Elliott Thomas
Encyclopedia
Bishop Elliott G. Thomas is a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church
.
He was born in Pittsburgh
, Pennsylvania
on July 25, 1926. Thomas's family had lived in Tortola
, British Virgin Islands
, returning there in 1934. Elliott Thomas was enrolled in the Methodist Day School in Road Town
and as a teenager attended Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas
, where he graduated in 1945.
Following his graduation, he served as a Clerk of the Municipal Homestead Commission and Clerk of the Adult Evening School in St. Thomas. In 1945, he enrolled in the College of Pharmacy at Howard University
in Washington, D.C.
, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950. After qualifying as a registered pharmacist in Detroit
, Michigan
he joined the United States Army
and was assigned to FranMort-Hoechst and to Munich
, Germany
.
After returning to the Virgin Islands, he became a pharmacist in St. Thomas. From 1954 - 1959, he worked as a pharmacist with the Veterans Administration
in Erie, Pennsylvania
, where he also studied part-time at Gannon College, majoring in Business Administration.
On October 2, 1957 he converted to Catholicism
and was received into the Church at St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie, Pennsylvania. He began his studies for the priesthood in 1982 at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach
, Florida
. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of St. Thomas
in the Virgin Islands on June 6, 1986, and was appointed Episcopal Vicar for the Diocese and pastor of Holy Family Church.
Father Thomas served as pastor of St. Ann's Church on St. Croix
, pastor of Holy Family Church, Dean of the Diocese and the Vicar General. The Diocesan Consulters of the Diocese of St. Thomas unanimously elected Father Thomas to serve as Diocesan Administrator, a post he filled from August 11, 1992 until he was named as the Third Bishop of the Virgin Islands on October 30, 1993. He was consecrated and installed at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral
on Sunday, December 12, 1993.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
He was born in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on July 25, 1926. Thomas's family had lived in Tortola
Tortola
Tortola is the largest and most populated of the British Virgin Islands, a group of islands that form part of the archipelago of the Virgin Islands. Local tradition recounts that Christopher Columbus named it Tortola, meaning "land of the Turtle Dove". Columbus named the island Santa Ana...
, British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
, returning there in 1934. Elliott Thomas was enrolled in the Methodist Day School in Road Town
Road Town
-See also:* Government House, the official residence of the Governor of the British Virgin Islands located in Road Town-External links:*****...
and as a teenager attended Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas
Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Thomas is an island in the Caribbean Sea and with the islands of Saint John, Saint Croix, and Water Island a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Located on the island is the territorial capital and port of...
, where he graduated in 1945.
Following his graduation, he served as a Clerk of the Municipal Homestead Commission and Clerk of the Adult Evening School in St. Thomas. In 1945, he enrolled in the College of Pharmacy at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1950. After qualifying as a registered pharmacist in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
he joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and was assigned to FranMort-Hoechst and to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
After returning to the Virgin Islands, he became a pharmacist in St. Thomas. From 1954 - 1959, he worked as a pharmacist with the Veterans Administration
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
in Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
, where he also studied part-time at Gannon College, majoring in Business Administration.
On October 2, 1957 he converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and was received into the Church at St. Peter's Cathedral in Erie, Pennsylvania. He began his studies for the priesthood in 1982 at St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary in Boynton Beach
Boynton Beach, Florida
Boynton Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 60,389 at the 2000 census. As of 2006, the city had a population of 66,714 according to the University of Florida, Bureau of Economic and Business Research...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of St. Thomas
Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Thomas is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in the Caribbean. The diocese comprises the overseas dependency of the Virgin Islands specifically the islands Saint Thomas, Saint Croix and Saint John. The diocese is a suffragan of the...
in the Virgin Islands on June 6, 1986, and was appointed Episcopal Vicar for the Diocese and pastor of Holy Family Church.
Father Thomas served as pastor of St. Ann's Church on St. Croix
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
, pastor of Holy Family Church, Dean of the Diocese and the Vicar General. The Diocesan Consulters of the Diocese of St. Thomas unanimously elected Father Thomas to serve as Diocesan Administrator, a post he filled from August 11, 1992 until he was named as the Third Bishop of the Virgin Islands on October 30, 1993. He was consecrated and installed at Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Saint Thomas
The Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Saint Thomas is a cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States Virgin Islands. It is the mother church and seat of the prelate bishop of the Diocese of Saint Thomas...
on Sunday, December 12, 1993.
External links
- National Black Catholc Congress bio of Elliott Thomas
- National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus bio of Elliott Thomas.