Michael James Gallagher (November 16, 1866 – January 20, 1937) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Detroit in Michigan from 1918 until his death in 1937. He also served as coadjutor bishop and bishop of the

Diocese of Grand Rapids The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids ( la, Dioecesis Grandcataractensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see to ...

in Michigan from 1915 to 1918. Gallagher became known for his sponsorship and protection of

Charles Coughlin Charles Edward Coughlin ( ; October 25, 1891 – October 27, 1979), commonly known as Father Coughlin, was a Canadian-American Catholic priest based in the United States near Detroit. He was the founding priest of the National Shrine of the ...

, an antisemitic and profascist priest with a large radio audience in the United States.

Biography

Early life

Michael Gallagher was born on November 16, 1866, in

Auburn, Michigan Auburn is a city in Bay County, Michigan, United States. The city's population was 2,087 at the 2010 Census. It is included in the Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City metropolitan area. History It was first settled in 1854. On February 26, 1869, th ...

. Gallagher attended public schools there and then went to St. James Parish school in Bay City, Michigan. He studied at Assumption College in Sandwich, Ontario, then went to

Mungret College Mungret College was a Jesuit apostolic school and a lay secondary school near Limerick, Ireland. Located on the western outskirts of the modern-day suburban town of Raheen, it was operational from 1882 until 1974 when it closed as a school f ...

in Limerick, Ireland. Gallagher finished his preparation for the priesthood at the

University of Innsbruck The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669. ...

in Innsbruck, Austria. Gallagher was ordained a priest in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

by Archbishop Simon Aichner for the Diocese of Grand Rapids on March 19, 1893.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Grand Rapids

On July 5, 1915, Gallagher was appointed

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 an ...

Tipasa Tipasa, sometimes distinguished as Tipasa in Mauretania, was a colonia in the Roman province Mauretania Caesariensis, nowadays called Tipaza, and located in coastal central Algeria. Since 1982, it has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Sit ...

and coadjutor of Grand Rapids by

Pope Benedict XV Pope Benedict XV (Latin: ''Benedictus XV''; it, Benedetto XV), born Giacomo Paolo Giovanni Battista della Chiesa, name=, group= (; 21 November 185422 January 1922), was head of the Catholic Church from 1914 until his death in January 1922. His ...

. He was consecrated on September 8, 1915, by Bishop Henry Richter. On December 26, 1916, after the death of Bishop Richter, Gallagher automatically became the new

bishop of Grand Rapids The Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids ( la, Dioecesis Grandcataractensis) is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in western Michigan, in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties in West Michigan. It is a suffragan see to ...

Bishop of Detroit

On July 18, 1918, Gallagher was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Detroit. He was installed on November 18, 1918. In 1919, Gallagher opened Sacred Heart Seminary in a temporary structure in Detroit to alleviate a shortage of priests. After a $4 million fundraising effort over the next four years, a permanent facility with a capacity for 500 seminarians was opened in 1924. In 1926, Gallagher appointed

as parish priest in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236. Royal Oak is located along th ...

. Coughlin soon started a radio ministry with Gallagher's approval. Some of the proceeds from his show went to build the

National Shrine of the Little Flower The National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica Catholic Church is a Catholic church in Royal Oak, Michigan. A designated national shrine, the church building is well-known for its execution in the lavish zig-zag Art Deco style. The structure ...

in Royal Oak. As Coughlin started getting national coverage for his program, his incendiary antisemitic comments became more pronounced. In 1930, the

apostolic delegate An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international o ...

for the United States, Cardinal

Pietro Fumasoni Biondi Pietro Fumasoni Biondi (4 September 1872 – 12 July 1960) was an Italian people, Italian Cardinal (Catholicism), Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, Sacred Cong ...

, asked Gallagher to curb Coughlin, but the bishop refused. "I made no mistake and have never doubted my judgment in putting him before the microphone," Gallagher said of Coughlin in 1933. Again in 1935, Apostolic Delegate Amleto Cigognani tried to stop Coughlin, but Gallagher still protected him. It was rumored that Pope Pius XI refused to raise

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

to an archdiocese due to his displeasure over Coughlin. In August 1936, Gallagher went to Rome on a routine visit to the Vatican. While he was en route, Coughlin denounced President Franklin Roosevelt as a liar. Gallagher then expressed his public displeasure at Coughlin's choice of words, forcing him to apologize. While meeting with the pope, Coughlin's activities came up for discussion. Gallagher succeeded in convincing the pope that Coughlin should not be censured or forced to quit broadcasting. The Fisher Brothers of the firm

Fisher Body Fisher Body was an automobile coachbuilder founded by the Fisher brothers in 1908 in Detroit, Michigan. A division of General Motors for many years, in 1984 it was dissolved to form other General Motors divisions. Fisher & Company (originally Allo ...

in Detroit commissioned the Boston firm of McGinnis and Walsh, specialists in ecclesiastical architecture, to design a residence for Bishop Gallagher.Bishop's Residence
from Detroit1701.orgMcDonald, Maureen (November 28, 2006
Visit with a Giant
''Model D Media''. Retrieved on December 23, 2008. The home, paid for by the Fishers, is the largest within the city of Detroit. The two-story brick residence had a large central structure flanked by diagonal wings. Religious themes are included throughout the house, both on the exterior and the interior. On the exterior, medallions, shields and crests are set into the brickwork, and a copper statue of the St. Michael the Archangel defeating Satan is prominent. The interior is finished with oak, stone and masonry. The house had, at one time, the largest collection of Pewabic glazed pottery tile in Michigan. Gallagher lived in this home until his death in 1937; subsequent archbishops of Detroit Edward Mooney and

John Francis Dearden John Francis Dearden (October 15, 1907 – August 1, 1988) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Detroit from 1958 to 1980, and was created a cardinal in 1969. He previously served as Bishop of Pittsbur ...

also lived in the home.

Death and legacy

Gallagher died at

Providence Hospital Providence Hospital may refer to: *Providence Hospital (Columbia, South Carolina) *Providence Hospital (Mobile) in Mobile, Alabama *Providence Hospital (Southfield), Michigan *Providence Hospital (Washington, D.C.) in Washington, D.C. *Providence Al ...

in Detroit on January 20, 1937, at age 70. The Tower of the Crucifixion at the Shrine of the Little Flower has Gallagher's face on the sculpture of the

Archangel Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

. Bishop Gallagher High School in

Harper Woods, Michigan Harper Woods is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city had a population of 15,492 at the 2020 census. Harper Woods is a northeastern suburb of Metro Detroit and shares its southern and western border with the city of Det ...

, was named after him.

References