Michael Joseph Keyes, S.M. (February 28, 1876 – August 7, 1959) was an Irish-born 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 ...

who served as

bishop 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 ...

of the

Diocese of Savannah The Diocese of Savannah is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the southern United States comprising 90 of the southern counties of the state of Georgia.

in Georgia from 1922 to 1935. He previously served as director of Marist College at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Early life

Michael Keyes was born on February 28, 1876, in Dingle,

County Kerry County Kerry ( gle, Contae Chiarraí) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and forms part of the province of Munster. It is named after the Ciarraige who lived in part of the present county. The population of the co ...

in Ireland on February 28, 1876. He attended Christian Brothers schools in Dingle, then became an assistant teacher at one of the schools for three years. Keyes immigrated to the United States in 1896, teaching for several years at All Hallows College in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...

. While in Utah, Keyes became acquainted with several Marist Brothers priests who motivated him to join the priesthood. Keyes moved to Washington, D.C., in 1901 to join the

Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic religious institute of brothers. In 1817, St. Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from France, founded the Marist Brothe ...

congregation. He spent the next six years preparing for the priesthood by studying philosophy and theology.

Priesthood

Keyes 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 by Bishop Alfred Curtis in Washington for the Marist Brothers on June 21, 1907. After his ordination, he took a position teaching moral theology and

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...

at the Marist College of the Catholic University of America. He eventually became director of the college. Keyes became an American citizen in 1921. In early 1922, Keyes was appointed as secretary to Cardinal

Giovanni Bonzano Giovanni Vincenzo Cardinal Bonzano PIME (27 September 1867 – 26 November 1927) was an Italian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Delegate to United States from 1912 to 1922, and was elevated to the cardinalate in ...

, the apostolic delegate to the United States

Bishop of Savannah

On June 27, 1922, Keyes was appointed as the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Savannah by

Pope Pius XI Pope Pius XI ( it, Pio XI), born Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti (; 31 May 1857 – 10 February 1939), was head of the Catholic Church from 6 February 1922 to his death in February 1939. He was the first sovereign of Vatican City f ...

. 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 October 18, 1922, from Archbishop Michael Curley, with Bishops Denis J. O'Connell and Patrick Joseph Barry 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 ...

. On July 11, 1934, Keyes asked parishioners in his diocese to sign a pledge from the

Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictu ...

to protest "...vile and unwholesome motion pictures." Keyes's resignation as bishop of Savannah for health reasons was accepted by Pius XI on September 23, 1935; he was named titular tishop of '' Areopolis'' on the same date. After his health improved, Keyes moved back to Washington, D.C., to teach moral theology again at Marist College for the next 23 years. Michael Keyes died in

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. *Providenc ...

in Washington, D.C., on August 7, 1959, at age 83.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah

Episcopal succession

1876 births 1959 deaths Irish emigrants to the United States Irish expatriate Catholic bishops 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Savannah, Georgia People from Dingle {{US-RC-bishop-stub