Sunday, Apr 28 2024 Donate
A service of EWTN News

Pope Francis names new bishops for Spokane, Lexington dioceses

St. Peter's Square. / Camille King (CC BY-SA 2.0).

On Thursday the Vatican announced that Bishop Thomas Anthony Daly has been tapped to lead Spokane's Catholic population, while Fr. John Stowe O.F.M., Conv. will take the reins in Lexington.

Bishop Daly was born in San Francisco, Cali., in 1960 and until now has served as auxiliary bishop for the diocese of San Jose.

He received a bachelor's degree from the University of San Francisco in 1982, and completed his ecclesiastical studies at the St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park. The bishop later went on to receive his masters in Pedagogy from Boston College, in Massachusetts in 1996.

May 9, 1987, marked the day of his ordination to the priesthood, after which he served as assistant priest for Our Lady of Loreto parish in Novato until 1992.

After leaving Our Lady or Loreto Bishop Daly served as a teacher and chaplain for Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, where he served until 2003.

He simultaneously served as Parochial Vicar for both St. Cecilia parish in Lagunitas and St. Mary parish in Nicaso from 1995-1999. The future bishop also served as a part-time chaplain for the San Francisco Police Department until 2003.

Bishop Daly also served as chaplain of the St. Vincent School for Boys and associate director of Catholic Charities CYO until 2002.

The same year he was named as director of priestly vocations for the diocese, and in 2003 was appointed as a Consultant and Member of the Archdiocesan Council of Priests.

The latter is a position he held until his nomination as auxiliary bishop of the San Jose diocese in 2011. His ordination to the episcopate took place that May.

As an auxiliary, Daly served as Vicar for Clergy and was a member of the board of directors for St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park, where he also served as rector from 2013-2014.

Since 2014 he has also held the role of parish priest for St. Nicholas parish in Lost Altos, after serving as rector for St. Patrick's seminary.

Fr. John Stowe O.F.M. Conv., who will be the third bishop of Lexington, was born in 1966 in Amherst, Ohio. After finishing high school, he went on to get his bachelor's degree in both history and philosophy from St. Louis University.

After receiving a Masters in Divinity and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology with an emphasis in Church History from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Cali., the bishop-elect made his solemn vows with the Order of Friars Minor Conventual in 1992, and was ordained a priest for them in 1995.

In 2002 he was invited to serve the diocese of El Paso, in Texas, as Moderator for the Curia and Vicar General. He later also served as chancellor for the diocese.

He served as Provincial Vicar of the Conventual Franciscan's province of Our Lady of Consolation, and from 2010 until now has served as rector of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio.

The new bishop-elect also speaks Spanish, in addition to his native English.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news.

As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Click here

Our mission is the truth. Join us!

Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth, with fairness, integrity, and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church.

Donate to CNA