Rev. Thomas F. Quinlan S.S.C., D.D. was an Irish born priest, who served as Bishop of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Chunchon The Diocese of Chunchon (also romanized ''Chuncheon'' and ''Ch’unch’on'', la, Dioecesis Chuncheonensis) is a diocese of the Latin Church of the Roman Catholic Church in South Korea. A suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolit ...

in Korea from 1945 until 1966.

Life

Thomas Quinlan a native of

Borrisoleigh Borrisoleigh () is a small town in County Tipperary, Ireland. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 679. In recent years the population has exceeded 1,000 while historically the population has been around 8,000. It is in the ecclesiastical ...

, Co. Tipperary, he studied for the priesthood for four years in

St. Patrick's College, Thurles Mary Immaculate College, (MIC) Thurles is a third level college of education in Thurles, County Tipperary. Formerly a seminary, the college specialises in humanities courses in accounting, business studies, Irish and religious studies. History M ...

, before joining the Columban Fathers. He was ordained a priest in 1920 along with three others and was posted to the Han-yang province in China. During his time in China the missionaries were a target for kidnapping and violence. After returning to Ireland, Fr. Quinlan was again posted to Korea, where he was stationed at the outbreak of the Second World War, he was appointed Bishop in 1945 serving during the Korean War. He was captured and imprisoned by the Communists, he was held with Bishop

Patrick James Byrne Patrick James Byrne, M.M. (October 26, 1888 – November 25, 1950) was an American-born Catholic missionary and Bishop. As a member of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll), he was assigned for missions in Korea and Japan. ...

MM, who died and Quinlan had to bury him. He returned to South Korea in 1954 as Regent to the Apostolic Delegation. He retired in 1966 as Bishop and died on New Year's Eve 1970.Bishop Thomas Quinlan
Catholic Hierarchy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinlan, Thomas F. 1894 births 1970 deaths Alumni of St. Patrick's College, Thurles 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Missionary Society of St. Columban 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in South Korea Roman Catholic bishops of Chunchon