David Raymond Choby (January 17, 1947 – June 3, 2017) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as the 11th bishop of the Diocese of Nashville in Tennessee from 2005 until his death in 2017. He previously served as diocesan administrator for the diocese from 2004 to 2006.

Biography

Early life

David Choby was born on January 17, 1947, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

. He was the son of Raymond and Rita Choby. He had one sister, Diane C. Dyche of

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. Accord ...

. Choby was baptized in the Cathedral Church of the Incarnation in Nashville, where he would later be consecrated as bishop. He attended Catholic schools growing up, and graduated from

Father Ryan High School Father Ryan High School is a private Catholic coeducational high school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1925 as Nashville Catholic High School for Boys, Father Ryan is located in the Diocese of Nashville. It was the first racially integrated h ...

in Nashville in 1965. After spending one year at Aquinas College in Nashville, Choby entered the seminary at St. Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa. He then studied at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Priesthood

Choby received the Sacrament of Holy Orders and was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

for the Diocese of Nashville on September 6, 1974, by Bishop Joseph A. Durick at St. Henry Church in

Belle Meade, Tennessee Belle Meade is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee. Its total land area is , and its population was 2,912 at the time of the 2010 census. Belle Meade operates independently as a city, complete with its own regulations, a city hall, and police f ...

. Choby served as associate pastor at St. Joseph Parish in Madison, Tennessee, administrator of St. Ann Parish in Nashville, and spent three years in residence at Christ the King Parish in Nashville while working at the Diocesan Tribunal. In 1989, he was appointed pastor at St. John Vianney Parish in

Gallatin, Tennessee Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee. The population was 30,278 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census and 44,431 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Named for United States Secretary of the Tr ...

, where he was active in the community and in the local ministerial association. Choby attended the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas ''Angelicum'' in Rome where he earned a

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

degree Degree may refer to: As a unit of measurement * Degree (angle), a unit of angle measurement ** Degree of geographical latitude ** Degree of geographical longitude * Degree symbol (°), a notation used in science, engineering, and mathematics ...

. He served as a member of the diocesan tribunal throughout most of his priesthood. He also served two five-year terms on the diocese’s presbyteral council and college of consultors. From 1984 to 1989, Choby taught at the Pontifical College Josephinum, a seminary in Columbus, Ohio. On August 12, 2004,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

appointed Nashville Bishop

Edward U. Kmiec Edward Urban Kmiec (, ; June 4, 1936 – July 11, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the 13th bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, Diocese of Buffalo in New York from 2004 to 2012. Kmiec p ...

, as the Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo. Choby was elected diocesan administrator by the diocesan College of Consultors.

Bishop of Nashville

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the soverei ...

appointed Choby as bishop of the Diocese of Nashville on December 20, 2005. He was only the second priest from Nashville to be appointed as its bishop. He was consecrated and installed on February 27, 2006 in the Cathedral Church of the Incarnation in Nashville. The principal consecrator was Archbishop

Thomas C. Kelly Thomas Cajetan Kelly (July 14, 1931 – December 14, 2011) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A member of the Dominican Order, Kelley served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Louisville in Kentucky from 1982 until his retire ...

. Choby chose as his episcopal motto: "That We May Live," a quotation from the Fourth Eucharistic Prayer. As bishop, Choby was a board member of the Josephinum.

Death and legacy

Choby sustained two falls in his later years. The second fall in February 2017 resulted in serious injuries that forced him to delegate governance of the diocese to Reverend David Perkin, the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop of a diocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vicar general exercises the bishop' ...

. David Choby died in Nashville on June 3, 2017 from infections resulting from his injuries.Tennessean: "Seven things to know about Nashville's interim Catholic bishop" by Brad Schmitt
July 28, 2017

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville Official Site
at DioceseofNashville.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Choby, David 1947 births 2017 deaths Roman Catholic bishops of Nashville Aquinas College (Tennessee) alumni Pontifical College Josephinum faculty Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni St. Ambrose University alumni Catholic University of America alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Accidental deaths in Tennessee