Daniel Eugene Sheehan (May 14, 1917 – October 24, 2000) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pre ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as Archbishop of Omaha from 1969 to 1993. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the same archdiocese from 1964 to 1969.

Biography

Early life

Daniel Sheehan was born on May 14, 1917, in Emerson,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. He studied theology at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated with honors in 1942. Sheehan was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Omaha by Archbishop

James Hugh Ryan James Hugh Ryan (December 15, 1886 – November 23, 1947) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as rector of the Catholic University of America (1928–1935) and as bishop and later archbishop of the Archdiocese o ...

on May 23, 1942. After his ordination, Sheehan was assigned to St. Cecilia's Cathedral in Omaha. He then attended the Catholic University of America in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, receiving a degree in

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. After returning to Omaha, he served as chancellor and tribunal judge.

Auxiliary Bishop of Omaha

On January 4, 1964, Sheehan was appointed auxiliary bishop of Omaha and

Titular Bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox ...

of ''Capsus'' by

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI ( la, Paulus VI; it, Paolo VI; born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini, ; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 to his death in Augus ...

. He received his

episcopal consecration A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

on March 19, 1964, from Archbishop Gerald Bergan, with Bishops John Paschang and James Casey serving as co-consecrators, at St. Cecilia Cathedral.

Archbishop of Omaha

Sheehan was named by Paul VI as the third archbishop of the Archdiocese of Omaha on June 11, 1969. He was installed on August 11, 1969, the first native son of the archdiocese to become archbishop. During his tenure, Sheehan has earned a national reputation for his support of

Catholic education Catholic education may refer to: * Catholic school, primary and secondary education organised by the Catholic Church or organisations affiliated with it * Catholic university, private university run by the Catholic Church or organisations affili ...

. His campaign for educational excellence raised more than $26 million to improve Catholic education in the Omaha Metropolitan Area. In recognition of his dedication to Catholic schools, the

National Catholic Educational Association The National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) is a private, professional educational membership association of over 150,000 educators in Catholic schools, universities, and religious education programs. It is the largest such organization ...

presented him with the Elizabeth Ann Seton Award in 1992. In response to the

reforms Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

, Sheehan led efforts to establish the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council (APC) in the early 1970s. He gathered representatives from the ranks of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

religious communities Religion is usually defined as a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, tra ...

and laity to lay the groundwork for a pastoral council that would share in the local church's decision-making process. Due to APC action, emphasis has been placed on improving family life, youth and young adult ministry, evangelization, social and rural life issues and

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

ministry. He led large capital campaigns to raise millions of dollars for archdiocesan improvements, including a $4.5 million refurbishment of the St. James Center. His final campaign had a goal of $25 million to pay for the building of Skutt Catholic High School and other capital needs in the Archdiocese of Omaha and its parishes

Retirement and legacy

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

accepted Sheehan's resignation as archbishop of Omaha on May 4, 1993. Daniel Sheehan died in Omaha on October 24, 2000, at age 83 of cancer. He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Omaha.Omaha World Herald Newspaper 1993 - 1999 In 2002, it was revealed Sheehan failed to remove Rev. Thomas Sellentin after numerous allegations of sexual abuse.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehan, Daniel E. 1917 births 2000 deaths People from Thurston County, Nebraska Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic archbishops of Omaha American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent 20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in the United States