Diocese of Madison announces death of Bishop Paul J. Swain of Sioux Falls
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The Diocese of Madison announced Sunday that the Bishop Emeritus of Sioux Falls died.
Bishop Paul J. Swain, 79, died in hospice care Saturday after suffering medical complications in recent weeks.
Bishop Swain graduated with a Masters in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin in 1967. Following graduation, Bishop Swain served in the United States Air Force, where he served in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star.
After serving in the military, Bishop Swain returned to UW again, this time earning his degree in law in 1975. He practiced law in Madison for a few years and then worked with the campaign of former Wisconsin Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus.
During his time working with Governor Dreyfus, Bishop Swain started considering becoming a priest. He was not Catholic at the time, but as he studied, read and began attending Mass, he took the next step and became Catholic in 1983.
Bishop Swain studied at the National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts, and was later ordained a priest in the Diocese of Madison in 1988.
Over the years Bishop Swain served at Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Sun Prairie; St. Mary of Pine Bluff, Cross Plains and St. Bernard Parish in Middleton; and St. Raphael Cathedral, St. Patrick Parish and Holy Redeemer Parish in Madison.
Pope Benedict XVI appointed Paul J. Swain the eighth bishop of Sioux Falls on Aug. 31, 2006. He was consecrated as Bishop of Sioux Falls on Oct. 26, 2006.
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