Miami's top Catholic leader, 75, to file retirement papers. Here's what happens next

Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald on Oct 31, 2025

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MIAMI — Miami’s top Catholic leader Archbishop Thomas Wenski, who turned 75 this month, will be submitting a retirement letter to the Vatican.

But that doesn’t mean he plans to go anywhere — at least just yet.

Sending the letter of intent to retire is “regular protocol” for all Catholic bishops and archbishops when they turn 75, according to the Archdiocese of Miami.

“The archbishop is not retiring any time soon. He is of age and will submit his letter of retirement to the Vatican, as Canon law requires,” said Juan Di Prado, senior director of communications for the Archdiocese of Miami. “However, it is up to the pope to determine when an archbishop will actually retire.”

Wenski celebrated his 75th birthday earlier this month with a Mass and a pizza party with employees of the Pastoral Center in Miami Shores. During his homily, Wenski announced that he will send his letter of resignation as the fourth Archbishop of Miami to Pope Leo XIV.

“On Saturday, I celebrated my 75th birthday — hard to believe and truth be told, hard to accept,” Wenski said during the mass. “And as canon law requires, I will send to the Holy Father this week a letter offering him my resignation as the fourth Archbishop of Miami.”

But the process has no time limit and can sometimes take years, the Archdiocese said.

After the Archdiocese released a newsletter about Wenski’s birthday celebration on Oct.30, some local media outlets reported that Wenski is set to retire. The Archdiocese said there has been “misinformation” about his plans and stressed that Wenski is not retiring any time soon and would announce when he planned to do so.

The previous two archbishops of Miami did retire either shortly after or before reaching the age of 75. Archbishop John Favalora, who served from 1994-2010, retired as third Archbishop of Miami in April 2010, eight months before he reached the age of 75, according to his biography on the Archdiocese website.

Archbishop Edward A. McCarthy, the second archbishop of the Archdiocese of Miami, served from 1977 to 1994, retiring a year after his 75th birthday in November of 1994.

Wenski, during the mass, said that the timeline of when he leaves and who will replace him in the position of archbishop will depend on Pope Leo, and that he is open to staying in his position for more years to come.

“I will let him know of my willingness to continue to serve as your archbishop for as long as he wishes,” Wenski said.

Wenski has led the Archdiocese of Miami — which includes more than a half million Catholics across Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties — since 2010.

Born in Lake Worth, Wenski first thought of becoming a priest as a third-grader and entered St. John Vianney Seminary in Miami at age 13. He was ordained in 1976, and has served in various positions over his 40 years serving the Catholic Church, including director of Catholic Charities and director of the Haitian Apostolate, according to the Archdiocese of Miami website.

The son of Polish immigrants, Wenski speaks fluent Spanish and Creole, and has been a longtime advocate for Haitian and Latino communities in Florida.

Wenski has continued speaking out on topics of immigration during a year of unprecedented immigration policy under the Trump administration. Earlier this year, Wenski condemned Alligator Alcatraz, calling it “alarming” and “unbecoming of public officials,” and has long touted policies that would expand legal pathways to citizenship for “non-criminal migrants.”

Wenski was able to get permission from the state to hold Mass and provide chaplaincy services to detainees at Alligator Alcatraz, the state’s controversial migrant detention center in the Everglades. The Catholic Church is the only faith denomination that’s been granted access.

In addition to his lifetime of service to the Catholic Church, Wenski is a known for his light-hearted sense of humor and his passion for riding motorcycles.

Earlier this year, Wenski spoke with The Miami Herald during his annual Sunday motorcycle ride, an event that brings together hundreds of religious motorcycle lovers, while raising funds to benefit St Luke’s Center, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility.

Wenski recalled some of his favorite moments riding around sunny South Florida, including 10 years ago when the Port of Miami Tunnel was first opening. He claims he was the first motorcycle rider to go through it.

“Right next to me was Commissioner Pepe Diaz, but I was a little bit ahead of him,” Wenski said with a laugh.

( This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, including Khalid and Diana Mirza, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.)