Adam Joseph Maida (born March 18, 1930) is an American cardinal prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Maida served as the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit in Michigan from 1990 to 2009, and was elevated to cardinal in 1994. Maida previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Green Bay in Wisconsin from 1984 to 1990. Biography Early life and education Maida was born on March 18, 1930, in East Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, to Adam and Sophie (née Cieslak) Maida. The oldest of three children, he has two brothers, Thaddeus (who also became a priest) and Daniel. His father immigrated from Poland at age 16, while his mother was the daughter of Polish immigrants. He and his brothers attended public schools in East Vandergrift since there were no local Catholic schools. Maida attended Vandergrift High School and Scott Township High School, each for one year. During his sophomore year of high school, Maida decided to enter the priesthood. He entered St. Mary's Preparatory School in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan, graduating from there in 1948. He then entered St. Mary's College, also in Orchard Lake Village. In 1950, Maida transferred to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1952. He received a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from St. Mary's University in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1956. Ordination and ministry On May 26, 1956, Maida was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Pittsburgh by then Bishop John Dearden at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Pittsburgh. After his ordination, Maida's first assignment was as assistant pastor of St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania. He later served at Holy Innocents Parish in Sheraden, Pennsylvania. In 1958, Bishop Dearden sent Maida to Rome to study at the Pontifical Lateran University, where he earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1960. He received his Juris Doctor from Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh in 1964; he was admitted to practice law for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the Federal Bar in Western Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Maida served as vice-chancellor and general counsel (1965–1983) of the diocese. In 1968, he was elected president of the Canon Law Society of America. He served on a papal commission to draft a due process procedure giving the laity legal recourse within the church, and participated in the revision of the Code of Canon Law; for