His Eminence Joseph William Cardinal Tobin, C.Ss.R., was born on May 3, 1952, in Detroit, Michigan, the eldest of 13 children born to the late Joseph W. Tobin and the late Marie Terese Kerwin.

Cardinal Tobin received his early education at Holy Redeemer Elementary School in Detroit and graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory College in Edgerton, Wisconsin, in 1970. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Holy Redeemer College, Waterford, Wisconsin, in 1975. He pursued theological studies at Mount Saint Alphonsus Seminary in Esopus, New York, obtaining a Master of Religious Education in 1977 and a Master of Divinity in 1979.

He professed temporary vows as a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) in 1973 and perpetual vows in 1976. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 1, 1978.

Following his ordination, Father Tobin served from 1979 to 1984 as associate pastor at Holy Redeemer Parish in Detroit, where he ministered particularly to the Hispanic community and was actively involved in youth ministry. In 1984, he was appointed pastor of Holy Redeemer Parish. He also held several diocesan roles in the Archdiocese of Detroit, including Episcopal Vicar, member of the Presbyteral Council, and official of the Metropolitan Tribunal. From 1990 to 1991, he served as pastor of St. Alphonsus Parish in Chicago, staffed by the Redemptorists.

Within his religious congregation, he served as Provincial Consultor (1984–1990), General Consultor (1991–1997), and Superior General of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (also known as the Redemptorists) (1997–2009).

On August 9, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life and titular Archbishop of Obba. He was ordained Archbishop on October 9, 2010. On October 18, 2012, Pope Benedict named him the Sixth Archbishop of Indianapolis, where he was installed on December 3, 2012.

Pope Francis appointed him to the College of Cardinals on October 9, 2016, and he was created Cardinal by the Holy Father on November 19, 2016. Shortly thereafter, on November 7, 2016, Pope Francis appointed him the Sixth Archbishop of Newark. He was installed on January 6, 2017.

Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Tobin to various bodies of the Holy See, including the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Synod of Bishops, the Congregation for Catholic Education, the Pontifical Council for Culture, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the Council for the Economy, the Congregation for Bishops, and the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

In addition to his native English, Cardinal Tobin speaks Spanish, Italian, French, and Portuguese, and is proficient in reading several other languages. He has participated in multiple Synods of Bishops and has been a member of the Canon Law Society of America since 1985.

Cardinal Tobin’s Papal Appointments 

On August 9, 2010, His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, named Father Tobin to the Roman Curia post of Secretary of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSA), and titular Archbishop of Obba. On October 18, 2012, Pope Benedict appointed him to serve as the Sixth Archbishop of Indianapolis. He was installed as Archbishop of Indianapolis on December 3, 2012. His Holiness, Pope Francis, named him to the College of Cardinals on October 9, 2016. He was created a Cardinal on November 19, 2016.

On November 7, 2016, His Holiness, Pope Francis, named Joseph William Cardinal Tobin to serve as the Sixth Archbishop of Newark. He was installed there on January 6, 2017.

Besides his responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Newark, Cardinal Tobin has been appointed by Pope Francis as a member of the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church, Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, Synod of Bishops, Congregation for Catholic Education, Pontifical Council for Culture, Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Council for the Economy, and Congregation for Bishops.

Cardinal Tobin speaks English, Spanish, Italian, French and Portuguese, and reads several other languages. He has participated in many Synods of Bishops and has been a member of the Canon Law Society of America since 1985.

Cardinal Tobin’s Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms of Joseph William Cardinal Tobin is a combination of his personal coat of arms as a bishop and the coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Newark.

His personal coat of arms, represented on the right side of the shield as one views it, consists of three elements: a Cross between a perch with a sponge in bend and a spear in bar, supported by a mount of three coupeaux vert (green), before an argent (silver/white) field; three oak leaves on a field of azure (blue), and; a fleur de lis on a field of gules (red), a symbol of transparency, Justice and Truth.

The cross between the perch with the sponge and the spear, the mount representing the event on the Golgota and the vert (green) color recalling the Hope and Virtue that holds us in the pilgrimage toward Salvation come from the coat of arms of the C.Ss.R. (Redemptorists) Congregation to which His Eminence belongs.

The oak leaves come from the crest of the Tobin family. In heraldry, the oak is the symbol of strength necessary to follow the Word of God to reach, at the end of our pilgrimage on earth, the salvation of our souls. The azure (blue) field symbolizes the separation from the worldly values and the ascent of the soul toward God, the Celestial Virtues that raise us from the things of the earth toward the sky.

The fleur de lis is a classical symbol of the iconography of Saint Joseph, the Cardinal’s patron saint, and the gules (red) field symbolizes the Love of the Father who sent the Son to shed His blood for us.

His Eminence chose the motto Gaudete in Domino – Rejoice in the Lord – from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)

The left side of the shield displays the jurisdictional arms of the Archdiocese of Newark, based on the coat of arms of Newark, Nottinghamshire, England, to reflect the origins of the name of the See City. The upper portion of the arms of the Archdiocese includes an argent (silver/white) crescent between two silver/white trefoils (heraldic shamrocks). The crescent is to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary in her title of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the Archdiocese, the United States of America and the major seminary of the Archdiocese. This ancient symbol of Mary is derived from the Book of Revelations: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.” (Rev. 12:1) The shamrocks are to honor St. Patrick, titular patron of the Pro-Cathedral; and the gules (red) background of the upper portion signifies the blood coming forth from Christ’s Sacred Heart, the title of the Cathedral Basilica of Newark.

The azure (blue) and argent (silver/white) waves are generally seen as heraldic representations for rivers or bodies of water. The City of Newark in England is located on the River Trent. In New Jersey, parts of the Hackensack, Hudson, Passaic, Rahway, Raritan and Saddle Rivers flow through the Archdiocese of Newark.

The external ornaments are composed of the red pontifical hat with 15 tassels on each side, a gold archiepiscopal processional cross (having two cross members), and a pallium with small black crosses signifying both a Metropolitan Archbishop’s authority and his connection to the Holy Father.