Death of last Columban bishop: Most Reverend James Michaels
Submitted by FatherSean on Thu, 09/23/2010 - 00:00.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Bishop James Michaels who died yesterday. He was the last remaining Columban bishop. May he rest in peace. Below is the letter from Fr Arturo Aguilar, Regional Director of the Columbans in the USA, informing us of the bishop's death.
September 21, 2010
Dear Confreres,
Retired Bishop James Michaels died early this morning, September 21, 2010, in Silver Creek, NY.
Bishop Michaels was born May 30, 1926, in Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Chicago, Illinois. He began his studies for the priesthood at the minor seminary of St. Columban’s, Silver Creek, New York, in September 1940. He continued his education with the Columban Fathers at Bristol, Rhode Island, and went to St. Columbans, Nebraska, in September 1946.
He was ordained December 21, 1951, in St. Columbanus Church, Chicago, Illinois, by Bishop William E. Cousins. Fr. Michaels studied missiology in Rome from 1952 to1955 and became the Society's first Doctor of Missiology. In July 1956, he was made dean of the College at Milton.
Fr. Michaels was assigned to Korea in 1957 and after language school in Seoul he was appointed to Kwangju Vicariate and assistant in a Kwangju parish in 1958. The following year he was appointed pastor in Sorokdo. At that time Sorokdo had the largest leper colony in the world with about 5,500 patients of whom some 400 were Catholics and 800 were catechumens.
In 1965, Fr. Michaels was appointed vicar general of Kwangju Archdiocese. On February 15, 1966, the Holy See appointed him auxiliary bishop of Kwangju diocese and titular bishop of Verbe. He was consecrated on April 14, 1966, in St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Paul, Minnesota, by Archbishop Leo Binz.
Archbishop Henry resigned as archbishop of Kwangju in July 1971 in order that a native Korean bishop would take his place. Fr. Michaels resigned his administrative duties as auxiliary bishop of Kwangju. His resignation was accepted by the Holy See, and he was given permission to return to the leper colony of Sorokdo as pastor.
In 1973, he was appointed auxiliary bishop for the Wheeling diocese, West Virginia, where he spent fourteen years before his retirement in October 1987. He moved to Silver Creek, New York in 2005.
A private funeral service will be held at Silver Creek; burial will take place in Clinton, MD. May he rest in peace.
As always you are reminded of our obligation for our deceased Columban brothers.
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr Arturo Aguilar
Regional Director
