Kansas bishop named to head Phoenix Diocese

Published: 2003-11-25

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II has named Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, 56, of Wichita, Kan., as the new bishop of Phoenix. A bishop since 1999, he succeeds Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, who resigned June 18 after being arrested on a felony charge of leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Bishop O'Brien had headed the diocese since 1982. Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan of Santa Fe, N.M., is administering the diocese until the new bishop is installed Dec. 20. Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, papal nuncio to the United States, announced Bishop Olmsted's appointment in Washington Nov. 25.

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