Francis Augustine Thill (October 12, 1893 – May 21, 1957) 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 'pref ...

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 bishop of the Diocese of Concordia, later becoming the Diocese of Salina, from 1938 until his death in 1957.

Biography

Early life

Francis Thill was born on October 12, 1893, in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

, to Bernard and Margaret (née Schele) Thill. After attending the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West at Cincinnati in 1914. As a seminarian, he established and organized the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade to aid missionaries in foreign countries.

Priesthood

Thill was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by Archbishop Henry K. Moeller on February 28, 1920. He then furthered his studies at the

Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy O ...

in Rome, and toured American missionary outposts in Asia. Upon his return to Ohio, Thill served as professor of oratory at Mount St. Mary's, and became

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

of the archdiocese (1935) and

domestic prelate Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

(1937).

Bishop of Concordia and Salina

On August 26, 1938, Thill was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Concordia by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City fro ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 28 from Archbishop

John T. McNicholas John Timothy McNicholas, O.P. (December 15, 1877 – April 22, 1950) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. A Dominican, he served as bishop of the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota (1918–1925) and archbishop of the Archdi ...

, with Archbishops Francis Beckman and Urban Vehr serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

, at St. Monica's Cathedral in Cincinnati. Thill was installed by Archbishop

John J. Glennon John Joseph Glennon (June 14, 1862 – March 9, 1946) was a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1903 until his death in 1946. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 1946. Early life and ministry John Gle ...

in Concordia on November 15, 1938. Despite the lingering effects of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Thill managed to liquidate the diocesan debt of nearly $250,000 in late 1942. On December 23, 1944,

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...

moved the

episcopal see An episcopal see is, in a practical use of the phrase, the area of a bishop's ecclesiastical jurisdiction. Phrases concerning actions occurring within or outside an episcopal see are indicative of the geographical significance of the term, mak ...

from Concordia to Salina, Kansas, much to the chagrin of local Catholics.During his tenure, Thill laid the cornerstone for

Sacred Heart Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral may refer to: Africa *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Moundou, Chad *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bamako, Mali *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo *Sacred Heart Cathedral, Freetown, Sierra Leone *Sacred Heart Cathedra ...

in Salina on June 4, 1951, and later dedicated it on June 6, 1953. He erected or remodeled 25 churches, ten schools, 11

rectories A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically own ...

, nine

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

s, and six

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

s. Thill ordained 35 priests and founded the Catholic Youth Organization of Concordia in 1939. Francis Thill died in Salina on May 21, 1957, at age 63. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Salina.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thill, Francis Augustine 1893 births 1957 deaths University of Dayton alumni The Athenaeum of Ohio alumni People from Dayton, Ohio Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati Roman Catholic bishops of Salina 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Concordia, Kansas Catholics from Ohio