Thomas Stritch, professor and author, dies at 91

Published: 2004-02-02

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- Thomas J. Stritch, 91, the author of a history of the Diocese of Nashville and the nephew of a cardinal and a bishop, died in his native Nashville Jan. 22. Retired Bishop James D. Niedergeses of Nashville celebrated a funeral Mass for Stritch Jan. 26 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, and burial followed in Calvary Cemetery. Bishop Niedergeses was the person who invited Stritch to write a history of the Diocese of Nashville, titled "The Catholic Church in Tennessee," to mark the diocese's 150th anniversary. The book was published in 1987. "He was a magnificent choice to write the history of the diocese," said his longtime friend, Msgr. Owen Campion, a former editor of the Tennessee Register and currently associate publisher of Our Sunday Visitor. "He knew the diocese inside out and he knew American history inside out."

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