by Catholic News Service
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Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Thomas Curry, 75, as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Canon law requires bishops to turn in their resignation to the pope when they turn 75.
Irish-born Bishop Curry was named an auxiliary for Los Angeles by St. John Paul II Feb. 8, 1994. Then-Msgr. Curry was ordained a bishop March 18, 1994, by Cardinal Roger Mahony, now-retired head of the Los Angeles Archdiocese. Curry was episcopal vicar for the archdiocese's Santa Barbara pastoral region from 1994 until 2015.
On the national level, Curry is a former chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee for Catholic Education.
His resignation was announced in Washington April 3 by Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Thomas John Curry was born Jan. 17, 1943, in Drumgoon in County Cavan, Ireland. He attended All Hallows Seminary in Dublin and graduated from University College in Dublin with a bachelor's degree in history in 1963.
In 1973, he received a master's degree in history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles and went on to receive a doctorate in history in 1983 from Claremont Graduate School, which is near Los Angeles.
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He was ordained to the priesthood June 18, 1967, at All Hallows in Dublin, Ireland, for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. His first assignment was as associate pastor at St. Bernardine of Siena Parish in Woodland Hills, California, 1967-1970. For the next five years, he taught at St. Pius X High School in Downey, followed by his graduate studies at Claremont Graduate School.
In 1976, he was named director of the Los Angeles archdiocesan Office of Continuing Education for Clergy, a post he held until 1985. Also for one year, 1978-1979, he taught at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California.
From 1985 to 1990, he was vicar for clergy for the archdiocese. From 1991 to 1994, he was director of the archdiocesan Secretariat for Church Ministerial Services.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, headed by Archbishop Jose Gomez, covers over 8,600 square miles in Southern California. Out of a total population of more than 11.5 million people, more than 4 million, or about 35 percent, are Catholic.
