Thomas J. O'Brien

Thomas Joseph O'Brien (November 29, 1935 – August 26, 2018) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of Phoenix in Arizona from 1982 to 2003.

O'Brien resigned as bishop in 2003 after his involvement in a fatal hit-and-run accident.

Biography

Early life and ministry Thomas O'Brien was born on November 29, 1935, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended St. Meinrad Seminary, feeling a call to the priesthood from an early age.

O'Brien was ordained to the priesthood at the St. Meinrad Archabbey by Archbishop Paul Clarence Schulte for the Diocese of Tucson on May 7, 1961. After his ordination, the diocese assigned him as an associate pastor at Immaculate Conception Parish in Douglas, Arizona.

In 1964, O'Brien was transferred to St. Theresa Parish in Phoenix and later to St. Gregory Parish in Phoenix. He was named pastor of St. Catherine Parish in Phoenix in 1979, and also served as vicar general for the diocese.

During his tenure, O'Brien earned a reputation as a successful fundraiser, builder of schools, and advocate for the poor. He agreed to cede his authority over diocesan sexual abuse policy in exchange for immunity from indictment for obstruction of justice. On August 4, 2017, it was announced that a civil lawsuit was filed against O'Brien over allegations that he sexually molested a boy on several occasions at parishes in Phoenix and Goodyear, Arizona, from 1977 to 1982.

Hit-and-run crash On June 14, 2003, O'Brien was driving home from a confirmation ceremony when his vehicle struck a 43-year-old pedestrian named Jim Reed. O'Brien drove away from the accident scene without stopping as required by law. Reed died from injuries.

A driver behind O'Brien reported O'Brien's license plate number to the police. Police discovered a dent in a fender and a crack in the windshield of O'Brien's Buick Park Avenue. He was the first American Catholic bishop to be convicted of a felony. O'Brien later asked for travel time to be deducted from his 1,000 hours and for flexibility in the number of hours he must serve each month.

In November 2011, the Catholic Community Foundation of Phoenix announced that it was giving O'Brien its faith honoree award. When news of the award became public, a controversy emerged over it. A few days later, O'Brien declined the award. The foundation, stating that it did not anticipate the adverse public reaction, wrote an apology to the community.

O'Brien died in Phoenix on August 26, 2018, following complications from Parkinson's disease.