Michael John Sheridan (March 4, 1945 – September 27, 2022) 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 'pref ...

of the

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 ...

who served as bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs in Colorado from 2003 to 2021. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop for the

Archdiocese of Saint Louis The Archdiocese of St. Louis ( la, Archidiœcesis Sancti Ludovici) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church that covers the City of St. Louis and the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, Perry ...

in Missouri from 1997 to 2003.

Biography

Early life

Michael Sheridan was born in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, to John and Bernice (née Moore) Sheridan. In 1951, he started attending Corpus Christi Catholic School in

Jennings, Missouri Jennings is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 12,895. Geography Jennings is located at (38.721100, -90.261428). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area ...

. He then went to St. Louis University High School in St. Louis in 1959, graduating in 1963. Sheridan attended

Rockhurst College Rockhurst University is a private school, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is School accreditation, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It ...

in Kansas City, Missouri, for one year before entering Cardinal Glennon College Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri. He graduated in 1967 from Cardinal Glennon with a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's ...

degree. Sheridan then entered Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis.

Priesthood

On May 29, 1971, Sheridan 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 va ...

to the priesthood by then Archbishop

John Carberry John Joseph Cardinal Carberry (July 31, 1904 – June 17, 1998) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis in Missouri from 1968 to 1979, and was created a cardinal in 1969. ...

for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. After his ordination, Sheridan performed

pastoral A pastoral lifestyle is that of shepherds herding livestock around open areas of land according to seasons and the changing availability of water and pasture. It lends its name to a genre of literature, art, and music (pastorale) that depicts ...

work at parishes in the archdiocese. He also taught on the

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

faculty of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. In 1973, Sheridan was awarded a Master of Historical Theology degree from

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private Jesuit research university with campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, and Madrid, Spain. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Mississip ...

. In 1974, Sheridan went to Rome to attend Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, ''Angelicum'', earning a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology ( la, Doctor Theologiae, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equiva ...

degree. He returned to Rome to receive a

Doctor of Sacred Theology The Doctor of Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Doctor, abbreviated STD), also sometimes known as Professor of Sacred Theology (, abbreviated STP), is the final theological degree in the pontifical university system of the Catholic Church, ...

degree in 1980 with a dissertation entitled ''The Theology of the Local Church in Vatican II.'' In 1988, Sheridan was appointed pastor of Christ the King Parish in

University City, Missouri University City (colloquially, U. City) is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 United States Census, 2020 c ...

. In 1993, he became pastor of Immacolata Parish in

Richmond Heights, Missouri Richmond Heights is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri. It is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The population was 8,603 at the 2010 census. According to Robert L. Ramsay, the name was suggested by Robert E. Lee, who ...

Auxiliary Bishop of St. Louis

On July 8, 1997,

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 ...

appointed Sheridan as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Louis and titular bishop of

Thibiuca Tibiuca was a Roman era civitas of the Roman province of Africa Proconsularis. Tibiuca has been tentatively identified with ruins at Henchir-Gâssa, Tunisia. During antiquity, Tibiuca was the seat of an ancient bishopric, suffragan of the Archdioce ...

. He received his

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

on September 3, 1997, from then-Archbishop

Justin Rigali Justin Francis Rigali (born April 19, 1935) is an American cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the eighth Archbishop of Philadelphia, having previously served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003, and was elevated to the ca ...

, with Bishops Edward O'Donnell and Edward Braxton serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, ...

. Sheridan chose as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

: ''"Virtus in infirmitate perficitur"'' ( 2 Corinthians 12:9), meaning, "Strength is made perfect in weakness").

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Colorado Springs

On December 4, 2001, John Paul II appointed Sheridan as

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co ...

of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. On January 30, 2003, Sheridan automatically succeeded the retiring Bishop Richard Hannifen as the second bishop of the diocese. Sheridan was installed on January 30, 2002. Within 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 ...

(USCCB), Sheridan sat on the Committee on Education. He was also a board member of the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

in Rome, the

Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 ...

, the International Dominican Foundation, and the Kenrick Seminary board of

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

s. In 2004, Sheridan said that any Catholic who does not reflect church teaching in the

voting booth A voting booth or polling booth (in British English) is a room or cabin in a polling station where voters are able to cast their vote in private to protect the secrecy of the ballot. Commonly the entrance to the voting booth is a retractable ...

"makes a mockery of that faith and belies his identity as a Catholic," a remark widely held to refer to Catholic supporters of then Senator

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

during the

2004 United States presidential election The 2004 United States presidential election was the 55th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The Republican ticket of incumbent President George W. Bush and his running mate incumbent Vice President Dick Chene ...

campaign. Sheridan qualified his statement by saying "...the church never directs citizens to vote for any specific candidate." Kevin Eckstrom of ''

Religion News Service Religion News Service (RNS) is a news agency covering religion, ethics, spirituality and moral issues. It publishes news, information, and commentaries on faiths and religious movements to newspapers, magazines, broadcast organizations and religio ...

'' called it the first directive in the nation:

"...that would apply to voters the same controversial sanctions proposed by some bishops against abortion-rights Catholic politicians...also one of the most drastic—equating a particular vote with sinful activity."

Sheridan's stance drew national attention and harsh criticism, which he then softened in a column in the diocesan newspaper. Sheridan's spokesman stated that there was no communion ban on anyone and that decisions on taking communion rested with individuals and their consciences. In 2005, Sheridan's executive assistant, Peter Howard, wrote a column in the diocesan newspaper stating that participating in

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church services is contrary to church teaching. Sheridan then issued a public rebuttal, stating that Howard's view "does not represent my thinking on the subject".

Retirement and legacy

On April 30, 2021, Pope Francis accepted Sheridan's letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, appointing Father James Golka as his replacement.Michael Sheridan died on September 27, 2022, in a Colorado Springs hospital.

References

External links

Diocese of Colorado Springs

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheridan, Michael John 1945 births 2022 deaths Clergy from St. Louis Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Colorado Springs 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Bishops appointed by Pope John Paul II Religious leaders from Missouri