Bishop Joseph N. Perry
Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago
Archdiocese of Chicago

Originally a priest in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Bishop Joseph N. Perry, JCL, DD, was appointed Titular Bishop of Lead and Auxiliary Bishop to Francis Cardinal George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago, in 1998. He currently serves as episcopal vicar for one of the archdiocese’s six vicariates which covers 70 parishes, two missions, and an oratory. 

Bishop Perry obtained his degree in canon law at The Catholic University of America and has spent his ministry working in the fields of ecclesiastical law and education. He served as judicial vicar for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee until 1995 when he became pastor of All Saints Parish there. He also served as the chaplain of the St. Thomas More Lawyers Society of Wisconsin and adjunct professor of canon law studies at both Marquette University Law School and Sacred Heart Seminary.

In addition to his duties as auxiliary bishop, Bishop Perry also serves in numerous other positions: adjunct professor of canon law at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary; associate judge in the Second Instance Court of Appeals for the Dioceses configured to the Province of Chicago; national chaplain for the Knights of St. Peter Claver and Ladies Auxiliary; and also vice president of the Board for the National Black Catholic Congress. And in January 2010, Cardinal George appointed him postulator for the diocesan phase of the cause for sanctity of Father Augustus Tolton.