Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix

“All we need to do is to open the door of our heart to Christ. He does the rest. He comes with his mercy. He reconciles us with the Father and with one another. He restores our dignity and gives us fresh hope.”

 
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted
of Phoenix

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, whose patroness is Our Lady of Guadalupe, is responsible for a flock of more than 500,000 Catholics. A member of the Knights of Columbus since 1990, he currently belongs to Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral Council 12708 in Phoenix.

Bishop Olmsted is champion for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. He has served on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ committees for Consecrated Life and Priestly Formation. He is also a member of the USCCB National Advisory Council.

Bishop Olmsted was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln, Neb., on July 2, 1973. He was installed as the bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix on Dec. 20, 2003. Prior to arriving in Phoenix, he served as bishop of Wichita, Kan., after being ordained coadjutor bishop on April 20, 1999. Before serving in Wichita, he served as rector / president of the Pontifical College Josephinum, a Catholic seminary in Columbus, Ohio.

Since 1974, he has been a member of the Jesus Caritas fraternity of priests, and thus has been deeply influenced by the witness and wisdom of Charles de Foucauld and by the prayers and encouragement of many brother priests.

For 16 years, Bishop Olmsted lived in Rome, where he obtained a master of arts degree in theology, a doctorate in Canon Law and worked more than nine years in the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. While serving the Holy See, he resided at the Pontifical North American College and assisted seminarians with spiritual direction. He speaks and writes Italian and Spanish.

Rasied on a family farm in Beattie, Kan., he attended a single-room grade school and a small rural high school in Summerfield, Kan. His first contact with Catholic schools came when he entered St. Thomas Seminary College in Denver, from which he graduated in 1969, with a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy.

His interest in nature and rural life continues, while his many years in Rome has fostered a devoted loyalty to the universal Church.

His parents are Pat and Helen Olmsted, who live in Beattie. He has two brothers, three sisters, and 21 nieces and nephews.