His Excellency, The Most Reverend George Leo Thomas
Metropolitan Archbishop of Las Vegas
Church	Roman Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Las Vegas
See	Las Vegas
Appointed	May 30, 2023
Predecessor	Himself (as Bishop) Joseph A. Pepe (as previous Bishop)
Orders
Ordination	May 22, 1976 by  Raymond Hunthausen
Consecration	January 28, 2000 by  Alexander Joseph Brunett, William S. Skylstad, and Carlos Arthur Sevilla
Personal details
Born	George Leo Thomas (1950-05-19) May 19, 1950 (age 73) Anaconda, Montana, US
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Parents	George and Mary (née Cronin) Thomas
Previous post(s)	Bishop of Las Vegas (2018–2023) Bishop of Helena (2004-2018) Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle and Titular Bishop of Vagrauta (2000–2004)
Alma mater	Carroll College St. Thomas Seminary University of Washington
Motto	Christ our light

Styles of George Leo Thomas
Reference style	His Excellency The Most Reverend
Spoken style	Your Excellency
Religious style	Archbishop

George Leo Thomas (born May 19, 1950) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church who has served as Archbishop of Las Vegas since 2023. He has been the ordinary of the diocese since 2018, when it was still a suffragan see. He previously served as Bishop of Helena from 2004 to 2018 and as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle from 1999 to 2004.

Biography

Early life

George Thomas was born on May 19, 1950, in Anaconda, Montana, as the second of the five children of George and Mary (née Cronin) Thomas. Raised in Butte, Montana, he graduated from Butte Central Catholic High School in 1968, also when his family moved to Bellevue, Washington. Thomas studied at Carroll College in Helena, Montana, obtaining his bachelor degree in literature in 1972. He then went studied at St. Thomas Seminary in Bothell, Washington, earning his Master of Divinity degree there in 1976.

Priesthood

Thomas was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Seattle by Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen on May 22, 1976. ^[1] After his ordination, Thomas served in several parish assignments in Washington:

• Associate pastor at a Kirkland parish and at St. James Cathedral Parish
• Parish administrator at Sacred Heart in Bellevue and Duvall ^[2]

Thomas also performed chaplain work for the King County Correctional Facility, the Seattle City Jail, and the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart center, all in Seattle. For 10 years, he served as chair of the board of directors for Catholic Community Services in the archdiocese ^[2]

Thomas entered graduate school at the University of Washington in 1981 and received a master's degree in counseling and community mental health in 1983. In 1986, he earned a Doctor of History degree, specializing in Pacific Northwest mission history. Thomas became chancellor and vicar general the archdiocese in 1987. He was named as apostolic administrator for the archdiocese following the death of Archbishop Thomas Murphy in 1997. He held the positions of chancellor and vicar general until 2004.

Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle

On November 19, 1999, Thomas was named as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle and the titular bishop of Vagrauta by Pope John Paul II. He received his episcopal consecration on January 28, 2000, from Archbishop Alexander Brunett, with Bishops William S. Skylstad and Carlos Sevilla serving as co-consecrators.

Bishop of Helena

John Paul II named Thomas as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Helena on March 23, 2004; he was installed on June 4, 2004.

Bishop of Las Vegas

On February 28, 2018, Thomas was appointed as bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas by Pope Francis. He succeeded the retiring Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, and was installed on May 15, 2018. ^[2] In January 2022, Thomas wrote a column asking Catholic politicians who support abortion rights for women to not present themselves at mass for communion. ^[3]

Archbishop of Las Vegas

On May 30, 2023, Thomas was named as the first Archbishop of the newly created Archdiocese of Las Vegas.

See also

References

External links

• Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas Official Site