Archbishop George Leo Thomas, Ph.D.

Archbishop of Las Vegas

The Most Reverend George Leo Thomas, Ph.D., is the first Archbishop of Las Vegas. He was appointed Bishop of Las Vegas on February 28, 2018 and Installed May 15, 2018.

In 1976 he received a Master of Divinity from St. Thomas Seminary in Bothell, WA, a Master of Counseling and Community Mental Health in Seattle in 1983. In 1986, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington, writing a dissertation entitled “Catholics and the Missions of the Pacific Northwest,” for which he received the University’s Gordon C. Lee Award for the distinguished dissertation of 1986.

After his Ordination in 1976, Father Thomas served in various parishes and was the night Chaplain for the King County Jail.

In 1987 he was appointed as the Archdiocesan Chancellor and Vicar General, and in that capacity, also served as Moderator of the Curia and Chairman, both of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocesan Housing Authority.

In 2000, Father Thomas was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Seattle by Pope John Paul, II until his transfer to the Diocese of Helena in 2004.

In the Helena Diocese, Bishop Thomas also served as the Chancellor of Carroll College, which was his alma mater.

In 2018, Pope Francis named Bishop Thomas the Bishop of the Diocese of Las Vegas where he continues to serve on numerous boards and committees including: USCCB Subcommittee on Health Care, the Vatican’s Treasures of History Foundation, Catholic Mutual Group, Catholic Extension Mission Bishops Committee, CLINIC, Relevant Radio, Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, Knights of Columbus, and Knights of Peter Claver.