Francis Augustine Thill

Francis Augustine Thill (October 12, 1893 – May 21, 1957) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Concordia in Kansas, later becoming the Diocese of Salina, from 1938 until his death in 1957.

Biography

Early life Francis Thill was born on October 12, 1893, in Dayton, Ohio, to Bernard and Margaret (née Schele) Thill. After attending the University of Dayton, he entered Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1914. As a seminarian, he established and organized the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade to aid missionaries in foreign countries. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and toured American missionary outposts in Asia. Thill now became the first bishop of Salina.

During his tenure, Thill laid the cornerstone for Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina on June 4, 1951, and later dedicated it on June 6, 1953. He erected or remodeled 25 churches, ten schools, 11 rectories, nine convents, and six chapels. Thill ordained 35 priests and founded the Catholic Youth Organization of Concordia in 1939.

Death Francis Thill died in Salina on May 21, 1957, at age 63. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Salina.