George Leo Thomas
Encyclopedia
George Leo Thomas is an American
prelate
of the Catholic Church who has served as Bishop of Helena
since 2004.
, as the second of the five children of George and Mary (née Cronin) Thomas. Raised in Butte
, he graduated from Butte Central Catholic High School
there in 1968, also when his family moved to Bellevue
, Washington. Thomas studied at Carroll College
in Helena
, from where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts
degree in literature
and philosophy
in 1972; and St. Thomas Seminary in Bothell
, earning his master's in Divinity
. Ordained
to the priesthood
by Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen
on May 22, 1976, he then served served as associate pastor
at a Kirkland
parish
and St. James Cathedral. He was also a parish administrator at Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue and Duvall
.
Thomas did chaplain
work for the King County Jail, Seattle City Jail, and Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
in Seattle, and also served as chairman of the Board of Directors
for Catholic Community Services
. After entering graduate school
at the University of Washington
, he received a master's degree
in counseling and community
mental health
two years later in 1983. In 1986 he earned a doctorate in philosophy
with specialization in Pacific Northwest
mission history
; his dissertation, "Catholics and the Missions of the Pacific Northwest, was given the Gordon C. Lee Award. Thomas became chancellor
and vicar general
of Seattle
in 1987, and its Apostolic Administrator
following the death of Archbishop Thomas Murphy
in 1997.
On November 19, 1999, Thomas was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
of Seattle and Titular Bishop
of Vagrauta by Pope John Paul II
. He received his episcopal consecration
on January 28, 2000 from Archbishop Alexander Brunett
, with Bishops William S. Skylstad
and Carlos Sevilla
, SJ
, serving as co-consecrators
.
Thomas was later named the tenth Bishop of Helena
on March 23, 2004, being installed as such on June 4, 2004. As Bishop of Helena, he is also Chancellor
of Carroll College and sits on its Board of Trustees
. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Foundation for the Diocese of Helena, Montana Catholic Conference, Catholic Social Services of Montana, Montana Association of Churches, and Catholic Relief Services
, for which he serves as chair of the U.S. Operations Committee. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
, Thomas is a member of the Board of Bishops for the American College of Louvain and Ad hoc
Committee for Native American
Catholics.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
of the Catholic Church who has served as Bishop of Helena
Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena
The Diocese of Helena is the Catholic diocese for western Montana. It was erected from the year-old Vicarate of Montana on March 7, 1884, while Montana was still a territory. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Portland, which encompasses Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.For its first...
since 2004.
Biography
George Thomas was born in Anaconda, MontanaAnaconda, Montana
Anaconda, county seat of Anaconda City/Deer Lodge County, is located in mountainous southwestern Montana. The Continental Divide passes within 8 miles of the community with the local Pintler Mountain range reaching 10,379 feet...
, as the second of the five children of George and Mary (née Cronin) Thomas. Raised in Butte
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
, he graduated from Butte Central Catholic High School
Butte Central Catholic High School
Butte Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Butte, Montana. It is one of two high schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, the other being Loyola Sacred Heart in Missoula...
there in 1968, also when his family moved to Bellevue
Bellevue, Washington
Bellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
, Washington. Thomas studied at Carroll College
Carroll College (Montana)
Carroll College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in Helena, Montana, USA. Carroll College has earned national and regional awards for its academic programs. Carroll's colors are purple and gold...
in Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
, from where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
in 1972; and St. Thomas Seminary in Bothell
Bothell, Washington
Bothell is a city located in King and Snohomish Counties in the state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. The population was 33,505 as of the 2010 census...
, earning his master's in Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
. Ordained
Holy Orders
The term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
to the priesthood
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
by Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen
Raymond Hunthausen
Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen is a retired American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Helena from 1962 to 1975 and as Archbishop of Seattle from 1975 to 1991.-Early life and education:...
on May 22, 1976, he then served served as associate pastor
Curate
A curate is a person who is invested with the care or cure of souls of a parish. In this sense "curate" correctly means a parish priest but in English-speaking countries a curate is an assistant to the parish priest...
at a Kirkland
Kirkland, Washington
Kirkland is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is a suburb of Seattle on the Eastside . The population was 48,787 at the 2010 census makes it the 9th largest city in King County and the 20th largest city in the state...
parish
Parish (Catholic Church)
In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish is the lowest ecclesiastical geographical subdivision: from ecclesiastical province to diocese to deanery to parish.-Requirements:A parish needs two things under common law to become a parish...
and St. James Cathedral. He was also a parish administrator at Sacred Heart Church in Bellevue and Duvall
Duvall, Washington
Duvall is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located on SR 203, halfway between Monroe and Carnation. The population was 6,695 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
Thomas did chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
work for the King County Jail, Seattle City Jail, and Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart
The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic order, founded on 25 March 1900 in Germany by a Dutch MSC, Fr. Hubert Linckens. It is a member of the Chevalier Family....
in Seattle, and also served as chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
for Catholic Community Services
National Catholic Community Service
The National Catholic Community Service was formed in the United States in 1940 and ceased operations in 1980. Its purpose was to serve the spiritual, social, educational, and recreational needs of Catholic military personnel and civilian defense workers and their families...
. After entering graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, he received a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in counseling and community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
mental health
Mental health
Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...
two years later in 1983. In 1986 he earned a doctorate in philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
with specialization in Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
mission history
Timeline of Christian missions
This timeline of Christian missions chronicles the global expansion of Christianity through a listing of the most important missionary outreach events.-Apostolic Age:.Earliest dates must all be considered approximate...
; his dissertation, "Catholics and the Missions of the Pacific Northwest, was given the Gordon C. Lee Award. Thomas became chancellor
Chancellor (ecclesiastical)
Two quite distinct officials of some Christian churches have the title Chancellor.*In some churches, the Chancellor of a diocese is a lawyer who represents the church in legal matters....
and vicar general
Vicar general
A vicar general is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop's ordinary executive power over the entire diocese and, thus, is the highest official in a diocese or other particular...
of Seattle
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
The Archdiocese of Seattle is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of Washington. Headquartered in Seattle, the archdiocese encompasses all counties in the state west of the Cascade Range. Its cathedral is St. James Cathedral, and its present archbishop is J...
in 1987, and its Apostolic Administrator
Apostolic Administrator
An apostolic administrator in the Roman Catholic Church is a prelate appointed by the Pope to serve as the ordinary for an apostolic administration...
following the death of Archbishop Thomas Murphy
Thomas Joseph Murphy
Thomas Joseph Murphy was an American bishop in the Catholic Church who served as Bishop of Great Falls from 1978–1987, Coadjutor Archbishop of Seattle from 1987–1991, and Archbishop of Seattle from 1991 until his death....
in 1997.
On November 19, 1999, Thomas was appointed Auxiliary Bishop
Auxiliary bishop
An auxiliary bishop, in the Roman Catholic Church, is an additional bishop assigned to a diocese because the diocesan bishop is unable to perform his functions, the diocese is so extensive that it requires more than one bishop to administer, or the diocese is attached to a royal or imperial office...
of Seattle and Titular Bishop
Titular bishop
A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese.By definition a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop the tradition of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches is that he be ordained for a specific place...
of Vagrauta by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
. He received his episcopal consecration
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
on January 28, 2000 from Archbishop Alexander Brunett
Alexander Joseph Brunett
Alexander Joseph Brunett is a retired American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the Bishop of Helena from 1994–1997 and as the immediate past Archbishop of Seattle from 1997–2010....
, with Bishops William S. Skylstad
William S. Skylstad
William Stephen Skylstad is an American Roman Catholic Bishop. He is Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane in Washington retiring June 30, 2010...
and Carlos Sevilla
Carlos Arthur Sevilla
Carlos Arthur Sevilla, SJ is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He is the sixth and current Bishop of Yakima.-Biography:...
, SJ
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
, serving as co-consecrators
Consecrator
Consecrator is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church to designate a bishop who ordains a priest to the episcopal state. The term is often used in Eastern Rite Churches and in Anglican communities. The term "Principal Consecrator" is used to designate the primary bishop who ordains a new bishop...
.
Thomas was later named the tenth Bishop of Helena
Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena
The Diocese of Helena is the Catholic diocese for western Montana. It was erected from the year-old Vicarate of Montana on March 7, 1884, while Montana was still a territory. The diocese is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Portland, which encompasses Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.For its first...
on March 23, 2004, being installed as such on June 4, 2004. As Bishop of Helena, he is also Chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of Carroll College and sits on its Board of Trustees
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Foundation for the Diocese of Helena, Montana Catholic Conference, Catholic Social Services of Montana, Montana Association of Churches, and Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services
Catholic Relief Services is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the U.S. bishops, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 90 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and...
, for which he serves as chair of the U.S. Operations Committee. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, Thomas is a member of the Board of Bishops for the American College of Louvain and Ad hoc
Ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning "for this". It generally signifies a solution designed for a specific problem or task, non-generalizable, and not intended to be able to be adapted to other purposes. Compare A priori....
Committee for Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Catholics.