George Leo Thomas (born May 19, 1950) is 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

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 ...

who has served as Archbishop of Las Vegas since 2023. He has been the ordinary of the diocese since 2018, when it was still a suffragan see. He previously served as Bishop of Helena from 2004 to 2018 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle from 1999 to 2004.

Biography

Early life

George Thomas was born on May 19, 1950, in Anaconda, Montana, as the second of the five children of George and Mary (née Cronin) Thomas. Raised in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

, he graduated from

Butte Central Catholic High School Butte Central Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Butte, Montana. It is one of two high schools in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, the other being Loyola Sacred Heart in Missoula. Their mascot is the Maroons. ...

in 1968, also when his family moved to

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as a s ...

. Thomas studied at

Carroll College Carroll College is a private Catholic college in Helena, Montana. The college has 21 buildings on a 63-acre campus, has over 35 academic majors, participates in 15 NAIA athletic sports, and is home to All Saints Chapel. The college motto, in L ...

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

, obtaining his bachelor degree in literature in 1972. He then went studied at St. Thomas Seminary in

Bothell, Washington Bothell () is a city in King and Snohomish counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, situated near the northeast end of Lake Washington. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48,161 resident ...

, earning his

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree there in 1976.

Priesthood

Thomas 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 Seattle by Archbishop

Raymond Hunthausen Raymond Gerhardt Hunthausen (August 21, 1921 – July 22, 2018) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Helena in Montana from 1962 to 1975 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in Washing ...

on May 22, 1976. After his ordination, Thomas served in several parish assignments in Washington: * Associate

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

at a Kirkland parish and at St. James Cathedral Parish * Parish administrator at Sacred Heart in Bellevue and Duvall Thomas also performed

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

work for the King County Correctional Facility, the Seattle City Jail, and the

Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic religious institute, founded on in Germany by a Dutch MSC, Fr. Hubert Linckens (1861–1922). The institution is member of the Chevalier Family Servant of God Jules Chevalier ( ...

center, all in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. For 10 years, he served as chair of the board of directors for Catholic Community Services in the archdiocese Thomas entered graduate school at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

in 1981 and received a master's degree in counseling and

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

in 1983. In 1986, he earned a Doctor of History degree, specializing in

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

mission history. Thomas 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 ...

and

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's ...

the archdiocese in 1987. He was named as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese following the death of Archbishop Thomas Murphy in 1997. He held the positions of chancellor and vicar general until 2004.

Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle

On November 19, 1999, Thomas was named as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle and the

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Vagrauta'' by

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 ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or offic ...

on January 28, 2000, from Archbishop

Alexander Brunett Alexander Joseph Brunett (January 17, 1934 – January 31, 2020) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle in Washington State from 1997 until his retirement in 2010. Brunett pre ...

, with Bishops

William S. Skylstad William Stephen Skylstad (born March 2, 1934, in Omak, Washington (U.S. state), Washington) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic church, Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Diocese of Sp ...

and

Carlos Sevilla Carlos Edmundo Sevilla Dalgo (born 26 August 1950) in an Ecuadorian former association football, football player and manager of Club Deportivo El Nacional, El Nacional. Playing career Club Sevilla had a brief playing career as a defender mainly ...

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, ...

Bishop of Helena

John Paul II named Thomas as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Helena on March 23, 2004; he was installed on June 4, 2004.

Bishop of Las Vegas

Coat of arms of George Leo Thomas (Las Vegas)

On February 28, 2018, Thomas was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas by

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

. He succeeded the retiring Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, and was installed on May 15, 2018. In January 2022, Thomas wrote a column asking Catholic politicians who support

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pre ...

for women to not present themselves at mass for communion.

Archbishop of Las Vegas

On May 30, 2023, Thomas was named as the first Archbishop of the newly created Archdiocese of Las Vegas.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, George Leo Roman Catholic bishops of Helena Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Carroll College (Montana) alumni 1950 births Living people People from Anaconda, Montana