Thomas John Curry (born 17 January 1943) is an Irish-born American prelate 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 ...
. Curry served as an
auxiliary bishop of the
Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles ( la, Archidiœcesis Angelorum in California, es, Arquidiócesis de Los Ángeles) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in th ...
from 1994 to 2018. From 1994 to 2013, he was the episcopal vicar of the
Santa Barbara Pastoral Region The Santa Barbara Pastoral Region is a pastoral region of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the Roman Catholic Church. It covers Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara and Ventura County, Californ ...
. He was forced to resign as vicar due to his role in attempting to maintain the secrecy of sexual abuse allegations against priests in the archdiocese.
Biography
Early life
Curry was born in 1943 in Drumgoon in County Cavan, in the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
. He attended
All Hallows College
All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing down, due to decreasing student numbers. The sale o ...
in Dublin then
University College Dublin
University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...
, graduating in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in history.
Priesthood
On June 17, 1967, Curry was ordained to the priesthood in Ireland at All Hallows College for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
After his ordination in 1967, Curry served as an associate pastor at St. Bernardine of Siena Parish in
Woodland Hills, California
Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California.
Geography
Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...
. In 1970, he started teaching at
Pius X High School in Downey, California. During this time, Curry studied at
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
, receiving a master's degree in history in 1973.
In 1976, Curry was appointed director of the archdiocese Office of Continuing Education for Clergy. In 1978, he was a teacher for one year at
St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California. He received a doctorate in history in 1983 from
Claremont Graduate University
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...
.
In 1985, Curry was appointed as vicar for clergy. In 1991, he was named director of the Secretariat for Church Ministerial Services.
In 1987, Curry wrote a memo to Cardinal
Roger Mahony
Roger Michael Mahony (born February 27, 1936) is an American cardinal and retired prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1985 to 2011. Before his appointment, he served as Auxiliary Bishop of Fresno from 1 ...
discussing how to keep secret acts of sexual abuse by priests, saying that they constituted privileged information. The memo mentioned Michael Wempe, a priest in
Ventura County
Ventura County () is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 843,843. The largest city is Oxnard, and the county seat is the city of Ventura.
Ventura County comprises the Oxnar ...
, who was accused of "some sexual touching". Wempe later admitted to abusing 13 boys.
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
On February 8, 1994, Curry was
appointed as titular bishop of
Ceanannus Mór and as an
auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was consecrated on March 19, 1994, by Cardinal Mahony; his principal co-consecrators were Bishops
James Ward James Ward may refer to:
Military
*James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1864) (1833–?), American Civil War sailor
* James Ward (Medal of Honor, 1890) (1854–1901), American Indian Wars soldier
*James Allen Ward (1919–1941), New Zealand pilot and Vi ...
and
Armando Ochoa.
Within the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...
(USCCB), Curry was chairman of the Committee for Catholic Education and consultant to The Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy. In 2000, he signed up for the USCCB's ''Encuentro 2000''. On 28 January 2001, Curry co-celebrated a Mass of Dedication for San Roque Church's new altar in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
with Cardinal Mahony as the principal celebrant.
News: March 2001, Los Angeles Mission website
. Retrieved 13 March 2010
In 2001, Curry wrote ''Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America'', in which he defined Christendom
Christendom historically refers to the Christian states, Christian-majority countries and the countries in which Christianity dominates, prevails,SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christendom"/ref> or is culturally or historically intertwine ...
as "the system dating from the fourth century by which governments upheld and promoted Christianity" and stated that the end of Christendom came about because modern governments refused to "uphold the teachings, customs, ethos, and practice of Christianity". He argued the First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
to the United States Constitution and the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom
''Dignitatis humanae'' (''Of the Dignity of the Human Person'') is the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom. In the context of the council's stated intention "to develop the doctrine of recent popes on the inviolable rights ...
were two of the most important documents setting the stage for its end.
On January 23, 2013, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles released 3,000 pages of church personnel files as required by a legal settlement of a lawsuit in 2007. The files showed that Curry had repeatedly worked to suppress the public release of information on archdiocesan priests accused of sexual assault
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
. Curry released a statement of apology the day after the files were released.
On February 1, 2013, Archbishop José Horacio Gómez announced the resignation of Curry as head of the Santa Barbara pastoral region. This was in response to Curry's role in aiding Cardinal Mahony in attempting to maintain the secrecy of records on abusive priests in the archdiocese.
Retirement
In January 2018, Curry turned 75 and submitted his resignation as auxiliary bishop to the Holy See
The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...
, according to the procedures in Canon Law. On April 3, 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. ...
announced the acceptance of Curry's resignation.
See also
* Catholic Church hierarchy
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church consists of its bishops, priests, and deacons. In the ecclesiological sense of the term, "hierarchy" strictly means the "holy ordering" of the Church, the Body of Christ, so to respect the diversity of gif ...
* Catholic Church in the United States
With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the country's second largest religious grouping, after Protestantism, and the country's largest single church or Christian denomination where Protestantism is divided i ...
* Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
This is a historical list of all bishops of the Catholic Church whose sees were within the present-day boundaries of the United States, with links to the bishops who consecrated them. It includes only members of the United States Conference of Cat ...
* List of Catholic bishops of the United States
The following is a list of bishops of the Catholic Church in the United States, including its five inhabited territories.
The U.S. Catholic Church comprises:
* 176 Latin Church dioceses led by bishops
* 18 Eastern Catholic eparchies led by e ...
* Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
This is a directory of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops across various Christian denominations. To find an individual who was a bishop, see the most relevant article linked below or :Bishops.
Lists
Catholic
* Bishop in the Catholic Chur ...
References
External links
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles official website
NBC/Los Angeles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curry, Thomas John
Alumni of All Hallows College, Dublin
Irish emigrants to the United States
People from County Cavan
1943 births
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests
Living people
20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops
21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops