Gilbert Sheldon (Bishop of Steubenville)
Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon | |
---|---|
Bishop Emeritus of Steubenville | |
Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon in 1998 | |
Archdiocese | Cincinnati |
Diocese | Steubenville |
Appointed | January 28, 1992 |
Installed | April 2, 1992 |
Term ended | May 31, 2002 |
Predecessor | Albert Henry Ottenweller |
Successor | Robert Daniel Conlon |
Orders | |
Ordination | February 28, 1953 by Edward Francis Hoban |
Consecration | June 11, 1976 by James Aloysius Hickey, Joseph Bernardin, and Clarence George Issenmann |
Personal details | |
Born | Cleveland, Ohio | September 20, 1926
Previous post(s) | Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland |
Motto | Fortes in fide |
Styles of Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Reference style | |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Religious style | Bishop |
Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon (born September 20, 1926) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the third Bishop of Steubenville in Ohio, serving between 1992 and 2002. Sheldon previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland from 1976 to 1992.
Early life and education[]
Sheldon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one of 12 children of Ignatius Peter and Stephania Josephine (née Olszewski) Solinski-Sheldon.[1] He received his early education at the parochial school of St. Phillip Neri Parish, and then attended Cathedral Latin High School In Chardon, Ohio[1]
Sheldon studied at John Carroll University before beginning his studies for the priesthood at Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe, Ohio, earning a Master of Divinity degree.[1] He also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Ohio Consortium of Seminaries.[1]
Priesthood[]
On February 28, 1953, Sheldon was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Cleveland by Archbishop Edward F. Hoban.[2] After this ordination, between 1953 and 1964, Sheldon served as an associate pastor at St. Rose's Parish in Cleveland, St. Clare's Parish in Lyndhurst, Ohio, and Saints Philip and James Parish in Cleveland.[1] Sheldon served diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith from 1964 to 1974.[1]
From 1974 to 1976, Sheldon served as pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Oberlin, Ohio and episcopal vicar of Lorain Count, Ohio.[1] He also served as chaplain at Magnificat High School In Rocky River, Ohio, and of the West Park Knights of Columbus.[1] Sheldon was a notary and prosynodal judge for the diocesan tribunal, instructor at St. John's College in Cleveland and member of the Board of Trustees for St. Mary's Seminary and for Borromeo College.[1]
Episcopacy[]
Auxiliary Bishop of Cleveland[]
On April 12, 1976, Pope Paul VI appointed Sheldon as Auxiliary Bishop of the Diocese of Cleveland and Titular Bishop of Taparura.[2] He was consecrated on June 11 1976 by Bishop James A. Hickey, with Archbishop Joseph Bernardin and Bishop Clarence G. Issenmann serving as co-consecrators.[2] As an auxiliary bishop, Sheldon was named vicar for Marriage and Family Concerns (1976) and vicar of Summit County (1978).[1] In 1979, he became vicar of the Southern Region of the diocese, including Summit, Medina, Wayne, and Ashland Counties.[3]
Sheldon was director of missions when the Archdiocese of Cleveland sponsored a mission in El Salvador, then in the midst of an insurgency.[3] On December 2, 1980, five members of the Salvadoran National Guard abducted, raped, and killed four American female missionaries in El Salvador. Two of the victims, Sister Dorothy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan, came from the Archdiocese of Cleveland.[3]
Sheldon faced public controversy in 1984 when he asserted authority over the Bread of Life Community, a religious group that was accused of cult-like practices.[3] After an investigation, he chastised the group for unequal treatment of female members and for its doctrines; the group's official ecclesiastical authorization was withdrawn in 1985.[3]
Bishop of Steubenville[]
On January 28, 1992, Sheldon was appointed the Bishop of the Diocese of Steubenville by Pope John Paul II.[2] As bishop, he presided over the newest and most sparsely populated of Ohio's six Catholic dioceses.[3]
Later life[]
After reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75, Sheldon sent his letter of resignation as Bishop of Steubenville to Pope John Paul II. It was accepted by the pope on May 31, 2002.[2] Sheldon was succeeded by Father Robert Conlon, a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
See also[]
- Catholic Church hierarchy
- Catholic Church in the United States
- Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
- List of Catholic bishops of the United States
- Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Most Reverend Gilbert I. Sheldon". Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26.
- ^ a b c d e "Bishop Gilbert Ignatius Sheldon". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
- ^ a b c d e f Haferd, Laura (1992-01-29). "NO MORE BISHOP; AKRON'S GILBERT SHELDON IS NAMED TO TAKE OVER STEUBENVILLE DIOCESE". Akron Beacon Journal.
External links[]
Episcopal succession[]
- 1926 births
- Living people
- John Carroll University alumni
- Religious leaders from Cleveland
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland
- Roman Catholic bishops of Steubenville
- American people of Polish descent
- 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
- 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States