News and Issues

Bishop Loverde on the Death of Bishop Thomas Welsh2009-02-19

It is with profound human sadness that our diocesan family of Arlington has received the announcement of the death of our beloved founding bishop, His Excellency the Most Reverend Thomas J. Welsh. Bishop Welsh was indeed our father in faith, sent by Pope Paul VI in 1974 to form the newly-created diocesan Church of Arlington. Attentively, faithfully and devotedly, Bishop Welsh nurtured this nascent church for nine years until 1983 when he was transferred to become the Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown.

 

Bishop Welsh's influence was far-reaching and enriching: initially setting up the Chancery and the Tribunal and providing for the development of the diocese by establishing 6 parishes and 4 schools. In fact, he established the first Vietnamese parish in the United States in 1979. Understanding how blessed a diocese is with the presence of cloistered nuns, he invited the Poor Clares to found a monastery in Alexandria in 1977. With a pastor's solicitude for the ongoing formation of God's people, he began the Catholic Distance University, initially known as the Catholic Home Study Institute. He approved the establishment of Christendom College in 1977 and arranged for the purchase of the building and property which now houses Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax. Under his supervision, The Arlington Catholic Herald was first published and the Catholic Charities Ball was initiated.

Keeping his eyes focused on the example of Mary, the Mother of God, he gave himself totally and used his gifts and talents unsparingly to restore all things in Christ. To the vision of steadfast faith and the practice of pastoral charity, he added his welcoming personality and a keen sense of humor.

Now that he has been called to his eternal reward in our true home, we mourn his earthly passing yet rejoice in his having attained the goal to which each one of us is destined: life on high in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

A memorial Mass for the repose of the late Bishop Welsh will be celebrated in the Cathedral of Saint Thomas More, Arlington on Monday, March 16th at 7:30 p.m.

May the Good Shepherd give this faithful shepherd Bishop Thomas J. Welsh eternal life in His Divine Presence! May Bishop Welsh, our Founding chief pastor, continue to pray for us: bishop, clergy, religious and laity, as we journey on our own pilgrimage of faith towards the Vision of the Triune God, where, we pray, he already is and where he awaits one day our own arrival. "Well done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of Your Master!"

 

All funeral arrangements will take place in the Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania:

Cathedral of Saint Catharine of Siena
18th and Turner Streets
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18104
610-433-6461

Transfer of the Body: Thursday, February 26, 2009, 9 a.m.

Memorial Masses: Thursday, February 26, 11 a.m.; Friday, February 27, 11 a.m.

Visitation: Thursday, February 26, 5-8 p.m.; Friday, February 27, 3-9 p.m.; Saturday, February 28, 8-10 a.m.

Vigil Service: Friday, February 27, 7 p.m.

Mass of Christian Burial: Saturday, February 28, 11 a.m.

Burial: Saint Nicholas Cemetery, Weatherly, Pennsylvania