Personal and ministerial highlights in the life of Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello
Feb. 23, 1929: Born in Camden, N.Y., an only child, to James G. Costello and Ethel Dupont Costello. His mother was a teacher, then school administrator in Rome public schools; his father was a grocery-store owner and later manager of a food store in Rome. June 5,...
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello remembered for ministry, leadership, advocacy at Mass of Christian burial
Friends and colleagues, clergy and lay, prominent and not shared tearful memories during vigil services and a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the central church of the seven-county diocese and the site of Bishop Costello’s 1954 ordination as a priest and 1978 installation as a bishop.
Life and ministry of Bishop Costello, ‘champion of the underdog,’ celebrated at vigil
Bishop Robert J. Cunningham celebrates a vigil service for the late Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello Feb. 21, 2019. (Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright) By Katherine Long | Editor Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello lived well the episcopal motto he chose for...
Colleagues and friends remember Costello as extraordinary man, bishop, supporter
Friends, colleagues, and Catholics who knew Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello or knew of him (including thousands of confirmands) remember him as an ebullient, generous priest who often introduced himself simply as “Tom Costello.” Over a nearly 65-year ministry, Bishop Costello influenced people through energetic homilies, prepared speeches and protests, personal interaction, quiet support, and private letters. He cared for people through gestures public and private, large and small.
Diocese mourns Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello, leader, servant, friend ‘to those on the peripheries’
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello is pictured at the former Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Syracuse in 2011. Bishop Costello served at the parish 1954 to 1959 and 1975 to 1978. (Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright) By Renée K. Gadoua | Contributing writer Auxiliary...
Visitation and funeral arrangements for Bishop Thomas J. Costello
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello (Sun archive photo) Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello, a native son who served the Diocese of Syracuse for nearly 65 years, died Feb. 15, eight days short of his 90th birthday. Visitation, vigil, funeral, and burial...
From the archives: Catching up with Bishop Costello
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello stands outside the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse in this file photo. (Sun photo | Matt Coulter) Editor’s note: This story comes from the Catholic Sun’s archives; it was originally published in...
From the archives: Bishop Costello’s Golden Jubilee
Old friends Bishop Thomas J. Costello (left) and Msgr. Charles Fahey embrace just after Msgr. Fahey paid tribute to Bishop Costello at a June 11, 2004, reception to celebrate the bishop’s 50th anniversary of priestly ordination. (Sun photo | Paul Finch) ...
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello dies at 89
Auxiliary Bishop Thomas J. Costello, a native son who served the Diocese of Syracuse for nearly 65 years, died Feb. 15, eight days short of his 90th birthday. The big man with a booming voice and a bigger laugh will be remembered for his commitment to social justice, support for his brother priests, and a quick wit.
Diocese statement to the Sun on the death of Most Rev. Thomas J. Costello, Retired Auxiliary Bishop of Syracuse
The Diocese of Syracuse issued the following statement to the Catholic Sun Feb. 15: Syracuse, New York – Most Rev. Thomas J. Costello, retired Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Syracuse, died today, Friday, February 15, 2019, at the age of 89 years old. A native of...
Catholic education celebrated at annual scholarship dinner
“Thanks to you, Catholic schools will continue to deliver quality academic foundation, solid moral formation, authentic grounding in our faith, and an educational experience that equips one for a lifetime,” Bishop Thomas J. Costello told those gathered.
Remembering Montgomery: Bishop Thomas Costello recalls marching, advocating for civil rights
On March 7, 1965, hundreds gathered in Selma, Ala., to march to Montgomery in support of civil and voting rights. That day came to be known as “Bloody Sunday” when marchers were violently attacked by law enforcement at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Rev. Martin Luther King led a second march to the bridge two days later. A third march began March 21, swelling to include some 25,000 people by the time it reached Montgomery’s Capitol March 25. Among those thousands in Montgomery was a young priest from Syracuse, Father Thomas Costello.


