+Father Michael Scanlan, TOR, 85

January 09, 2017

Father Michael Scanlan, a Franciscan friar who helped transform an Ohio college on the brink of closure into a university renowned for its vibrant Catholic identity and fidelity to the Church’s teaching, passed away on January 7 at the age of 85.

A graduate of Williams College and Harvard University Law School, Father Scanlan served as Staff Judge Advocate in the US Air Force before entering the Franciscan Third Order Regular.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1964, he served as dean of the College of Steubenville and rector of St. Francis Seminary in Loretto, Pennsylvania. He became an early leading figure in the Catholic charismatic renewal movement.

In 1974, he was named president of the College of Steubenville, which in time became Franciscan University of Steubenville. He retired in 2000, thereafter serving as the university’s chancellor (2000-11) and president emeritus.

 

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Further information:

• A Life of Grace: Father Michael Scanlan, TOR (Franciscan University of Steubenville)
• Father Michael Scanlan (1931-2017): ‘When You Met Him, Your Life Changed’ (National Catholic Register)
• Father Scanlan Was America’s Pastor to Catholic Higher Education (National Catholic Register)