William E. Lori

William E. Lori (born May 6, 1951) is the 4th Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Before succeeding Edward Cardinal Egan in 2001 he was an Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington.

He attended the Seminary of Saint Pius X in Erlanger, KY where he earned a bachelor's degree in 1973. He holds a M.A. from Mount Saint Mary's Seminary and a S.T.D. from The Catholic University of America, where he is now chairman of the Board of Trustees. He is also the Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus.

Bishop Lori was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal William Baum on May 14, 1977. (Prior to his decision to enter the priesthood, Bishop Lori had been a practicing architect.) His first assignment was as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Landover, MD. Bishop Lori then held a number of positions in the archdiocese's chancery including vicar general, moderator of the Curia, and secretary to Cardinal James Hickey.

Lori is member of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the Committee on Doctrine of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.In 2001 he invited Sister Mary Nirmala Joshi, M.C., superior general of the Missionaries of Charity, to Bridgeport for the opening of the Sisters' first convent in Connecticut. In 2004 Bishop Lori blessed and dedicated "Villa Maria Guadalupe" on the grounds of the former Villa Maria Retreat Center in Stamford, CT. The property was purchased by the Knights of Columbus, who invited the Sisters of Life, a religious community dedicated to protecting and advancing a sense of the sacredness of all human life, to offer retreats for families and married couples, for women facing problem pregnancies, for pro-life leaders, and for Knights and their families.