Thomas John Rodi (born March 27, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mobile in Alabama since 2008, having previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi in Mississippi from 2001 to 2008.
Biography
Early life
Thomas Rodi was born on March 27, 1949, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from De La Salle High School in New Orleans in 1967. He then attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. Upon his return to New Orleans, Rodi earned a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
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 in 1978.
Priesthood
Rodi was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans by Archbishop Philip Hannan on May 20, 1978. Rodi then served as
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 St. Ann Parish in
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...
and at St. Christopher the Martyr Parish in
Jefferson, Louisiana
Jefferson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the north side (referred to as the "East Bank") of the Mississippi River. Jefferson is part of the New Orleans– Metairie–Kenner metropolitan ...
.
Rodi became a judge for the
metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:
* Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories
* Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England
* Metropolitan county, a typ ...
Licentiate in Canon Law
Licentiate may refer to:
*Licentiate (degree), a degree below a PhD granted by universities in some countries; may indicate a medical doctor qualification in the UK and other countries.
Religion
*Licentiate of Canon Law, Roman Catholic Church
* L ...
from the
Catholic University of America
The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...
School of Canon Law
The School of Canon Law is the only faculty of Catholic canon law in the United States. It is one of the twelve schools at The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C.canon law at Notre Dame Seminary until 1995. He also served as director of the Office of Religious Education from 1988 to 1989, and of the Department of Pastoral Services from 1989 to 1996. In addition to his other duties, he was named
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 ...
(1992) and vicar general and curialmoderator (1996) of the archdiocese. Rodi was raised by the Vatican to the rank of
honorary prelate
A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour.
They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.River Ridge
* Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary in New Orleans
* Pastor of St. Pius X in New Orleans
* Pastor of St. Rita in New Orleans
Bishop of Biloxi
On May 15, 2001, Rodi was appointed as the second bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi by Pope John Paul II. He received episcopal consecration on July 2. 2001. from Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, with Archbishop Francis Schulte and Bishop Joseph Howze 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, ...
. Rodi selected as his episcopal motto: ''Caritas Christi Urget Nos'' 2 Cor 5:14, meaning, "The love of Christ compels us."
Archbishop of Mobile
Pope Benedict XVI named Rodi as the second archbishop of the Archbishop of Mobile on April 2, 2008, replacing Bishop Oscar Lipscomb. He was formally installed as archbishop on June 6 2008.
"It is also the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the first Catholic president, President Kennedy, it was 60 years today. So by coincidence, it is very meaningful we have the second time a man who professes to be Catholic be inaugurated as president."