Michael Richard Côté (born June 19, 1949) is 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 ...

, serving as the bishop of the

Diocese of Norwich The Diocese of Norwich is an ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Church of England that forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. History It traces its roots in an unbroken line to the diocese of the Bishop of the Eas ...

in Connecticut and parts of New York since 2003. He previously served as auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Portland The Diocese of Portland is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States comprising the entire state of Maine. It is led by a bishop, and its cathedral, or mother church, is the Cat ...

in Maine from 1995 to 2003

Biography

Early life

Michael Côté was born on June 19, 1949, in Sanford,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. He first attended Our Lady of Lourdes Seminary in Cassadaga, New York, then went to Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. Côté later graduated from St. Mary's Seminary College in Baltimore, Maryland 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 d ...

degree. He then went to Rome to study 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 ...

, receiving a

Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a sta ...

degree in 1975.

Priesthood

Côté 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 Diocese of Portland 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 ...

on June 25, 1975, in

St. Peter's Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...

in Rome. After returning to Maine, he served the next three years as

parochial vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pre ...

at two parishes; Saints Athanasius and John in

Rumford, Maine Rumford is a town in Oxford County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,858 at the 2020 census. Rumford is home to both ND Paper Inc's Rumford Mill and the Black Mountain of Maine ski resort. History Originally called New Pennacook ...

and Holy Rosary in

Caribou, Maine Caribou is the second largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. Its population was 7,396 at the 2020 census, and between the 2010 and 2020 census it was the fastest-shrinking city in Maine. The city is a service center for the agr ...

. Côté entered the Catholic University of America School of Canon Law in Washington, D.C. in 1979, receiving his

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...

in 1981. Following his return from Catholic University in 1981, Côté was appointed adjutant judicial vicar of the Diocesan Tribunal in Portland. From 1984-1987 he served as a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council. In 1989, Côté returned to Washington to serve as secretary of the Nunciature of the Holy See. After five years with the nunciature, Côté was appointed

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 Sacred Heart Parish in

Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine within the United States. The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County. The population was 24,061 at the 2020 census. Auburn and its sister city Lewiston are known locally as the Twin Cities ...

. In 1994, he became a member and then the chair of the Council of Priests for the diocese. That same year, Côté was named to the

College of Consultors A consultor is one who gives counsel, i.e., a counselor. In the Catholic Church, it is a specific title for various advisory positions: *in the Roman Curia, a consultor is a specially appointed expert who may be called upon for advice desired by ...

Auxiliary Bishop of Portland

On May 9, 1995, Côté was appointed as auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Portland and titular bishop of Cebarades by John Paul II. 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 July 27, 1995, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland from Bishop Joseph Gerry, with Bishop Robert Mulvee and Cardinal Raymond Burke serving as co-consecrators. As an auxiliary bishop, Côté's primary ministry was to the parishes in Northern Maine.

Bishop of Norwich

John Paul II appointed Côté as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Norwich on March 11, 2003. He was installed on May 14, 2003. In 2004, Côté became embroiled in a dispute with Reverend Justinian B. Rweyemamu, the

at St. Bernard Parish in

Rockville, Connecticut Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1889, it has been consolidated with the town of Vernon ...

. Rweyemamu claimed that Côté had denied him a promotion because he is black. After Rweyemamu filed a complaint with the

US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

, Côté allegedly removed him from his parish and his chaplain job in retaliation. Côté said he removed Rweyemamu due to his refusal to answers any questions about Bugurka Orphans and Community Economic Development, his private charity in

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

, and the content of some of his

homilies A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

. In Spring 2005, Côté unsuccessfully sued to evict Rweyemamu from a church rectory. In August 2005, Côté ordered him to move to a convent in Sprague, Connecticut and live in isolation. On April 3, 2010, Côté announced his opposition to a bill in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

that would remove the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

for sexual abuse crimes. A letter signed by the state's Catholic bishops said that this bill would cause tremendous damage to Catholic institutions and missions. On December 14, 2010, Côté announced that the diocese charity, Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich, was being replaced by a new organization, Diocese of Norwich Outreach to Haiti, Inc. He mentioned that the diocese was slowly distributing $430,892 collected from parishioners in January that year to prevent waste and

misappropriation In law, misappropriation is the unauthorized use of another's name, likeness, identity, property, discoveries, inventions, etc without that person's permission, resulting in harm to that person. Another use of the word refers to intentional a ...

. On February 10, 2019, Côté released a list of 43 clerics from the diocese with substantial allegations of abuse against them. Of the 43 clerics, 33 were deceased and the remainder were not performing ministry. He announced on July 16, 2021 that the diocese was declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy to facilitate settlement of sexual abuse lawsuits. Over 60 lawsuits were filed by former residents of Mount Saint John School in

Deep River, Connecticut Deep River is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 4,415 at the 2020 census. The town center is designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). Deep River is part of what the locals call the "Tri-t ...

, a former church residential school for troubled boys.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of NorwichRoman Catholic Diocese of Portland

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cote, Michael Richard Roman Catholic Ecclesiastical Province of Hartford 1949 births Living people Catholic University of America alumni St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni Roman Catholic bishops of Norwich Catholic University of America School of Canon Law alumni 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States