Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe

Who was Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe?

Thomas Ambrose Tschoepe was the second Roman Catholic bishop of San Angelo, Texas and the fifth bishop of Dallas, Texas.

Tschoepe was born on December 17, 1915 in Pilot Point, Texas and was ordained a priest on May 30, 1943. On March 9, 1966 he was consecrated Bishop of San Angelo, and on October 29, 1969, he was installed as Bishop of Dallas. During Tschoepe’s administration, 21 counties in East Texas were split off into the new Diocese of Tyler, reducing the Dallas Diocese to 9 counties and a little over 7,000 square miles. As bishop Tshoepe attended a presentation at Holy Trinity Seminary by Paul Shanley in which he spoke of the positive effects of sexual relations between adult males and teenagers. Tschoepe made no objection to this presentation.

Tschoepe retired on July 14, 1990 and was succeeded by Charles Victor Grahmann. During the early part of his retirement he lived and served at St. Joseph's parish in Waxahachie, Texas. In his later years he lived at the St. Joseph Retirement Center in south Dallas, where he died on January 24, 2009 at age 93.