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His Excellency, The Most Reverend Francis Augustine Thill
Bishop of Salina
Church	Roman Catholic Church
See	Diocese of Salina
In office	November 15, 1938 – May 21, 1957
Predecessor	Francis Joseph Tief
Successor	Frederick William Freking
Orders
Ordination	February 28, 1920
Consecration	October 28, 1938
Personal details
Born	(1881-03-07)March 7, 1881 Dayton, Ohio, US
Died	September 22, 1965(1965-09-22) (aged 84) Salina, Kansas, US
Education	University of Dayton Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas

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, 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 in 1914. As a seminarian, he established and organized the Catholic Students' Mission Crusade to aid missionaries in foreign countries.

Priesthood

Thill was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati by Archbishop Henry K. Moeller on February 28, 1920. He then furthered his studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and toured American missionary outposts in Asia. Upon his return to Ohio, Thill served as professor of oratory at Mount St. Mary's, and became chancellor of the archdiocese (1935) and domestic prelate (1937).

Bishop of Concordia and Salina

On August 26, 1938, Thill was appointed the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Concordia by Pope Pius XI. He received his episcopal consecration on the following October 28 from Archbishop John T. McNicholas, with Archbishops Francis Beckman and Urban Vehr serving as co-consecrators, at St. Monica's Cathedral in Cincinnati. Thill was installed by Archbishop John J. Glennon in Concordia on November 15, 1938. Despite the lingering effects of the Great Depression, Thill managed to liquidate the diocesan debt of nearly $250,000 in late 1942.

On December 23, 1944, Pope Pius XII moved the episcopal see from Concordia to Salina, Kansas, much to the chagrin of local Catholics.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.

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

References

1. ^ "Bishop Francis A. Thill: 1938-1957". Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina.
2. ^ "Bishop Francis Augustine Thill". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
3. "Diocese of Salina". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina
Ordinaries	Bishops of Concordia Richard Scannell John Francis Cunningham Francis Joseph Tief Bishops of Salina Francis Augustine Thill Frederick William Freking Cyril John Vogel Daniel Kucera George Kinzie Fitzsimons Paul Stagg Coakley Edward Weisenburger Gerald Lee Vincke
Churches	Cathedral Sacred Heart Cathedral Parishes St. John the Baptist Church, Beloit St. Joseph Church, Damar St. Joseph's Church, Hays Seven Dolors Church, Manhattan Basilica of St. Fidelis, Victoria
Education	High schools Sacred Heart High School, Salina St. John's Catholic High School, Beloit St. Xavier High School, Junction City Thomas More Prep-Marian, Hays Tipton Catholic High School, Tipton Former Marymount College
Miscellany	Roman Catholic Diocese of Concordia Nazareth Convent and Academy
Priests	Thaddeus J. Butler
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v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
v t e Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Bishop Edward Fenwick Archbishops John Baptist Purcell William Henry Elder Henry K. Moeller John T. McNicholas Karl Joseph Alter Paul Francis Leibold Joseph Bernardin Daniel Edward Pilarczyk Dennis Marion Schnurr Catholicism portal
v t e Churches in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of Saint Peter in Chains Parishes Cincinnati Church of the Annunciation Immaculata Church Old St. Mary's Church St. Aloysius on the Ohio St. Francis De Sales Church Saint Francis Seraph Church St. Francis Xavier Church St. Lawrence Church St. Pius X Church St. Rose Church Dayton Holy Cross Church Sacred Heart Church St. Adalbert Church St. Mary's Church Springfield St. Joseph's Church St. Raphael's Church Other Immaculate Conception Church, Botkins St. Aloysius Church, Carthagena Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Cassella Immaculate Conception Church, Celina Precious Blood Church, Chickasaw Our Lady of Victory Church, Delhi Township St. Joseph's Church, Egypt Holy Family Church, Frenchtown St. John's Church, Fryburg St. Patrick's Church, Glynwood St. John the Baptist Church, Maria Stein Sacred Heart Church, McCartyville St. Michael's Church, Mechanicsburg St. Augustine's Church, Minster St. Louis Church, North Star St. Nicholas Church, Osgood St. Anthony's Church, Padua St. Remy's Church, Russia St. Henry's Church, St. Henry Holy Rosary Church, St. Marys St. Rose's Church, St. Rose St. Sebastian's Church, Sebastian St. Joseph's Church, Wapakoneta Former parishes All Saints Church, Cincinnati Holy Trinity Church, Cincinnati St. Augustine Church, Cincinnati St. George's Church, Cincinnati St. Michael the Archangel Church, Cincinnati St. Paul Church, Cincinnati St. Philomena's Church, Cincinnati St. Patrick's Church, St. Patrick Shrine Shrine of the Holy Relics
v t e Education in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Higher education Chatfield College University of Dayton Edgecliff College Mount St. Joseph University Xavier University Seminary Athenaeum of Ohio – Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West High schools Cincinnati DePaul Cristo Rey High School Elder High School La Salle High School Mercy McAuley High School Archbishop McNicholas High School Purcell Marian High School Seton High School St. Ursula Academy St. Xavier High School Summit Country Day School Ursuline Academy Dayton Carroll High School Chaminade Julienne High School Other Archbishop Alter High School, Kettering Father Stephen T. Badin High School, Hamilton Catholic Central School, Springfield Bishop Fenwick High School, Franklin Lehman Catholic High School, Sidney Moeller High School, Kenwood Mount Notre Dame High School, Reading Royalmont Academy, Mason Roger Bacon High School, St. Bernard St. Rita School for the Deaf, Evendale
v t e Clergy of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Auxiliary bishops Sylvester Horton Rosecrans Joseph H. Albers George John Rehring Paul Francis Leibold Edward A. McCarthy Nicholas Elko Daniel Edward Pilarczyk James Henry Garland Carl K. Moeddel Joseph R. Binzer Priests John Martin Henni Edward Fitzgerald Clarence George Issenmann Henry Damian Juncker Joshua Maria Young John Baptist Lamy James Frederick Wood John Henry Luers Caspar Henry Borgess Richard Gilmour John Quinlan Augustus Toebbe Joseph Gregory Dwenger Henry Richter Francis Beckman Urban John Vehr Francis Augustine Thill Anthony John King Mussio John Joseph Kaising Robert Daniel Conlon Michael William Warfel Earl K. Fernandes
Miscellany	The Catholic Telegraph Der Wahrheitsfreund Former St. Charles Seminary Gruenwald Convent Minster Elementary School St. John Cemetery, Cincinnati New St. Joseph Cemetery, Cincinnati Old St. Joseph's Cemetery, Cincinnati
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• 1893 births
• 1957 deaths
• University of Dayton alumni
• The Athenaeum of Ohio alumni
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
• Roman Catholic bishops of Salina
• 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
• People from Concordia, Kansas
• Catholics from Ohio