Tom and Sue Merkel announced as Chairs, CHRISTUS as Title Sponsor for 2022 Bishop’s Invitational

The Catholic Diocese of Dallas is pleased to announce Tom and Sue Merkel as the Chairs for the 12^th Annual Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament to be held on Monday, September 19, 2022 at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas. In addition to this announcement, we are excited to also announce that CHRISTUS Health has renewed its Title Sponsorship for the 2022 Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament.

The purpose of the Bishop’s Invitational is to provide need-based tuition assistance and scholarships for K-8th grade students attending Catholic schools in the Dallas area.  We are thrilled to be working alongside Tom and Sue to help us continue to grow this mission. 

Tom is a graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Economics.  In addition to being a strong advocate for Catholic school education, Tom is a Managing Director with Merrill Lynch, where he has resided professionally for the past 28 years and attained multiple professional achievements.  

On top of his professional achievements, Tom just completed his term as Chairman of the Ursuline Academy Board of Trustees, all the while remaining a member of the Ursuline Finance Committee.  He serves the Bishop of the Dallas Diocese on the Diocesan Finance Council, chairs the Investment Committee, and serves on the Finance Committee for the Dallas Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe.  Tom’s previous commitments include serving 13 years on the Board of Trustees for The Catholic Foundation (ultimately serving as Chairman); serving on the Endowment Committee of the University of Dallas, and the School Board of Christ the King Catholic School.  If this list of commitment has not already proven his dedication the growth and continued success of Catholic Schools, he has also taken on the role of Co-Chair of Ursuline Academy’s Athletic Field capital campaign and Co-Chair of Christ the King’s Community Center capital campaign steering committee.

Tom and Sue have served on the Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament Committee since 2017. They have been blessed with two daughters and two sons who are all products of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas school system, having attended Christ the King Catholic School, Ursuline Academy and Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas.  All four of Tom and Sue’s children now proudly serve as officers in U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

“We are honored and humbled to lead this year’s Bishop’s Invitational Golf Tournament.  The mission is noble and the task is nothing short of colossal given that there are so many in our Diocese that desire a Catholic school education.  We all know that family formation and education are the keys to solving just about all our of society’s ills.  And we know there are countless families within our Diocese that just can’t afford the Catholic education part of the equation.  We invite all of you, our friends and our fellow Catholics, to help bring the many benefits (both academic and non-academic) of a Catholic education to more families within our Diocese.  Thank you in advance for all your consideration.  The children’s gratitude will last a lifetime!” – Tom and Sue Merkel, 2022 Chairs

For additional information about the event, please visit https://bishopsgolf.org/ or contact Robyn Trowbridge, Associate Director of Events and Stewardship, at or (214) 379-2826.