Thompson, Most Rev. Charles C.

Archbishop-Elect Charles C. ThompsonBishop Thompson, the oldest of three children, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on 11 April 1961. His parents, Coleman and Joyce Thompson, were born, raised and married in Marion County, where the family lived for much of Bishop Thompson’s grade school years (e.g. St. Charles Grade School, in St. Mary’s).

His sacramental background includes the following: Baptized at Most Blessed Sacrament Church, in Louisville; First Communion at St. Joseph Church, in Raywick; Confirmation at St. Bernard Church, in Louisville; Diaconate Ordination at St. Bernard Church, in Louisville (25 October 1986); Ordained a Priest at the Cathedral of the Assumption (30 May 1987); Ordained as the Fifth Bishop of Evansville (29 June 2011).

His education background includes the following: He graduated from Moore High School, in Louisville, in 1979; He graduated from Bellarmine College, with a BA in Accounting, in May 1983; He graduated from St. Meinrad School of Theology, in Indiana, with a Master of Divinity degree, in May 1987. He obtained his Licentiate (Master in Canon Law) from St. Paul University, in Ottawa, Canada, in May 1992.

Bishop Thompson was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Louisville on 30 May 1987. His pastoral assignments include the following: Associate Pastor of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, in Bardstown, 1987-90; Part-time Associate Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish, in Louisville, 1992-93; Metropolitan Judicial Vicar & Director of Tribunals, 1993-98; Parish Administrator of St. Peter Claver Parish, in Louisville, 1994-96; Pastor of St. Augustine Parish, in Lebanon, 1996-2002; Pastor of Holy Trinity Parish, in Louisville, 2002-June 2011). He also served as Promoter of Justice and Judge of the Tribunal, as well as priest-chaplain to Sacred Heart Academy (2004-2011). In 2002, he began serving as Visiting Professor of Canon Law at St. Meinrad School of Theology. (Other prior assignments have included the following: Priest-chaplain to Bethlehem High School, in Bardstown, 1987-90; Priest-chaplain to Presentation Academy, in Louisville, 1995-97; Temporary Administrator to St. Elizabeth of Hungary and St. Rita Parishes). He served as Vicar General of Louisville, 1 July 2008 until June 2011, when he became Bishop of Evansville.

Appointed Archbishop of Indianapolis by Pope Francis on 13 June 2017: His Installation Mass was Friday, 28 July 2017, when he also received the Pallium, the insignia of his role as Metropolitan of the Indianapolis Province.

Additional Roles

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (current):

  • Appointed Chair-Elect of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. Chair-Elect is for a period of one year beginning November 2023. Chairman position is for a period of three years beginning November 2024
  • Appointed Member of the National Eucharistic Revival Bishops Advisory Group
  • Appointed Vice President of the Board for the National Eucharistic Congress Corporation
  • Reappointed to the Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations for a third three-year term beginning March 2023
  • Appointed to the USCCB Audit Subcommittee for a three-year term beginning January 2020
  • Appointed to the USCCB Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church (CCDC) for a three-year term beginning November 2021

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (previous):

  • Appointed to the USCCB National Advisory Council for a three-year term beginning September 2019
  • Appointed as a representative from Region VII to the USCCB Administrative Committee for a three-year term beginning March 2017
  • Region VII Representative on the Committee of Priorities and Plans for a three-year term beginning March 2017
  • Appointed to the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage for a three-year term beginning November 2019

Other Appointments (current):

  • Appointed Episcopal Liaison to the National Religious Vocation Committee (NRVC) beginning May 2020

Other Appointments (previous):

  • Appointed Episcopal Moderator to the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry (AGPIM) for a three-year term beginning February 2019

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