madison announced his death Sunday and said Swain had been in hospice care after suffering significant medical complications.
Swain was born on September 12, 1943, in Newark, New York. He eventually made his way to Madison, earning a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in 1967.
Following service in the Vietnam War, for which he earned a Bronze Star, Swain returned to Madison where he practiced law. He later worked for the campaign and administration of former Wisconsin Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus from 1979 to 1983.
Swain was not raised a Catholic but joined the faith in 1983. He soon after began studying at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary, earned his Master’s of Divinity and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Madison in May of 1988.
He spent time serving a number of congregations across Dane County, including Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Sun Prairie, St. Bernard Parish in Middleton and St. Raphael Cathedral in Madison.
He was serving at the cathedral when it was set on fire in an act of arson. The cathedral would later be demolished.
Swain was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II and was a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and the Knights of Columbus.
In 2006, Swain was appointed the eighth bishop of Sioux Falls by Pope Benedict XVI. He resigned in 2019 following his 75th birthday.
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