Thomas Joseph Connolly (July 18, 1922 – April 24, 2015)Former Baker bishop dies at 92
Catholic Sentinel was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the

Diocese of Baker The Diocese of Baker (Latin: ''Dioecesis Bakeriensis'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Eastern Oregon, United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolis (reli ...

in Oregon from 1971 to 1999.

Biography

Early life

Connolly was born in

Tonopah, Nevada Tonopah ( , Shoshoni language: Tonampaa) is an unincorporated town in, and the county seat of, Nye County, Nevada, United States. It is located at the junction of U.S. Routes 6 and 95, approximately midway between Las Vegas and Reno. In ...

, to John and Katherine (née Hammel) Connolly. He completed his studies for the priesthood in California, first at St. Joseph Preparatory Seminary in Mountain View and then at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park.

Priesthood

Connolly was ordained a priest for the

Diocese of Reno The Diocese of Reno is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern Nevada region of the United States, centered on the city of Reno. The diocese is composed of 12 counties in Nevada. The See of Reno ...

by Bishop Thomas Gorman on April 8, 1947. His first assignments were as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at the St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral Parish and at Little Flower Parish, while teaching at Bishop Manogue High School in Reno and serving as

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 ...

to the local Serra Club. Connolly served as private secretary to Gorman from 1948 until 1949, when he was sent to study canon law at 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. ...

in Washington, D.C. He earned a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1951, and a doctorate from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome in 1952. Following his return to Reno, Connolly became an assistant pastor at St. Thomas Aquinas Cathedral. After serving at St. Joseph Parish in

Elko, Nevada Elko (Shoshoni: Natakkoa, "Rocks Piled on One Another") is the largest city in and county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. With a 2020 population of 20,564, Elko is currently growing at a rate of 0.31% annually and its population has i ...

, and St. Albert the Great Church in Reno, he became pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Parish in

Carson City, Nevada Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the sixth largest city in Nevada. The majority of the city's population lives in Eagle Valley, on the ...

, from 1968 to 1971.

Bishop of Baker

On May 4, 1971, Connolly was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Baker by Pope Paul VI. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

ordination on June 30, 1971, from Archbishop Robert Dwyer, with Bishops Gorman and Michael Green 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, ...

. In accord with the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Connolly established a priests' council, an annual presbyteral assembly, a sisters' council, and a diocesan pastoral council with lay participation. He oversaw a large-scale renovation of St. Francis de Sales Cathedral in the early 1980s. He also scheduled regular Masses in Spanish, established a program to assist undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship, and ordained the first class of permanent deacons for the diocese.

Retirement and legacy

Upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Connolly submitted his letter of resignation to Pope John Paul II in July 1997. His resignation was accepted on November 19, 1999, and Reverend Robert F. Vasa of the

Diocese of Lincoln The Diocese of Lincoln forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the ceremonial county of Lincolnshire. History The diocese traces its roots in an unbroken line to the Pre-Reformation Diocese of Leices ...

was named as his successor. Thomas Connolly died in April 2015, at age 92.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Connolly, Thomas Joseph 1922 births 2015 deaths People from Tonopah, Nevada Roman Catholic Diocese of Reno Roman Catholic bishops of Baker 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Saint Patrick's Seminary and University alumni Catholic University of America alumni Religious leaders from Nevada Catholics from Nevada American expatriates in Italy