Lithuanians in Arizona:

Archbishop Paul Casimir Marcinkus

 •  Jan. 15, 1922: Marcinkus is born to Lithuanian parents in Cicero, Illinois.
 •  May 3, 1947: After finishing his studies at the Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago and the St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, Marcinkus is ordained priest and is appointed assistant priest to the St. Christina parish in Chicago.
 •  1949: Marcinkus is named a member of the Metropolitan Tribunal with residence at the Lithuanian Holy Cross parish in Chicago.
 •  1950: Marcinkus is sent to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he obtains a doctorate in canon law.
 •  1952-1954: Marcinkus works at the Secretariat of the Vatican State while also attending the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy.
 •  1955: Marcinkus is named papal chamberlain by Pope Pius XII and soon after is appointed secretary to the Apostolic Nunciature in Bolivia.
 •  1956: Marcinkus is transferred to the Apostolic Delegation in Ottawa, Canada.
 •  1959: Marcinkus returns to the Secretariat of State in the Vatican, where he works till 1969.
 •  1964: Marcinkus is promoted to the rank of domestic prelate by Pope Paul VI and travels with the Pope to United States, India, Turkey, Palestine, the Philipinnes, Portugal, and Columbia.
 •  1964-1982: Marcinkus serves as advance man in charge of security arrangements and as the personal bodyguard for the global travels of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II.
 •  Dec. 24, 1968: Marcinkus is consecrated titular bishop of Orta.
 •  Jan., 1969 Marcinkus is named secretary of the Bank of Vatican, officially known as the Institute of Religious Works.The institute manages the financial affairs of the Vatican.
 •  Nov. 27, 1970: Marcinkus helps to restrain a knife-wielding would-be assassin of Pope Paul VI at the Manila airport by personally wrestling him to the ground.
 •  1971: Marcinkus is named president of the Institute of Religious Works.
 •  1978: After Pope Paul's death, Marcinkus is reconfirmed as president of the Institute of Religious Works by Pope John Paul II.
 •  1981: Marcinkus is ordained archbishop by Pope John Paul II.
 •  1989: Marcinkus resigns as president of the Institute of Religious Works.
 •  1990: Marcinkus retires from papal service and returns to Chicago, before moving to a modest bungalow in the retirement community of Sun City, Arizona, where he serves as an assistant priest at the St. Clement of Rome parish.
 •  Oct. 11, 1991: Rev. R. Klumbis, pastor of the Lithuanian Mission in Arizona dies, leaving the Lithuanian community without a priest. Marcinkus agrees to extend his pastoral duties to include the Lithuanian Mission, celebrating Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe church, a small Mexican church (really a ranch house converted into a church) in Glendale, Arizona, and visiting sick parishioners. His parishioners knew him as a caring and pleasant pastor, who would always include interesting stories in his sermons.
 •  Feb. 12, 2006: Marcinkus celebrates Mass at the Lithuanian Independence Day festivities at the St. Elizabeth Seton Parish in Sun City, Arizona.
 •  Feb. 20, 2006: Marcinkus is found dead in his home in Sun City, Arizona.After years of heavy smoking, he suffered from severe emphysema.
 •  Feb. 27, 2006: Bishop Thomas J. Olmstead presides over a funeral Mass for Archbishop Marcinkus at the St. Clement of Rome church in Sun City, Arizona.
 •  Mar. 2, 2006: Cardinal Francis E. George presides over a funeral Mass for Archbishop Marcinkus at the Holy Name Cathedral, followed by burial next to his parents at St. Casimir Lithuanian Cemetery in Chicago.