It is my privilege to share with you the news that Pope Francis has named Bishop Thomas Anthony Daly, currently Auxiliary Bishop of San Jose, the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Spokane. The announcement was made today in Washington, D.C. by the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano. Bishop Daly succeeds Archbishop Blase J. Cupich, who was appointed to the Archdiocese of Chicago last fall.
Bishop Daly was born April 30, 1960 and grew up in San Francisco as one of six siblings. He attended Catholic grade schools and graduated from what is now Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of San Francisco in 1982 and entered priestly formation at St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park, Calif., where he completed a master’s degree in divinity. He also holds a master’s degree in education from Boston College (1996).
Bishop Daly was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of San Francisco in 1987. He has served a number of roles: parochial vicar and pastor, part-time police chaplain, archdiocesan vocations director, teacher and campus minister, chaplain for St. Vincent’s School of Boys, and president of Marin Catholic High School.
Father Daly has served as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Jose since March 2011. He will spend the next two months completing his obligations in San Jose, and his installation as Bishop of Spokane is set for mid-May at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes.
As Archbishop Cupich did during his time in Spokane, Bishop Daly has chosen to reside at Bishop White Seminary, adjacent to Gonzaga’s campus and home of the Diocese’s priestly formation program. We look forward to welcoming him to our campus and neighborhood. Let us keep Bishop Daly in our thoughts and prayers as he prepares to leave San Jose and join us here in Eastern Washington this spring.
Thayne M. McCulloh, D.Phil., President
March 12, 2015