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Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe

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Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe
Bishop of Dallas
ChurchRoman Catholic
SeeDiocese of Dallas
In office1969–1990
PredecessorThomas Kiely Gorman
SuccessorCharles Victor Grahmann
Previous post(s)Bishop of San Angelo
1966 to 1969
Orders
OrdinationMay 30, 1943
ConsecrationMarch 9, 1966
by Thomas Kiely Gorman
Personal details
Born(1915-12-17)December 17, 1915
DiedJanuary 24, 2009(2009-01-24) (aged 93)
Dallas, Texas, US
Styles of
Thomas Tschoepe
Reference styleThe Most Reverend
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop
Posthumous stylenone

Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe (/ˈʃpi/; December 17, 1915 – January 24, 2009) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the second bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo in Texas from 1966 to 1969 and as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Dallas in Texas from 1969 to 1990.

Biography

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Thomas Tschoepe was born on December 17, 1915, in Pilot Point, Texas.[1] He was ordained a priest by Archbishop John Timothy McNicholas for the Diocese of Dallas on May 30, 1943. [1]

Bishop of San Angelo

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On January 12, 1966, Tschoepe was appointed bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo by Pope Paul VI. Tschoepe was consecrated by Bishop Thomas Kiely Gorman on March 9, 1966.[1]

Bishop of Dallas

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On August 227, 1969, Tschoepe was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Dallas by Pope Paul VI. He was installed on October 29, 1969.[1]

During Tschoepe's administration, 21 counties in East Texas were split off into the new Diocese of Tyler, reducing the Dallas Diocese to 9 counties and a little over 7,000 square miles.[2] As bishop, Tschoepe attended a presentation at Holy Trinity Seminary (Dallas) by Paul Shanley, who spoke of the positive effects of sexual relations between adult males and teenagers. Tschoepe made no objection to this presentation, but did not condone it either.[3]

Retirement and legacy

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Tschoepe retired on July 14, 1990, and was succeeded by Bishop Charles Grahmann. During the early part of his retirement, Tschoepe lived and served at St. Joseph's Parish in Waxahachie, Texas.[4] In his later years he lived at the St. Joseph Retirement Center in south Dallas.

In 1995, it was revealed during a civil lawsuit that Tschoepe had repeatedly ignored reports about a diocesan priest, Rudy Kos, participating in sleepovers and inappropriate physical conduct with young boys during the 1980's. In 1991, a therapist who evaluated Kos termed him a classic textbook pedophile. After an appeal, the diocese agreed in 1998 to pay $23.4 to eight victims of Kos.[5] That same year, he was sentenced to life in prison for sexually molesting several boys.[6]

Thomas Tschoepe died on January 24, 2009, at age 93.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Bishop Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  2. ^ Bannon, Sister Lois. "Dallas, Catholic Diocese of". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
  3. ^ Podles, Leon J., Sacrilege: Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church (Baltimore: Crossland Press, 2008) p. 129
  4. ^ "The Fifth Bishop of Dallas". Diocese of Dallas. Archived from the original on 2008-08-01. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  5. ^ Cropper, Carol Marie (1998-07-11). "A Diocese Settles a Case Of Sex Abuse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  6. ^ "Kos gets life term for molesting boys". Dallas News. 1998-04-02. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  7. ^ "Former Dallas bishop Tschoepe dies". Dallas News. 2009-01-26.
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Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of San Angelo
1966–1969
Succeeded by
Preceded by Bishop of Dallas
1969–1990
Succeeded by