George Leo Thomas

George Leo Thomas (born May 19, 1950) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who currently serves as Bishop of Helena.

[edit] Biography

George Thomas was born in Anaconda, Montana, as the second of the five children of George and Mary (née Cronin) Thomas. Raised in Butte, he graduated from Christian Brothers High School there in 1968, also when his family moved to Bellevue, Washington. Thomas studied at Carroll College in Helena, from where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in literature and philosophy in 1972; and St. Thomas Seminary in Bothell, earning his master's in Divinity. Ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen on May 22, 1976, he then served served as associate pastor at a Kirkland parish and St. James Cathedral. He was also a parish administrator in Bellevue and Duvall.

Thomas did chaplain work for the King County Jail, Seattle City Jail, and Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Seattle, and also served as chairman of the Board of Directors for Catholic Community Services. After entering graduate school at the University of Washington, he received a master's degree in counseling and community mental health two years later in 1983. In 1986 he earned a doctorate in philosophy with specialization in Pacific Northwest mission history; his dissertation, "Catholics and the Missions of the Pacific Northwest, was given the Gordon C. Lee Award. Thomas became chancellor and vicar general of Seattle in 1987, and its Apostolic Administrator following the death of Archbishop Thomas Murphy in 1997.

Thomas was later named the tenth Bishop of Helena on March 23, 2004, being installed as such on the following June 4. As Bishop of Helena, he is also Chancellor of Carroll College and sits on its Board of Trustees. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Foundation for the Catholic Diocese of Helena, Montana Catholic Conference, Catholic Social Services for Montana, Montana Association of Churches, and Catholic Relief Services. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Thomas is a member of the Communications Committee (and its subcommittee on Policy and Practice) and Ad Hoc Committee for Native American Catholics.

Preceded by Robert Charles Morlino	Bishop of Helena 2004–present	Succeeded by incumbent