Pope Francis Names Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted As Apostolic Administrator of the Byzantine Eparchy of Phoenix
WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has appointed the MostReverend Thomas J. Olmsted, as the Apostolic Administrator Sede Plena of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholiceparchy of Phoenix. Bishop Olmsted willalso retain his current Office as Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix.
WASHINGTON—Pope Francis has appointed the MostReverend Thomas J. Olmsted, as the Apostolic Administrator Sede Plena of the Holy Protection of Mary Byzantine Catholiceparchy of Phoenix. Bishop Olmsted willalso retain his current Office as Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix.
The announcement was publicized in Washington on August 1, 2018 by ArchbishopChristophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Olmsted has served as the fourth Bishop of theDiocese of Phoenix since December 20, 2003.
Prior to his arrival inPhoenix, Bishop Olmsted served as Bishop of Wichita, Kansas from 2001-2003,after being ordained Coadjutor Bishop on April 20, 1999. Before serving in Wichita,he served as the Rector and President of the Pontifical College Josephinum, aCatholic Seminary in Columbus, Ohio. Since 1974, Bishop Olmsted has been amember of the Jesus Caritas fraternity of priests. He was ordained a priest forthe Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., July 2, 1973.
For 16 years, Bishop Olmstedlived in Rome, Italy, where he obtained a master's degree in theology and adoctorate in Canon Law from the Pontifical Gregorian University (1981) and workedmore than nine years as an official in the Vatican Secretariat of State from1979 to 1988. During his time in Rome,he was also an assistant spiritual director at the Pontifical North AmericanCollege.
Bishop Olmsted is currently a member of the UnitedStates Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.
The HolyProtection of Mary Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Phoenix (formerlyknown as the Byzantine CatholicEparchy of Van Nuys) is the Catholic eparchy (diocese) governingmost Byzantine Ruthenian Catholics in the Western United States. The Eparchy's territorial jurisdictionconsists of thirteen Western States. Currently, Holy Protection Eparchy ofPhoenix has 19 parishes and one mission under its canonical jurisdiction.
The diocese of Phoenix, Arizona comprises 43,967 squaremiles. It has a total population of 4,734,036 people of which 1,188,243 or 25 percent,are Catholic.
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Keywords: Pope Francis, ArchbishopChristophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted,Holy Protection of Mary, ByzantineCatholic Eparchy of Phoenix, Diocese of Phoenix, Byzantine RuthenianCatholics.
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