Vincent Michael Scanlan,
T.O.R.
The Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Penance or simply the Third Order Regular of St. Francis ( la, Tertius Ordo Regularis Sancti Francisci) is a mendicant order rooted in the Third Order of St. Francis which was founded in 1221. The me ...
(December 1, 1931 – January 7, 2017) was a
Catholic
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 ...
priest
A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...
of the
Franciscan Third Order Regular. He was responsible for the revival of the
College of Steubenville, now known as
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Franciscan University of Steubenville is a private Franciscan university in Steubenville, Ohio. The university had 3,040 students as of fall 2019, including 2,317 students on campus, in 40 undergraduate and 8 graduate degree programs. The studen ...
. Scanlan served the university for 26 years as president and then 11 years as chancellor, before retiring in 2011.
He resided at the Sacred Heart Province motherhouse in
Loretto, Pennsylvania
Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census it had a population of 1,302. Like the rest of Cambria County, it is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropoli ...
,
prior to his death on January 7, 2017.
[http://www.franciscan.edu/News/Father-Michael-Scanlan,-TOR,-dies/]
Biography
Early life
Scanlan was born on December 1, 1931, in
Cedarhurst, New York
Cedarhurst is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 census.
The Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst is located in the region o ...
, a small village on the South Shore of
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
,
to Margaret O'Keefe Scanlan and Vincent Scanlan. When he was three, his parents separated. His father moved to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, while his mother remarried and moved to New York City. Scanlan remained with his mother in New York and was heavily affected by the social and cultural dispositions of New York City. The community that Scanlan was raised in was predominantly lower-class Irish families; because of this, he grew to despise the rich.
[ However, his parents and his stepfather were all concerned with success, especially monetary success, and they tried to force this mentality upon Scanlan. He adopted this disposition and began seeking perfection in his academics, athletics, and social life. This attitude did not last long; Scanlan's restless nature never allowed him to do the same thing for too long. In his autobiographical work, ''Let the Fire Fall'', Scanlan stated: "I decided that I could do anything, but not everything. I could live with lower grades if my goal for the semester was to become captain of the tennis team, as I did in prep school, or to become socially popular, as I strived to do in college. If a course bored me, I would settle for a 'B'."][
Young Scanlan's restlessness allowed him to compromise in some areas of his life, but he was always a man of devout Roman Catholic faith. Although his mother had left the Roman Catholic Church after her separation, she brought him up in the faith and encouraged him to be faithful to the Church, even though she was not. Scanlan's stepfather, though, hated the Church and took every opportunity to denounce it.][
Scanlan's faith deepened as he grew older, despite the religious turmoil at home. At ]Coindre Hall
Coindre Hall, originally called West Neck Farm, is a 40-room, mansion in the style of a medieval French château completed in 1912 for pharmaceutical magnate George McKesson Brown. Coindre Hall sits on of rolling land overlooking Huntington Har ...
Boarding School on Long Island, Scanlan was able to deepen his faith under the instruction of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart
The Brothers of the Sacred Heart ( la, Fratres a Sacratissimo Corde Iesu) is a Catholic lay religious congregation of Pontifical Right for Men founded by the Reverend Fr. André Coindre (1787–1826) in 1821. Its Constitution was modeled upon that ...
, who ran the school. He credits one particular brother, Brother Bertin Ryan, S.C., as being vital in his faith formation. In his autobiography, Scanlan states: "Brother Bertin combined the highest standards for personal conduct and academic performance with an irresistible loving nature."[ It was this kind of attitude that left a lasting impression upon Scanlan; he quickly took his faith as a metaphor for his life. This paradigm change caused Scanlan to conquer his restless attitude and quickly reach the top of his class.
Scanlan graduated from Coindre Hall and received a scholarship to ]New Hampton School
New Hampton School is an independent college preparatory high school in New Hampton, New Hampshire, United States. It has 305 students from over 30 states and 22 countries. The average class size is eleven, and the student-faculty ratio is five t ...
, a college preparatory school in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. Scanlan graduated from New Hampton at the top of his class and received an all-around excellence medal.[
]
College years
After graduating from prep school, Scanlan entered Williams College
Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a col ...
in Massachusetts.[ Scanlan performed well academically, but his Roman Catholic faith was shaken by the ]secular
Secularity, also the secular or secularness (from Latin ''saeculum'', "worldly" or "of a generation"), is the state of being unrelated or neutral in regards to religion. Anything that does not have an explicit reference to religion, either negativ ...
approach of his professors. Scanlan found himself questioning the existence of God. In a moment of frustration, he reports leaving the college, going out to the nearby woods, and remaining there for half a day, promising that he would not leave the woods until God gave him strong conviction. That evening, Scanlan felt the presence of God. This experience redirected his entire life; Scanlan returned to the Roman Catholic faith with renewed effort.
Scanlan graduated from Williams College and was accepted into Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
.[ During his second year, he had exhausted himself by attempting to become the top student. This endeavor caused him to be hospitalized with the flu and exhaustion. During his period of sickness, Scanlan once again re-examined his life. He became determined to live out his faith again as he had done as a boy. However, he found this very difficult while finishing his degree at Harvard Law School. (During the summer following his second year of law school, he worked as a student legal assistant in the office of the ]United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York
The United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York is the chief federal law enforcement officer in eight New York counties: New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess and Sullivan. Establishe ...
working on cases involving organized crime.)
Walking back to Harvard Law School from Mass one morning, Scanlan felt the presence of God once again. At that moment, he understood that God was calling him to the Roman Catholic priesthood. Scanlan was profoundly amazed by the spiritual revelation, but decided to finish his degree first.[
]
Early career
Scanlan graduated from Harvard Law School and immediately received job offers from legal and political circles. However, he needed to complete his military service in the Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...
before he could consider taking a job. He served as a lawyer in the Judge Advocate Corps of the Air Force.[ He did not lose a single case during his first year. This success won him a position as a certified Judge Advocate in 1956.][
]
Priesthood
Scanlan followed his old calling toward the priesthood, despite his success as a lawyer. He felt the conviction to join a religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practi ...
rather than serve as a diocesan priest. In his search for an appealing order, Scanlan spent time with the Jesuits, Dominicans, and Franciscans and consulted with theologian Fr. Avery Dulles, S.J. who advised him, "what does Jesus want?" He entered the Franciscans
, image = FrancescoCoA PioM.svg
, image_size = 200px
, caption = A cross, Christ's arm and Saint Francis's arm, a universal symbol of the Franciscans
, abbreviation = OFM
, predecessor =
, ...
Third Order Regular (T.O.R.).
He began his seminary formation at the St. Francis Seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania
Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census it had a population of 1,302. Like the rest of Cambria County, it is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropoli ...
, in September 1957.[ A year later, he traveled to Washington, D.C., where he began his ]novitiate
The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
. The majority of his seminary training was spent in philosophy, theology, and Latin courses, which helped him to confirm his vocation.
Scanlan was ordained in May 1964, taking the name Fr. Theophane Scanlan, T.O.R.,[ offering his first Mass, before family and friends, at St. Joseph's Church in ]Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village located on Long Island in Nassau County New York. It is the Greater Garden City area's anchor community. The population was 23,272 at the 2020 census.
The Incorporated Village of Garden City is primarily located within ...
. A reception was held at the Garden City home of his aunt and uncle Gloria and Frank Polignani. As a new priest, Father Michael desired to become a missionary
A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...
, but his superiors would not allow it. He was disappointed, but he returned to prayer and maintained an open mind about his future.
In Steubenville
In May 1964, Scanlan was assigned to the position of academic dean at the College of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio
Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a 1 ...
. He accepted, and took the position in August 1964. As academic dean, Scanlan's primary responsibility was restructuring the dwindling academic program.
However, his work was not restricted to the classrooms. Scanlan worked extensively with the 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 ...
and African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
communities in Steubenville, trying to bring the entire town together. Scanlan established ground-breaking connections between the Protestant and Roman Catholic communities by taking part in Protestant services. Scanlan also helped to incorporate African-Americans into leadership positions in the town, especially as policemen.[
Not all of Scanlan's work in Steubenville was successful. One failure was his invention of the civic group, Citizens for Clean Air (CCA). Steubenville was a highly industrialized area, and pollution was a serious problem for the town. The CCA attempted to inform the public about new anti-pollution technologies and other practices to cut down on industrial pollution. Unfortunately, the many steel mills and other factories in Steubenville ignored the group. The CCA was unable to make any changes to improve the quality of air in Steubenville.][
]
Return to the seminary
After five years at the college, Scanlan accepted the position of rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
at St. Francis Seminary, where he had begun his seminary formation.[ At the seminary, Scanlan began a ]charismatic renewal
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church that is part of the wider charismatic movement across historic Christian churches.
The Renewal has been described as a "current of grace". It began in 1967 when Cath ...
based on prayer and community. He encouraged strong personal prayer among the seminarians and emphasized the importance of spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the div ...
. Scanlan also helped the seminarians to bond with each other through the use of small prayer groups. The renewal yielded mixed results; the small prayer groups were well attended, but the idea of charismatic personal prayer was not well accepted. Despite some visible successes, St. Francis Seminary was closed in 1978 due to a lack of interest in the Franciscan order.[
]
Remaking the College of Steubenville
In 1974, Scanlan left the St. Francis Seminary and returned to the College of Steubenville, this time to fill the position of president. Since Scanlan had left the school in July 1969, it had declined greatly in enrollment and revenue. As president, Scanlan aimed to institute a charismatic renewal similar to the one at St. Francis Seminary. Scanlan took over the Sunday liturgy on the campus, incorporating charismatic praise and worship and passionate preaching into the Mass. He instituted households, small groups of men and women devoted to personal and communal growth, and required students to join one. Scanlan also created a renewal center on the campus, which organized retreats and seminars to further instruct students in the Roman Catholic faith. The center began holding religious conferences in the summers, which attracted many young people to the college. Scanlan often spoke at these conferences.
Despite these changes, the college struggled to stay open. The first year after Scanlan instituted the changes, the incoming freshman class was the smallest that the college had ever seen.[ Five of the top administrators at the college left or were dismissed.][
Despite these difficulties, Scanlan continued to make changes, especially to the curriculum. Scanlan reintroduced a ]theology
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 ...
program, which quickly became the top major at the college. Scanlan also oversaw the development of graduate programs in business and theology, which helped the college win the title of university in 1980. In addition, the nursing program rose to distinction. It was chartered by the state government of Ohio in 1984 and then received accreditation from the National League of Nursing in 1985.[
Scanlan orchestrated numerous other beneficial changes to the university. He instituted an Oath of Fidelity to the Magisterium, which was required of the theology professors at the university. Under his guidance, the undergraduate theology program became the largest of any Roman Catholic university in America. He also created the Human Life Studies minor, the only one of its kind in America. By 2000, Scanlan's leadership and changes had helped the university to increase dramatically in size; there were more than 2,100 students, nearly double the amount in the early 1970s.]
Charismatic Renewal Affiliations
Scanlan was a prolific figure in the charismatic covenant community movement, acting in leadership roles in the Sword of the Spirit
The Sword of the Spirit is an international, ecumenical association of Christian communities within the charismatic movement. The member communities are composed predominantly of laypersons. It takes its roots from the Shepherding movement. ...
and Word of God (community) The Word of God is an ecumenical, charismatic, missionary Christian community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The community began in 1967.Bord & Faulkner. 1983. ''The Catholic charismatics''. Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 11.
Origins 1967-1976 ...
.
Scanlan led the covenant community group Servants of Christ the King, until he was requested to step down in 1991 at the behest of Bishop Albert Ottenweller, following concerns that the group had been influenced by elements in the Word of God (community) The Word of God is an ecumenical, charismatic, missionary Christian community in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The community began in 1967.Bord & Faulkner. 1983. ''The Catholic charismatics''. Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 11.
Origins 1967-1976 ...
and Sword of the Spirit
The Sword of the Spirit is an international, ecumenical association of Christian communities within the charismatic movement. The member communities are composed predominantly of laypersons. It takes its roots from the Shepherding movement. ...
organisations, where leadership was said to be "excessively controlling members lives, including their marital relations and finances".
Retirement and death
After 26 years as president of the university, Scanlan stepped down in 2000. The board of trustees for the university, however, asked him to take the position of chancellor
Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...
. He accepted, and maintained a lively presence on the campus until his retirement in 2011. Scanlan returned to Loretto and resided at the Sacred Heart Province motherhouse until his death. Scanlan died on January 7, 2017, after a long illness.
Scandal
A revelation came about in late 2018 that a former chaplain at Franciscan of Steubenville, Father Sam Tiesi, had engaged in years-long abuse of women at the university. It has been reported by multiple victims that they made Father Scanlan aware but he did nothing or, in at least one case, verbally assaulted the accuser. Instead of dealing with the abuse he participated in covering up and silencing those who would report his close friend, Father Tiesi.
Legacy
* The Franciscan University of Steubenville hosts an annual full tuition scholarship competition, called the Fr. Michael Scanlan Scholarship Competition. While each year only two participants are awarded full tuition scholarships, all participants are welcomed into the exclusive Fr. Michael Scanlan Scholarship Society.
* In 2012 the university announced the creation of the Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, Chair of Biblical Theology and the New Evangelization.
Quotes
* "The work we do is of eternal importance because, like it or not, people will have eternal happiness or eternal misery according to what we do."[
* "Joy isn't a feeling that we can conjure up at will. Rather it is a response to a life being lived the way God wants it, a holy life free of sin."][
* "Repentance is the essential first step in building, rebuilding, or renewing our relationship with the Lord."][
* "The greatest healing is the healing of the ravages of sin."][
* "Renewal rings in the new, but authentic renewal always involves a return to the roots in the living tradition of the past."][
]
References
External links
Fr. Michael Scanlan website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlan, Michael
1931 births
2017 deaths
Third Order Regular Franciscans
Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
People from Cedarhurst, New York
Williams College alumni
Harvard Law School alumni
Franciscan University of Steubenville faculty
Saint Francis University alumni
New Hampton School alumni