Reverend John (Jack) J. Wall

Father Wall was appointed by the Holy See as president of Catholic Extension in March 2007. In this role, Fr. Wall focuses his efforts on raising awareness and resources for the 86 dioceses that Catholic Extension supports. Prior to leading Catholic Extension, Fr. Wall served twenty-four years as pastor of Old St. Patrick’s Church, the second oldest parish founded in the city of Chicago and one of the city’s oldest public buildings. Under his stewardship, this struggling urban church grew from 4 to 4,000 households, making it one of the most vibrant faith communities in Chicago today. He has served on the faculty of Niles College Seminary at Loyola University and was vocations director for the Archdiocese of Chicago from 1979-1985. A lifelong Chicagoan, Fr. Wall was ordained on May 2, 1968, after receiving his Master of Divinity and Licentiate of Sacred Theology from the University of St. Mary of the Lake, Mundelein Seminary.