Michael Joseph Bransfield
| Styles of Michael Bransfield | |
|---|---|
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
Michael Joseph Bransfield (born September 8, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who currently serves as Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston.
Biography
Michael Bransfield was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended St. Bridget’s Grade School, St. John the Baptist High School and Roman Catholic High School for Boys.
From St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Master's degree in Divinity. Bransfield was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John Krol on May 15, 1971, and then did pastoral work in Huntingdon Valley until 1973. He earned his Master's in Philosophy from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., in 1973, and then worked as a teacher, chaplain, and Chairman of the Religion Department at Lansdale Catholic High School.
Father Bransfield was named Assistant Director and Director of Liturgy (1980), Director of Finance (1982), and Rector (1986) at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. In 1987 he was raised to the rank of a Honorary Prelate of His Holiness.
On December 9, 2004, Bransfield was appointed the eighth Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, by Pope John Paul II. He received episcopal consecration on February 22, 2005 from Cardinal William Henry Keeler, with Cardinal Theodore Edgar McCarrick and Bishop Bernard William Schmitt serving as co-consecrators, at St. Joseph's Cathedral.
A trustee and current president of The Papal Foundation, Bishop Bransfield also sits on the Board of Trustees of the Catholic Distance University, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He holds membership in the Knights of Columbus and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. Within the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, he serves as treasurer and sits on the Communications Committee and the National Collections Committee.
Accusation of sexual abuse
On Thursday, April 19, 2012, a Catholic News Service (CNS) online news brief regarding the matter stated:
Bishop Michael J. Bransfield of Wheeling-Charleston said secondhand allegations that he sexually abused a teenage boy are "unbelievable and shocking" as well as completely false. The accusations against Bishop Bransfield, who was ordained a priest for the Philadelphia Archdiocese, were raised April 18 by a witness at the trial of two Philadelphia priests on sex abuse-related charges. The witness said another Philadelphia priest who has since been removed from ministry told him about the alleged abuse by Bishop Bransfield. "I have never sexually abused anyone," said an April 19 statement from the 68-year-old bishop, who has never been charged with any abuse. He said he understood he was "a public figure and therefore subject to public criticism." But, he added, "the nature of these statements and the manner in which they were released ... go way beyond any sense of fairness and propriety." Bishop Bransfield said it is "misleading" to report that Stanley Gana, the former priest who is purported to have made the allegation, admitted abusing a minor at a vacation home owned by the bishop. "What did not get released was additional information available to the prosecutor that I was not aware of the incident and was not present at the house at the time," he said. "Gana has confirmed those facts in prior reports."..."[1]
The accusations against Bishop Bransfield were proven false when the alleged victim came forth and flatly denied that he had been abused by Bishop Bransfield. [2]
References
External links
| Preceded by none |
Rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 1990–2004 |
Succeeded by Walter R. Rossi |
| Preceded by Bernard William Schmitt |
Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston 2004–present |
Succeeded by incumbent |