Monsignor C. Michael Padazinski is a Roman Catholic priest incardinated in the Archdiocese of San Francisco. He currently serves as Chancellor of the Archdiocese. His primary ministry involves the handling of clergy cases and issues in light of the USCCB Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the implementation of the Essential Norms which received recognito from the Holy See on December 8, 2002. He was ordained to the priesthood on April 9, 1988.

Monsignor Padazinski graduated from Saint Patrick Seminary & University, Menlo Park, CA in 1987. In 1995, he was sent for graduate studies at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome where he earned a license in Canon Law in 1997 and a doctorate in Canon Law in 1999. The topic of his doctoral dissertation was timely: Loss of the Clerical State: A Penalty or Rescript?

In 2019, Monsignor Padazinski was elected Vice President/President of the Canon Law Society of America. He has presented at regional and national conventions of the Society and is a lecturer of canon law at the Catholic University of America.

In addition to Monsignor Padazinski’s duties at the chancery office of the Archdiocese and his continuing service to the Canon Law Society of America, he also serves as Pastor of Saint Patrick Parish, Larkspur, CA. Monsignor served as a reserve chaplain in the United States Air Force. He was last assigned to Headquarters, Joint Base Pearl Harbor - Hickam in Honolulu, Hawaii, and was responsible to the Command Chaplain for the entire Pacific region. He retired from the Air Force in 2018 after 33 years of service with the rank of Colonel.