Daniel Leo Ryan (September 28, 1930 – December 31, 2015) was an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He served as bishop of the

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1984 to 1999. He previously served as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Diocese of Joliet in Illinois from 1981 to 1984. Amid accusations of

sexual misconduct Sexual misconduct is misconduct of a sexual nature which exists on a spectrum that may include a broad range of sexual behaviors considered unwelcome. This includes conduct considered inappropriate on an individual or societal basis of morality, ...

and protecting sexually abusive priests, Ryan resigned as bishop of Springfield in 1999.

Biography

Early life

Daniel Ryan was born in

Mankato, Minnesota Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, Blue Earth, Nicollet County, Minnesota, Nicollet, and Le Sueur County, Minnesota, Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. The ...

, to Leonard and Irene (née Larson) Ryan. While he was a child, the family moved to Springfield, Illinois. Ryan attended Cathedral Boys High School in Springfield, then entered the Passionist Preparatory Seminary in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. After finishing at the seminary, Ryan entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

to become a monk. However, after deciding to become a priest instead, Ryan went to St. Procopius Seminary in Lisle, Illinois, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in

classical language According to the definition by George L. Hart, a classical language is any language with an independent literary tradition and a large body of ancient written literature. Classical languages are usually extinct languages. Those that are still ...

s in 1952.

Priesthood

Ryan was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood at the

Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral in Joliet, Illinois, United States. It is the seat and a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet in Illinois, Diocese of Joliet in Illinois. History St. Raymond Par ...

in Joliet by Bishop Martin McNamara for the Diocese of Joliet on May 3, 1956. After his ordination, Ryan was assigned as assistant pastor at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Joliet. He also served as a notary for the diocese. He was then sent to Rome to attend the

Pontifical Lateran University The Pontifical Lateran University (; ), also known as Lateranum, is a pontifical university based in Rome. The university also hosts the central session of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family. The university ...

, earning a

Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law (; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiate is the title of a person who ...

in 1960. After returning to Illinois, Ryan had the following parish assignments: * Curate at St. Joseph in Rockdale * Curate at St. Mary Nativity in Joliet *

Pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of St. Thaddeus in Joliet * Pastor of St. Michael in Wheaton Ryan was later appointed as

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

and

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the diocese.

Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet

On August 14, 1981, Ryan was appointed as an

of the Diocese of Joliet and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Surista'' by

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on September 30, 1981, from Bishop

Joseph Imesch Joseph Leopold Imesch (June 21, 1931 – December 22, 2015) was an American Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Joliet from 1979 to 2006. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Detroit from 1973 to 1979. Biograph ...

, with Bishops Raymond J. Vonesh and

Daniel Kucera Daniel William Kucera, OSB (Czech pronunciation uˈtsera May 7, 1923 – May 30, 2017) was a bishop of the Catholic Church. He served as an Auxiliary Bishop in Joliet (1977–1980), the Bishop of Salina (1980–1983), and as the Archbish ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churche ...

Bishop of Springfield

Pope John Paul II appointed Ryan as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Springfield on November 22, 1983. He was installed at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield on January 18, 1984. In 1986, Ryan announced that he had an

alcohol dependency Alcohol dependence is a previous (DSM-IV and ICD-10) psychiatric diagnosis in which an individual is physically or psychologically dependent upon alcohol (also chemically known as ethanol). In 2013, it was reclassified as alcohol use disorder ...

condition and then entered a treatment center for three months. In 1997 and 1998, an Illinois group called Roman Catholic Faithful picketed the

US Conference of Catholic Bishops The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 2001 after the merger of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) and United States Catholic Co ...

meeting in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, carrying signs accusing Ryan of protecting abusive priests. He himself was accused of engaging in sexual affairs with men.

Resignation and legacy

On October 19, 1999, Pope John Paul II accepted Ryan's resignation as Bishop of Springfield, effective immediately, six years before the mandatory retirement of 75 for bishops. In late October 1999, Matthew McCormick sued the Diocese of Springfield, claiming that Alvin J. Campbell, a diocesan priest, abused him as an altar boy from 1982 to 1985. McCormick claimed that Ryan and the diocese did nothing to protect him, and that Ryan was guilty of numerous sexual affairs with

male prostitutes Male prostitution is a form of sex work consisting of the act or practice of men providing sexual services in return for payment. Although clients can be of any gender, the vast majority are older males looking to fulfill their sexual needs. Ma ...

and priests, creating a poisoned atmosphere. A diocese spokesperson said that Ryan removed Campbell in 1985 as soon as he heard about the accusations. Campbell later spent seven years in prison for

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in Human sexual activity, sexual activit ...

. Ryan denied having any affairs. The diocese settled with McCormick in 2004. In a 2002 Joliet Herald-News article, an unidentified priest from the Diocese of Joliet said that Ryan made sexual advances against him when the two men were staying at a hotel while visiting an out of town parish in 1982. In August 2002, the Diocese of Springfield received allegations that Ryan had solicited sex from four boys in 1984. One of the alleged victims, Frank Sigretto, said that Ryan picked him up off the street and offered him $50 for a massage. During the massage, Ryan made sexual advances to the 15-year-old boy. The Diocese of Springfield referred its case to the

Sangamon County, Illinois Sangamon County is a county located near the center of the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 196,343. Its county seat and largest city is Springfield, the state capital. Sangamon County is inclu ...

district attorney, but the DA could not prosecute Ryan because the

statute of limitations A statute of limitations, known in civil law systems as a prescriptive period, is a law passed by a legislative body to set the maximum time after an event within which legal proceedings may be initiated. ("Time for commencing proceedings") In ...

had expired. Having continued to administer

confirmation In Christian denominations that practice infant baptism, confirmation is seen as the sealing of the covenant (religion), covenant created in baptism. Those being confirmed are known as confirmands. The ceremony typically involves laying on o ...

and celebrate

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

, Ryan voluntarily agreed in 2004 to suspend his public ministry. In 2006, an independent investigative report was commissioned by Bishop

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

, Ryan's successor. In its report, the Special Panel on Clergy Misconduct declared that Ryan "engaged in improper sexual conduct and used his office to conceal his activities". Ryan also fostered "a culture of secrecy...that discouraged faithful priests from coming forward with information about misconduct" by other clergy in the diocese. In his final years, Ryan resided at Sunrise of Naperville North, a senior facility in

Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a southwestern suburb of Chicago located west of the city on the DuPage River. As of the 2020 United State ...

. Daniel Ryan died in Naperville on December 31, 2015, at age 85.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Daniel L. 1930 births 2015 deaths Benedictine University alumni Pontifical Lateran University alumni People from Mankato, Minnesota People from Wheaton, Illinois 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Illinois Catholics from Minnesota