Thomas J. O'Brien (bishop)
|
His Excellency, The Most Reverend Thomas Joseph O'Brien |
|
|---|---|
| Bishop Emeritus of Phoenix | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Diocese | Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix |
| Appointed | November 19, 1981 |
| In office | January 18, 1982 |
| Predecessor | James Steven Rausch |
| Successor | Thomas Olmsted |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | May 7, 1961 |
| Consecration | January 6, 1982 |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | Thomas Joseph O'Brien |
| Born |
November 29, 1935 Indianapolis, Indiana |
Thomas Joseph O'Brien (born November 29, 1935) is an American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Phoenix from 1982 to 2003, and is currently its bishop emeritus. He was the first American Catholic bishop to be convicted of a felony.
O'Brien was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and attended St. Meinrad Seminary. Feeling a call to the priesthood from an early age, he was ordained for the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, on May 7, 1961. He then served as an associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Church in Douglas.
In 1964, O'Brien was transferred to territory that would later become the Diocese of Phoenix, as an associate pastor at St. Theresa Church and later at St. Gregory Church. He was named pastor of St. Catherine Church in Phoenix in 1979, and also served as vicar general for the Diocese.
On November 9, 1981, O'Brien was appointed the third Bishop of Phoenix by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on January 6, 1982 from John Paul II himself, with Archbishops Eduardo Martínez Somalo and Lucas Moreira Neves, OP, serving as co-consecrators, in Rome. He was formally installed as Bishop of Phoenix on the following January 18, and selected as his episcopal motto, "To Build Up the Body of Christ."
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