The Rev. Daniel Edward Thomas, the bishop of Toledo, was appointed Wednesday as the apostolic administrator for the eight-county Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
The white-haired, 57-year-old will oversee the diocese until Pope Francis appoints a permanent bishop to replace Richard Lennon, who retired early because of vascular dementia.
Thomas was born June 11, 1959, in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk to Francis Jr. and Ann Thomas, who are both deceased. He had one brother, Francis III, who also passed away.
During his introductory news conference, Thomas said he knew that he wanted to be a priest ever since he was 7.
“It was from a very early age that I felt that call from the Lord to serve him and the church as a priest,” he said.
Thomas attended Catholic elementary and high schools before graduating from the St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pa., in 1985.
He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1985.
He also graduated from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome with a degree in dogmatic theology in 1989.
Before being appointed bishop in Toledo in October 2014, he served as regional bishop in Philadelphia.
He has served with several religious groups throughout his career, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ohio Council of Churches and Catholic Conference of Ohio.
A 2014 profile in the Toledo Blade newspaper noted that Thomas is fond of beagles and he drove a Jeep Cherokee.
He apparently also favors organization, telling the newspaper: “I’m not the kind of person who can live out of boxes, and I’m also not the kind of person who can ... have an office that is completely disorganized and have papers everywhere.”
Thomas doesn’t know much about the Cleveland diocese. He learned only a week ago that he was taking over.
“There’s much for me to learn, to understand and to embrace as I strive, with your help, to get down to the work of governance in shepherding the diocese,” he said.
He will continue to serve as bishop of Toledo and isn’t sure how he will split his time between the two dioceses.
Thomas showed off a sense of humor on the topic.
His sister-in-law suggested in a text that he needs to clone himself, but he noted that the church doesn’t believe in cloning.
He also commented on the Cleveland Browns winning their first game last weekend and noted that he received a Browns winter hat for Christmas.
He has demonstrated that sense of humor before.
When he was introduced as the bishop in Toledo, he remarked about how the community was getting a new Danny Thomas, referring to the former television star who grew up in Toledo.
“Now, since the bishop is the father of the family of faith in the diocese, I guess today this is Pope Francis’ way of inviting all of you to Make Room for Daddy,” he told the Toledo Blade, referring to the star’s TV show.
Thomas likened his role in Cleveland to that of an interim sports coach and admitted he was in a “weird situation.”
“My job is to be the conduit from the past to the future and simply make sure the diocese knows that it’s cared for,” he said.
“I am simply the Lord’s humble servant and I pray God that he will be able to use me as a humble instrument to care for the church in Cleveland,” he added.
Rick Armon can be reached at 330-996-3569 or rarmon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter at @armonrickABJ .