Deacon Conrad Wojnar

Deacon Conrad Wojnar was born to parents who were immigrants from Poland on June 6, 1952.  He grew up in the Pilsen and Hansen Park neighborhoods of Chicago, and attended St. Casimir, St. James and St. John Bosco Catholic grade schools.  Upon entering high school, he decided to discern a vocation to the priesthood with the Conventual Franciscans at St. Mary Preparatory Seminary in Crystal Lake, Illinois.  For his senior year, he transferred to the Archdiocese of Chicago Seminary, Quigley North, and graduated in 1970. 

He attended Loyola University of Chicago, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and French language and literature in 1973.  After teaching Spanish for a year at DeLaSalle Institute in Chicago, he attended Northwestern University, where he taught introductory Spanish classes and obtained a master's degree in 1975.  He worked for the Social Security Administration in various capacities for the next ten years. 

In 1983, he founded an organization which was called Des Plaines Pro Life, and then, through that entity opened the first Women’s Center (pro-life outreach pregnancy resource center) in July 1984.  This was followed by additional locations in 1986, 1987, 1990 and 1998.  At the headquarters location, which included a full-service food and clothing dispensary, a Eucharistic chapel was opened in 1995 and rededicated in 1997 by Cardinal Francis George. 

During his tenure at the Women’s Center, Deacon Conrad has done hundreds of public appearances at local Catholic and non-Catholic churches, throughout the Chicago area and the region.  He and his wife, Linda, appeared in an interview hosted by Jerry Coniker of the Apostolate for Consecration that was broadcast several times on EWTN.  He also produced two videos about the work of the Women’s Center, which were broadcast on EWTN.  He appeared in many television news interviews, including Spanish-language TV and on the radio in broadcasts in English, Spanish and Polish.  He was interviewed in Paris, France, in French, on Radio Notre Dame, the official radio station of the archdiocese of Paris. 

Deacon Conrad resigned the directorship of the Women’s Center in 2004, and subsequently taught Spanish at various Catholic elementary Schools and at Northridge Preparatory School, Lewis University, Oakton Community College and Attea Middle School in Glenview.  He discerned a vocation to the permanent diaconate in 2014, and was ordained on May 12, 2018, at Holy Name Cathedral. 

Deacon Conrad has been married to Linda (nee Greco) since May 14, 1977, and has seven children and nine grandchildren.  He serves at Mary, Mother of Martyrs Parish in Des Plaines, Illinois, where most of his ministry is to the Spanish-speaking parishioners.