Thomas John Curry

Thomas John Curry (born 17 January 1943, Drumgoon, County Cavan, Ireland) is an Irish-born American bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles until 2018. From 1994 to 2013, he was the episcopal vicar of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region, before he resigned from all public duties. However, he continued to hold the title of Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles until his resignation was accepted formally by Pope Francis on Tuesday, March 3, 2018, becoming Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus.[1]

His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Thomas John Curry
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Los Angeles
Titular Bishop of Ceanannus Mór
ArchdioceseLos Angeles
AppointedFebruary 8, 1994
InstalledMarch 19, 1994
Term endedApril 3, 2018
Other postsTitular Bishop of Ceanannus Mór
Orders
OrdinationJune 17, 1967
ConsecrationMarch 19, 1994
by Roger Mahony, John Ward, and Armando Xavier Ochoa
Personal details
Born (1943-01-17) January 17, 1943
Drumgoon, County Cavan, Ireland
Styles of
Thomas John Curry
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Pastoral life

Thomas Curry studied at All Hallows College and was ordained a priest on 17 June 1967. On 8 February 1994, he was appointed Titular Bishop of Ceanannus Mór and Auxiliary Bishop of his home diocese. He was ordained a bishop on 19 March 1994. The principal consecrator was Cardinal Roger Mahony; his principal co-consecrators were Bishops James Ward and Armando Xavier Ochoa.

Committee appointments

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Curry was Chairman of the Committee for Catholic Education[2][3] and Consultant to The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy. In 2000, he signed up for the USCCB's Encuentro 2000.

Accomplishments

On 28 January 2001, Bishop Curry co-celebrated a Mass of Dedication for San Roque Church's new altar in Santa Barbara, California with Cardinal Mahony as the principal celebrant.[4]

In 2001 Bishop Curry wrote Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America[5] in which he defined Christendom as "the system dating from the fourth century by which governments upheld and promoted Christianity" and stated that the end of Christendom came about because modern governments refused to "uphold the teachings, customs, ethos, and practice of Christianity. He argued the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (1791) and the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom (1965) are two of the most important documents setting the stage for its end.

In 2005, Bishop Curry participated in the University of California Santa Barbara's Catholic Studies program by reading the mission statement of its endowment. He had previously held meetings with University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)'s administration, faculty and students. In 2009, Curry praised the Notre Dame Task Force goal for its report on the participation of Latino children and families in Catholic schools.[6]

Resignation from public duties

On 31 January 2013, Curry resigned his post as auxiliary bishop of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region, in response to the Archdiocese's release of thousands of pages of files documenting sexual abuse by priests and efforts to cover them up. The files document decisions Curry made in his role as Vicar for Clergy in the years preceding his ordination as auxiliary bishop, which included reportedly interfering with police investigations into abuse claims.[7] His resignation was accepted by Pope Francis and became effective on April 3, 2018.[8]

See also

References
  1. Profile of Bishop Thomas Curry. Retrieved 13 March 2010
  2. USCCB Committees website. Retrieved 13 March 2010
  3. USCCB Committees archives ("Presidente del Comité Para Educación Saluda Iniciativa de Notre Dame Para Mejorar Acceso De Niños Hispanos a Escuelas Católicas"). Retrieved 13 March 2010
  4. News: March 2001, Los Angeles Mission website Archived 2001-04-27 at Archive.today. Retrieved 13 March 2010
  5. Curry, Thomas John (2001). Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780190287061. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  6. "US Bishops Laud Plan for 1M Latino Students by 2020". Retrieved 13 March 2010
  7. Ryan, Harriet; Kim, Victoria (1 February 2013). "Cardinal Mahony relieved of duties over handling of abuse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  8. "Bishop Thomas John Curry". Catholic Hierarchy.

Episcopal succession
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
-		 Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
1994-2018		 Succeeded by
-
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