Wincenty Teofil Popiel

Wincenty Teofil Popiel-Chościak (21 July 1825 – 7 December 1912) was a Polish Catholic priest, Bishop of Płock from 1863 to 1875, Bishop of Kujawy–Kaliska from 1876 to 1883, and the metropolitan Archbishop of Warsaw from 1883 to 1912.

Life Popiel was the son of Konstanty Popiel, a senator of the Free City of Cracow, and Zofia von Badenich. Originally educated at home, he was sent to a boarding school run by Józef Kremer in Kraków. Afterwards, he studied law in Warsaw, completing his education in 1845 and working in the judiciary. After his father's death and his return to Czaple Wielkie, he decided to begin attending the seminary in Kielce (Wyższe Seminarium Duchowne w Kielcach) in 1847. He then began studying at KU Leuven in Belgium, obtaining a Bachelor of Sacred Theology in 1852 and later becoming a Doctor of Sacred Theology. He also worked in Rome, where he served as a translator for the works of the Council of Trent. Returning to Poland in 1854, he was appointed professor of the seminary in Kielce in February of the same year. He was appointed vice-regent of the seminary, defender of the bond, and honorary canon of the cathedral chapter of the Diocese of Lublin in 1855. he was consecrated on 6 December 1863 at Płock Cathedral by Henryk Ludwik Plater, co-consecrated by Tomasz Franciszek Myśliwski and Antoni Baliński. In 1868, Popiel was exiled to Veliky Novgorod, where he stayed until 1875. He was appointed bishop of Kujawy-Kaliska by papal bull on 5 July 1875. In 1883, he was appointed archbishop of Warsaw; he received his pallium on 6 May 1883 in Saint Petersburg. Popiel died on 7 December 1912 in Warsaw, and was buried in St. John's Archcathedral.

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