Thomas Olmstead

**Thomas James Olmsted** (born January 21, 1947) is a person with a title in an American Church called the Roman Catholic Church.  The title is called Bishop and means he is on of the leaders of the church.  He is the fourth and current Bishop of Phoenix.   Before he was the Bishop of Phoenix, he was the Bishop of Wichita from 2001 to 2003.

## Early life

Thomas James Olmsted was born in Oketo, Kansas and his parents names were Pat Olmstead and Helen Olmsted.  He also has two brothers and three sisters. He was raised on a farm in a city called Beattie, and attended school high school in a town called Summerfield. He then studied religion at a school called St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in a city called Denver, in a state called Colorado, where he obtained a college degree called a "Bachelor of Arts."   The degree he earned was in the subject of Philosophy in 1969.

## Priesthood

Olmsted became a priest on July 2, 1973.  The church made him work for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, which means the church in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska  He then served as an associate pastor or "helping priest" at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.   After that he went to Rome where the Church made him study to become a doctor of Religion.

Olmsted earned a doctor degree in Rome, and returned to  United States in 1989.

### Bishop of Wichita

On February 16, 1999 he was made the Bishop of Wichita, Kansas, by Pope John Paul II.  The Bishop before that time was named Eugene Gerber.

### Bishop of Phoenix

Olmsted was later named the fourth Bishop of Phoenix on November 25, 2003. He replaced another Bishop who was named Thomas O'Brien.

### Excommunication of Margaret McBride

In May 2010, Olmsted said that a woman who was a member of his church could not be a member of his church anymore.  This is called being excommunicated.  This woman was named Sister Margaret McBride.  He did this because Sister Margaret McBride had given permission at a hospital for a woman to have an abortion, or have her fetus removed from her body before it is ready to come out and survive.  She gave this permission because the doctors thought the woman would die if the baby was not removed.,,

After this happened Olmsted said that the hospital this happened at could not be called a Catholic Hospital anymore.  This hospital was St. Joseph's Hospital in mid-town Phoenix.,

## Infobox (christian leader)

- **type**: Bishop
- **honorific-prefix**: The Most Reverend
- **name**: Thomas James Olmsted
- **title**: Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop of Phoenix
- **church**: Roman Catholic
- **province**: Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe, Santa Fe
- **diocese**: Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix, Phoenix
- **appointed**: November 25, 2003
- **enthroned**: December 20, 2003
- **predecessor**: Thomas J. O'Brien (bishop), Thomas J. O'Brien
- **other post**: Ruthenian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Protection of Mary of Phoenix, Apostolic Administrator, Eparchy of the Holy Protection of Mary of Phoenix
- **ordination**: July 2, 1973
- **ordained by**: James Aloysius Hickey, James A. Hickey
- **consecration**: April 20, 1999
- **consecrated by**: Eugene John Gerber, Eugene J. Gerber, James Patrick Keleher, Fabian Bruskewitz
- **birth place**: Oketo, Kansas
- **previous post**: Roman Catholic Diocese of Wichita, Bishop of Wichita
- **motto**: _Jesus Caritas_