Thomas John Rodi

Thomas John Rodi (born March 27, 1949) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Mobile in Alabama since 2008, having previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi in Mississippi from 2001 to 2008.

Early life
Thomas Rodi was born on March 27, 1949, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He graduated from De La Salle High School in New Orleans in 1967. He then attended Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., obtaining his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. Upon his return to New Orleans, Rodi earned a Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School. He then entered Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans, receiving his Master of Divinity degree in 1978.

Career
Rodi was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New Orleans by Archbishop Philip Hannan on May 20, 1978. Rodi then served as associate pastor at St. Ann Parish in Metairie, Louisiana and at St. Christopher the Martyr Parish in Jefferson, Louisiana.

Rodi became a judge for the metropolitan tribunal in 1983, and earned his Licentiate in Canon Law from the Catholic University of America School of Canon Law in Washington, D.C. in 1986. Rodi then taught canon law at Notre Dame Seminary until 1995. He also served as director of the Office of Religious Education from 1988 to 1989, and of the Department of Pastoral Services from 1989 to 1996. In addition to his other duties, he was named chancellor (1992) and vicar general and curial moderator (1996) of the archdiocese. Rodi was raised by the Vatican to the rank of honorary prelate in 1992. He served in the following Louisiana parishes:


 * Administrator of St. Matthew the Apostle in River Ridge
 * Pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary in New Orleans
 * Pastor of St. Pius X in New Orleans
 * Pastor of St. Rita in New Orleans

On May 15, 2001, Rodi was appointed as the second bishop of the Diocese of Biloxi by Pope John Paul II. He received episcopal consecration on July 2. 2001. from Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb, with Archbishop Francis Schulte and Bishop Joseph Howze serving as co-consecrators. Rodi selected as his episcopal motto: Caritas Christi Urget Nos 2 Cor 5:14, meaning, "The love of Christ compels us."

Pope Benedict XVI named Rodi as the second archbishop of the Archbishop of Mobile on April 2, 2008, replacing Bishop Oscar Lipscomb. He was formally installed as archbishop on June 6 2008.

During his tenure as Archbishop of Mobile, Rodi served as Chairman of the Board of the Catholic relief agency Cross Catholic Outreach for nearly a decade.

A lawsuit was filed against Rodi and priest Dennis Carver, along with the Diocese of Biloxi, in 2009. This lawsuit was filed by former parishioners after St. Paul Catholic Church in Pass Christian was closed by Rodi after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Rodi and Carver made misrepresentations by assuring parishioners that their donations would be held in a trust to rebuild the church, despite knowing the church would likely be closed.

In September of 2023, a petition was published to remove Rodi, Reverend Bry Shields, and McGill-Toolen Catholic High School Principal Michelle Haas from their positions. Receiving more than 16,000 signatures, the petition was introduced to bring attention to the "Lack of action to address and rectify the reported issues." Rodi addressed some of these issues and an incident involving former priest Alex Crow and a former McGill student in a video response on the archdiocese's Facebook page. Regarding Crow, Rodi stated "We received reports about Alex Crow’s behavior with the young woman in question on a trip in June following her graduation and shortly before their departure. But these reports did not allege sexual misconduct, and the Office of Child Protection opened a file to begin investigating these reports."

Rodi submitted his offer of retirement to the Pope in March of 2024. Bishops are required to submit an offer of retirement to the Pope upon turning 75 years old. Land records indicate he is building a home near Christ the King Parish in Daphne, Alabama, though a spokesman for the Mobile Archdiocese has stated that "Plans for his [Rodi's] retirement will not be finalized until the pope makes his decision."

Politics
Regarding the 2021 inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden, Rodi said, "'It is also the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of the first Catholic president, President Kennedy, it was 60 years today. So by coincidence, it is very meaningful we have the second time a man who professes to be Catholic be inaugurated as president.'"