Thomas Anthony Welch
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.
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Biography
Thomas Welch was born 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.[1] He was ordained to the priesthood on June 11, 1909.[2]
Welch served as secretary to Archbishop John Ireland (1909–1918) and to his successor, Archbishop Austin Dowling (1919–1922).[1] He also served as chancellor (1918–1923) and vicar general of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.[1] He became a domestic prelate in February 1924.[1]
On December 17, 1925, Welch was appointed the third Bishop of Duluth by Pope Pius XI.[2] He received his episcopal consecration on February 3, 1926 from Archbishop Dowling, with Bishops James O'Reilly and Joseph Francis Busch serving as co-consecrators.[2] During his 33-year tenure, he remedied the financial crisis in the diocese and also constructed the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary.[3]
Welch died at age 74.
Catholic Church titles | ||
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Preceded by John T. McNicholas |
Bishop of Duluth 1925–1959 |
Succeeded by Francis Joseph Schenk |
References
- Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
- "Bishop Thomas Anthony Welch". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- "Archbishop expresses gratitude as he says farewell". Roman Catholic Diocese of Duluth.