Michael Jarboe Sheehan (born July 9, 1939) is a retired

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of the

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who served as the eleventh

Archbishop of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

. He was the Bishop of Lubbock from 1983 to 1993.

Early life and ministry

Michael Sheehan was born in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

to John and Mildred (née Jarboe) Sheehan, and raised in

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. ...

. He attended both St. John's High School Seminary and

Assumption Seminary Assumption Seminary in San Antonio, Texas, was established in 1915 to train the Catholic priests of the region to carry out their service to the people. History After its establishment in 1874, the Diocese of San Antonio needed to find a system ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He then furthered his studies in

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at the

Pontifical Gregorian University The Pontifical Gregorian University ( it, Pontificia Università Gregoriana; also known as the Gregorian or Gregoriana,) is a higher education ecclesiastical school ( pontifical university) located in Rome, Italy. The Gregorian originated as ...

, where he obtained a Licentiate of Sacred Theology in 1965. 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 in Rome on July 12, 1964. Upon his return to the United States, he served as

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at Immaculate Conception Parish in

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from 1965 to 1968. Returning to Rome, he earned a doctorate in canon law from the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University ( it, Pontificia Università Lateranense; la, Pontificia Universitas Lateranensis), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pont ...

in 1971. Sheehan served as Assistant General Secretary of the

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Conference (US ...

/United States Catholic Conference from 1971 to 1976, and as

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Holy Trinity Seminary Holy Trinity Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary residence in Irving, Texas, United States, in the Diocese of Dallas, Texas that is located within the University of Dallas campus, founded in 1964. It is headed by Rector Vincent Anyama, S.T.D ...

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from 1976 to 1982. In 1982, he was named

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

of Immaculate Conception Parish in Grand Prairie.

Episcopal career

Bishop of Lubbock

On March 25, 1983, Sheehan was appointed the founding Bishop of Lubbock by

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 ...

. 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 the following June 17 from Archbishop Patrick Flores, with Bishops Leroy Matthiesen and Thomas Tschoepe serving as co-consecrators. He selected as his episcopal

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: "Love One Another Constantly." Following the resignation of Robert Sanchez, he became

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of the

Archdiocese of Santa Fe The Archdiocese of Santa Fe ( la, Archidioecesis Sanctae Fidei in America Septentrionali, link=no, es, Arquidiócesis de Santa Fe, link=no) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the southwestern region of the United States in ...

on April 6, 1993.

Archbishop of Santa Fe

Sheehan was later named the eleventh

on August 17, 1993. He was formally installed as Archbishop on September 21 of that year. Sheehan became Apostolic Administrator of the

Diocese of Phoenix The Diocese of Phoenix ( la, Dioecesis Phoenicensis; es, Diócesis de Phoenix) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory or diocese in the state of Arizona in the United States. It was established on December 2, 1969, when it was split off ...

on June 18, 2003, after Thomas J. O'Brien resigned in disgrace. He resigned as Apostolic Administrator upon the installation of a fellow Kansan, Thomas J. Olmsted, on the following December 20. In addition to his native

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, he speaks

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and

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. Resigned as Archbishop in 2015. Announced he had Alzheimer's Disease in August of 2018.

Views

Pro-choice politicians at Catholic universities

In August 2009, he decried the attacks by some of his fellow bishops on the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

for having

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deliver its commencement speech and receive an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

. Sheehan also said the Catholic community risks isolating itself from the rest of the country and that refusing to talk to a

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or refusing Communion because of a difference on a single issue was counterproductive.

Cohabitation and marriage

Sheehan has been an outspoken opponent of cohabitation and its effects on marriage. He has released letters to his archdiocese in regards to cohabitation. and its effects on children.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehan, Michael Jarboe 1939 births Living people People from Wichita, Kansas People from Texarkana, Texas Pontifical Gregorian University alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of San Antonio Roman Catholic archbishops of Santa Fe Religious leaders from Texas Catholics from Texas Catholics from Kansas