Michael Hughes Kenny (June 26, 1937 – February 19, 1995) was an American prelate of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Juneau in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

from 1979 to 1995.

Biography

Michael Kenny was born in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, on June 26, 1937. He was ordained into the priesthood for the Diocese of Santa Rosa by Bishop

Leo Thomas Maher Leo Thomas Maher (July 1, 1915 – February 23, 1991) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Santa Rosa in California (1962–1969) and as bishop of the Diocese of San Diego in California ...

on March 30, 1963. On March 22, 1979,

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

named Kenny the third bishop of the Diocese of Juneau. He was consecrated by the pope on May 27, 1979. His co-consecrators were Archbishops Duraisamy Lourdusamy and Eduardo Somalo. Michael Kenny died in Palestine of a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a brain aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder in which weakness in the wall of a cerebral artery or vein causes a localized dilation or ballooning of the blood vessel. Aneurysms in the posterior circ ...

on February 19, 1995. He was later buried in Juneau. In 2009, the Bishop Michael H. Kenny Memorial Peace Park was opened in Juneau. According to his successor, Bishop

Edward J. Burns Edward James Burns (born October 7, 1957) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who has served as bishop of the Diocese of Dallas in Texas since 2017. He previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Juneau in Alaska from 2009 ...

, Kenny traveled to every community in the diocese and met all the Catholics in these communities. In describing Kenny, Burns said:

People still talk about his deep reserves of empathy and understanding, especially for those who were struggling with the challenges and the burdens of life. He was noted for his humility, taking his responsibilities seriously but not himself. And, his sense of humor never failed him.

References

1937 births 1995 deaths People from Hollywood, Los Angeles Roman Catholic bishops of Juneau 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States {{US-RC-bishop-stub