Thomas Anthony Welch Explained

Honorific Prefix:His Eminence, The Most Reverend
Thomas Anthony Welch
Bishop of Duluth
Church:Roman Catholic Church
See:Diocese of Duluth
Appointed:-->
Predecessor:John T. McNicholas
Successor:Francis Joseph Schenk
Ordination:June 11, 1909
Ordained By:John Ireland
Consecration:February 3, 1926
Consecrated By:Austin Dowling
Birth Date:2 November 1884
Birth Place:Faribault, Minnesota, US
Death Place:Duluth, Minnesota, US
Tomb:-->
Education:College of St. Thomas
St. Paul Seminary

Thomas Anthony Welch (November 2, 1884  - September 9, 1959) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Duluth from 1926 until his death in 1959.

Biography

Early life

Thomas Welch was born on November 2, 1884, in Faribault, Minnesota, to Thomas J. and Ellen (née Deasy) Welch.[1] He studied at College of St. Thomas and St. Paul Seminary, both in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis on June 11, 1909.[2]

Welch served as secretary to Archbishop John Ireland (1909–1918) and to his successor, Archbishop Austin Dowling (1919–1922). He also served as chancellor (1918–1923) and vicar general of the archdiocese. He became a domestic prelate in February 1924.

Bishop of Duluth

On December 17, 1925, Welch was appointed the third bishop of the Diocese of Duluth by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on February 3, 1926, from Archbishop Dowling, with Bishops James O'Reilly and Joseph Busch serving as co-consecrators. During his 33-year tenure, Welch remedied the financial crisis in the diocese and also constructed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary.[3]

Thomas Welch on September 8, 1959, at age 74.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Curtis, Georgina Pell. The American Catholic Who's Who. XIV. 1961. Walter Romig. Grosse Pointe, Michigan.
  2. News: Catholic-Hierarchy.org. Bishop Thomas Anthony Welch.
  3. News: Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth. Archbishop expresses gratitude as he says farewell.