Paul Fitzpatrick Russell (born May 2, 1959) is an American prelate of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
who was appointed auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Detroit
The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. It is ...
in May 2022. He was previously the Apostolic Nuncio to
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
, and
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
and the head of the diplomatic mission to
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
. In accordance with those roles, he has the personal title of
archbishop.
Biography
Early life
Paul Russell was born in
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Val ...
on May 2, 1959. to Isabelle Fitzpatrick and Thaddeus Russell. The family lived in
Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts
Shelburne Falls is a historic village in the towns of Shelburne and Buckland in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The village is a census-designated place (CDP) with a population of 1,731 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Spr ...
, then moved to
Malden, Massachusetts and then
Willmington, Massachusetts. In a 2016 interview, Russell said that he first thought of becoming a priest in the first grade.
When Russell was in third grade, his parents divorced and he moved with his mother and siblings to
Alpena, Michigan
Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city ...
He then attended the parish school of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Russell graduated from
Alpena High School in 1977, and then spent a year in France as an
exchange student
A student exchange program is a program in which students from a secondary school (high school) or university study abroad at one of their institution's partner institutions.
A student exchange program may involve international travel, but d ...
.
After returning from France, Russell entered at
Saint John's Seminary in Boston. Wanting to learn Spanish, he traveled to
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...
and
Bolivia with the St. James Society, spending a year in South America. Part of his time there was in language school, the other part was living with a poor family.
Russell returned to St. John Seminary around 1985 to resume his studies. On January 31, 1987, he was ordained a
transitional deacon and was assigned to St. Joseph Parish in
Wakefield, Massachusetts
Wakefield is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, incorporated in 1812 and located about north-northwest of Downtown Boston. Wakefield's population was 27,090 at the 2020 census. Wakefield offer ...
.
Priesthood
On June 20, 1987, Russell was ordained to the priesthood for the
Archdiocese of Boston by then Archbishop
Bernard Law. Russell's first posting after ordination was to Sacred Heart Parish in
West Lynn, Massachusetts. Shortly after arriving at a new assignment at St. Eulalia Parish in Winchester, Massachusetts in 1992, Law asked Russell to become his priest-secretary. In 1993, Law invited Russell to joined the
Vatican Diplomatic Service.
Vatican diplomatic service
In 1993, Russell entered the
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, the training facility for Vatican diplomats. He earned his licentiate and doctorate in
canon law
Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...
at the
Pontifical Gregorian University
The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy.
The Gregorian originated as ...
.
On July 1, 1997, Russell entered the diplomatic service,
serving first for a short while in Rome working with then-Bishop
James Harvey. Later in 1997, Russell was assigned to the
Apostolic Nunciature to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti, stationed in Ethiopia. He worked there for three years. In 2000, Russell was transferred to the
Apostolic Nunciature to Turkey and Turkmenistan. In 2002, he was sent to the
Apostolic Nunciature to Switzerland
The Apostolic Nunciature to Switzerland is an ecclesiastical office of the Catholic Church in Switzerland. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio, with the rank of an ambassador. The nunc ...
, when he also assumed pastoral duties of an English-language parish. In 2005, Russell went to the
Apostolic Nunciature to Nigeria, remaining there three years.
On May 2, 2008,
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...
named Russell ''chargé d'affaires'' of the
Apostolic Nunciature to China
The Apostolic Nunciature to China is the diplomatic mission of the Holy See to the Republic of China. The Republic of China is now more commonly referred to as “ Taiwan”. However, as far as the Vatican is concerned, the Republic of China is ...
(located in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
, the Republic of China), making him the head of the diplomatic mission.
On March 19, 2016,
Pope Francis
Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...
appointed Russell as Apostolic Nuncio to
Türkiye and
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
.
On June 3, 2016, Russell was consecrated titular archbishop of
Novi in the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by Cardinal
Seán O'Malley, with Archbishop
Allen Vigneron
Allen Henry Vigneron (born October 21, 1948) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the current archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Cayman Islands, serving since 2009. V ...
and Archbishop
Leo Cushley
Leo William Cushley (born 18 June 1961) is the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in Scotland. He previously served as head of the English language section of the Vatican Secretariat of State.
Early life
Leo Cushley was bor ...
serving as the co-consecrators.
The post of Nuncio to
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
was added to Russell's responsibilities on April 7, 2018. Russell resigned his post as apostolic nuncio on February 2, 2022.
Archbishop Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit
On May 23, 2022, Pope Francis named Russell as an auxiliary bishop of Detroit, allowing him to keep the personal title of archbishop.
On July 7, 2022, he was installed as auxiliary bishop. On the occasion when an archbishop in his own right is appointed bishop of a diocesan see, the archbishop is personally referred to as the "Archbishop Bishop of
ee Name" In Russell's very rare circumstance, as an archbishop in his own right being appointed as an auxiliary bishop, he was to be personally be referred to as an "Archbishop Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit."
Russell has a devotion to his mother's cousin
Michał Piaszczyński, a beatified priest who died in the
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoner ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Russell is fluent in French, Italian, Spanish, and German.
See also
*
Catholic Church hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishop (Catholic Church), bishops, Priesthood (Catholic Church), priests, and deacons. In the Catholic ecclesiology, ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy or ...
*
Catholic Church in the United States
With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the country's second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided i ...
*
Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
This is a historical list of all bishops of the Catholic Church whose sees were within the present-day boundaries of the United States, with links to the bishops who consecrated them. It includes only members of the United States Conference of Cat ...
*
List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, including its five inhabited territories.
The U.S. Catholic Church comprises:
* 176 Latin Church dioceses led by bishops
* 18 Eastern Catholic eparchies led by ...
*
Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishop in the Catholic Chur ...
*
List of heads of the diplomatic missions of the Holy See
The following is a sortable list of the heads of the diplomatic mission of the Holy See. An apostolic nuncio (also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic repres ...
Notes
References
External links
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit Official Site*
*
Episcopal succession
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Paul Fitzpatrick
1959 births
Living people
People from Greenfield, Massachusetts
People from Alpena, Michigan
Saint John's Seminary (Massachusetts) alumni
Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy alumni
Pontifical Gregorian University alumni
20th-century American Roman Catholic titular archbishops
Apostolic Nuncios to Turkey
Apostolic Nuncios to Turkmenistan
Apostolic Nuncios to Azerbaijan
Catholics from Massachusetts
Catholics from Michigan
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
Bishops appointed by Pope Francis