Daniel Edward Pilarczyk (August 12, 1934 – March 22, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Cincinnati from 1982 to 2009. Early life and education Daniel Pilarczyk was born in Dayton, Ohio, the only child of Daniel Joseph and Frieda (Hilgefort) Pilarczyk. After receiving his early education at Our Lady of Mercy and St. Anthony parochial schools, he attended Sacred Heart Latin School. At the age of 14, he entered St. Gregory Seminary in Cincinnati. In 1953, he was sent to continue his studies at the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome, from where he obtained a Licentiate of Philosophy (1956) and Licentiate of Sacred Theology (1960). His mother died in 1955, and his father remarried a Marie Scothorn. Priesthood Pilarczyk was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal Grégoire-Pierre Agagianian on December 20, 1959. He remained in Rome for his postgraduate studies, and earned a Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Urban College in 1961. Upon his return to the United States, he became assistant chancellor of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and a curate at St. Louis Church. He then taught Latin and Greek at his alma mater of St. Gregory Seminary from 1963 to 1974. During this time, he received a Master's degree from Xavier University in 1965. He became rector of St. Gregory Seminary in 1968; at the age of 31, he was the youngest man to be named to that position. He later earned a Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati in 1969. Episcopacy Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati On November 12, 1974, Pilarczyk was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati and Titular Bishop of Hodelm by Pope Paul VI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following December 20 from Archbishop Joseph Bernardin, with Archbishop Nicholas Elko and Bishop James W. Malone serving as co-consecrators. From 1974 to 1982, he served as director of Archdiocesan Educational Services and chairman of the Archdiocesan Commission on Education. He also served as chairman of the governing board of St. Rita School for the Deaf from 1977 to 1982. He once said, "Education means development, growth. When God creates us, He doesn't quite finish it. He lets us do some of the finishing touches. That's what education is. It's a wonderful gift. The ability to become educated ... [is] a wonderful gift which sometimes people overlook or misuse." Within the United States Conference of Catholic