CV NEWS FEED// An interview-style biography of the retired and beloved Bishop of Phoenix, Most Reverend Thomas Olmsted is the #1 New Release in the Catholic category on Amazon.
Written by Cristofer Pereyra, founder of the global Catholic apostolate Tepeyac Leadership, Inc., Bishop Olmsted: On Life, Faith and Leadership is the first book of the Tepeyac Leadership series, according to a Tepeyac Leadership press release.
The book shares Bishop Olmsted’s experience of embracing his vocation, starting with his life as a Midwestern farm boy, all the way until he shepherded the Diocese of Phoenix as their Bishop, unleashing one of the greatest Catholic revivals in the region.
When the bishop was appointed to Phoenix in 2003, he inherited a wounded and suffering diocese. As J.D. Long-Garcia, who worked with the bishop for almost ten years, reported, Bishop Olmsted’s predecessor had resigned after admitting to covering up clerical sex abuse, and then killing a man in a hit-and-run car accident.
Bishop Olmsted rose to the challenge with grace and humility, maintaining “a sense of peace even when encountering turbulent times,” as the Amazon description of his biography states. He said he “really didn’t know” why he was chosen as the bishop of Phoenix, and attributed it to the virtue of his former diocese: “I think it would be linked with the fact that the Diocese of Wichita is a really good diocese. And because of that, it looks like I’m doing O.K. as a bishop.”
As a bishop, Olmsted was known for his personal kindliness and humility, his commitment to the pro-life cause, and his outreach to both Latino and Native American communities, as Long-Garcia recounts: “He cares deeply for others, including the marginalized.”
Long-Garcia emphasizes that prayer is the foundation of the bishop’s life, and he gave his full attention to whomever was in front of him. “After Masses, he is the guy who stands outside in his vestments when it’s blazing hot, spending as long as it takes until everyone who wants to speak with him has a chance.” During these conversations, “When you talk to him, you feel like you are the center of his universe.”
Not only was the bishop humble and approachable, he showed true leadership in guarding his flock against heresy and scandal, out of his desire “to protect and defend us with sound teaching, as conveyed in this book and his other well-known publications,” as the Amazon description notes.
The press release reports that the biography “was born out of admiration, gratitude and desire to inspire future generations through Bishop Olmsted’s life,” seeking “to capture the life and wisdom of a shepherd dedicated to his flock.”
In 2018, author Pereyra worked with Bishop Olmsted in the Diocese of Phoenix to execute the Tepeyac Leadership Initiative, the release reports. The “early fruit from its graduates and a deep love for the Church” motivated Pereyra in founding Tepeyac Leadership, Inc.
According to Tepeyac’s website,
“With a spirit of charity, fidelity to the Magisterium and intellectual rigor; Tepeyac Leadership Initiative is a catalyst development experience which equips lay Catholic professionals to become virtuous leaders, while supporting the mission of the Church, influencing the culture, and serving the common good.”
