Thomas John Curry

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Thomas John Curry
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Los Angeles
Titular Bishop of Ceanannus Mór
ArchdioceseLos Angeles
AppointedFebruary 8, 1994
InstalledMarch 19, 1994
Term endedApril 3, 2018
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Ceanannus Mór
Orders
OrdinationJune 17, 1967
ConsecrationMarch 19, 1994
by Roger Mahony, John Ward, and Armando Xavier Ochoa
Personal details
Born (1943-01-17) January 17, 1943 (age 78)
, County Cavan, Ireland
Styles of
Thomas John Curry
Mitre (plain).svg
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

Thomas John Curry (born 17 January 1943) is an Irish-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church.

Curry served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles until 2018. From 1994 to 2013, he was the episcopal vicar of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region.[1] He was forced to resign as vicar due to his role in covering up sexual abuse allegations against priests.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Curry was born in 1943 in Drumgoon in County Cavan, in the Republic of Ireland. He attended All Hallows College in Dublin then University College Dublin, graduating in 1963 with a BA degree in history.

Priesthood[]

On June 17, 1967, Curry was ordained to the priesthood at All Hallows College for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.[2]

After his ordination in 1967, Curry served as an associate pastor at St. Bernardine of Siena Parish in Woodland Hills, California. In 1970, he started teaching at Pius X High School in Downey, California. During this time, Curry studied at Loyola Marymount University, receiving an MA degree in history in 1973.[2]

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.[2]

In 1985, Curry was appointed as vicar for clergy. In 1991, he was named director of the Secretariat for Church Ministerial Services.[2]

In 1987, Curry wrote a memo to Roger Mahony discussing how to keep secret acts of sexual abuse by priests by claiming that they constituted privileged information. The memo mentioned Michael Wempe, a priest in Ventura County, who was accused of "some sexual touching". Wempe later admitted to abusing 13 boys.[3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles[]

On February 8, 1994, Curry was appointed Titular Bishop of Ceanannus Mór and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He was installed and consecrated on March 19, 1994, by Mahony; his principal co-consecrators were Bishops James Ward and Armando Xavier Ochoa.[4]

Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Curry was Chairman of the Committee for Catholic Education[5][6] 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 with Cardinal Mahony as the principal celebrant.[7]

In 2001, Curry wrote Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America,[8] in which he defined Christendom 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 to the United States Constitution and the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom 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. Curry released a statement of apology the day after the files were released.[3]

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 Mahony in covering up sexual abuse by priests in the Archdiocese.[9]

Retirement[]

On April 3, 2018, Curry sent his letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to Pope Francis.[4]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Profile of Bishop Thomas Curry. Retrieved 13 March 2010
  2. ^ a b c d "Pope Francis accepts resignation of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop Curry". National Catholic Reporter. 2018-04-03. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  3. ^ a b "Area Bishop Apologizes for Role in Dealing with Priests Accused of Molesting, by Tom Kisken, Ventura County Star, January 23, 2013". www.bishop-accountability.org. Retrieved 2021-12-11.
  4. ^ a b "Bishop Thomas John Curry". Catholic Hierarchy.
  5. ^ USCCB Committees website. Retrieved 13 March 2010
  6. ^ USCCB Committees archives ("Presidente del Comité Para Educación Saluda Iniciativa de Notre Dame Para Mejorar Acceso De Niños Hispanos a Escuelas Católicas"). Retrieved 13 March 2010
  7. ^ News: March 2001, Los Angeles Mission website Archived 2001-04-27 at archive.today. Retrieved 13 March 2010
  8. ^ Curry, Thomas John (2001). Farewell to Christendom: The Future of Church and State in America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 9780190287061. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  9. ^ Ryan, Harriet; Kim, Victoria (1 February 2013). "Cardinal Mahony relieved of duties over handling of abuse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 1 February 2013.

External links[]

Episcopal succession[]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
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 Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
1994-2018 		Succeeded by
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Retrieved from ""