On May 29, 1971, Sheridan was ordained to the priesthood by then Archbishop John Carberry for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. After his ordination, Sheridan performed pastoral work at parishes in the archdiocese. He also taught on the theologicalfaculty of Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. In 1973, Sheridan was awarded a Master of Historical Theology degree from Saint Louis University.[3]
On December 4, 2001, John Paul II appointed Sheridan as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.[3] On January 30, 2003, Sheridan automatically succeeded the retiring Bishop Richard Hannifen as the second bishop of the diocese. Sheridan was installed on January 30, 2002.[3]
In 2004, Sheridan said that any Catholic who does not reflect church teaching in the voting booth "makes a mockery of that faith and belies his identity as a Catholic," a remark widely held to refer to Catholic supporters of then Senator John Kerry during the 2004 United States presidential election campaign. Sheridan qualified his statement by saying "...the church never directs citizens to vote for any specific candidate." Kevin Eckstrom of Religion News Service called it the first directive in the nation:
"...that would apply to voters the same controversial sanctions proposed by some bishops against abortion-rights Catholic politicians...also one of the most drastic—equating a particular vote with sinful activity."[5]
Sheridan's stance drew national attention and harsh criticism, which he then softened in a column in the diocesan newspaper. Sheridan's spokesman stated that there was no communion ban on anyone and that decisions on taking communion rested with individuals and their consciences.[6] In 2005, Sheridan's executive assistant, Peter Howard, wrote a column in the diocesan newspaper stating that participating in Protestant church services is contrary to church teaching. Sheridan then issued a public rebuttal, stating that Howard's view "does not represent my thinking on the subject".[7]
Retirement and legacy
On April 30, 2021, Pope Francis accepted Sheridan's letter of resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Colorado Springs, appointing Father James Golka as his replacement.[8] Michael Sheridan died on September 27, 2022, in a Colorado Springs hospital.[1]
