Early life Francis Thill was born on October 12, 1893, in
Dayton, Ohio, to Bernard and Margaret (née Schele) Thill. After attending the
University of Dayton, he entered
Mount St. Mary's Seminary of the West at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1914. As a
seminarian, he established and organized the
Catholic Students' Mission Crusade to aid missionaries in foreign countries. He then furthered his studies at the
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and toured American missionary outposts in Asia.Thill now became the first bishop of Salina. During his tenure, Thill laid the
cornerstone for
Sacred Heart Cathedral in Salina on June 4, 1951, and later dedicated it on June 6, 1953. He erected or remodeled 25 churches, ten schools, 11
rectories, nine
convents, and six chapels. Thill ordained 35 priests and founded the Catholic Youth Organization of Concordia in 1939.
Death Francis Thill died in Salina on May 21, 1957, at age 63. He is buried at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Salina. ==References==