Rev. Thomas Batch
The following information was provided by Fr. Batch in an interview conducted in November 2011.
Fr. Batch was born on April 7, 1923 in Monongahela, Pennsylvania to Harry and Ethyl Batch.
He was the youngest of four children and had two brothers and one sister who are all deceased. His Father remarried after his first wife passed away and two more daughters, half sisters of Fr. Batch: Harriett Melchloris is 73 years old and lives in Oklahoma and his other sister Jean Demmer lives in Southern California.
Fr. Batch grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and worked in the Steel Mills. He also had various jobs as an organist and Music Director at various Catholic Churches.
In his middle years, he worked in Education and was a Principal at a Lutheran elementary school in So. California for 10 years in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
In the late 1970’s, he was ordained a priest with an order of “Old Catholic Priests” who are not in union with Rome. Father doesn’t remember the name of the Bishop or the Church where he was ordained with this order. Father moved to Northern California around 1980-81 and applied for acceptance in the seminary in the Sacramento Diocese. He was accepted and entered St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, CA in 1981-82. Since Father was already ordained in the the other Catholic priests order, he was put on the fast track and completed his studies at St. Patrick’s Seminary in 2 years.
Father Batch was ordained a Roman Catholic Priest at the Blessed Cathedral in Sacramento by Bishop Francis Quinn on March 17, 1984. Father served as the Associate Pastor at St. Isidore from 1984-1990. He then became the Chaplain assigned to the Methodist and Kaiser Hospitals in Sacramento, with residence at St. Elizabeth Parish in Sacramento (1990-1991). Later he was appointed pastor of St. Paul’s Church in Knight’s Landing and retired from active ministry from there in 2001 at the age of 77.
There are two highlight’s of most importance in Father Batch’s priestly ministry. In 1986, he concelebrated Mass at a chapel in the Vatican with Pope John Paul ll along with Bishop Francis Quinn. He also had the opportunity to meet Mother Theresa in Rome during the same trip that year.
Fr. Batch concelebrating Mass with Pope John Paul II (1986).
Fr. Batch is pictured with Mother Teresa, 1986.
