Michael Joseph Bransfield

Styles of Michael Bransfield

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 the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia.

Biography

Early life and education

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.

Ordination and ministry

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.

Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia

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.

False accusation of sexual abuse

On Wednesday, April 18, 2012, the Associated Press reported that Bishop Bransfield has been accused of sexual abuse of a boy in the Philadelphia Archdiocese.

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

Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bernard William Schmitt	Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston 2004–present	Succeeded by incumbent
Preceded by none	Rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception 1990–2004	Succeeded by Walter R. Rossi

Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston

Bishops	Ordinaries Richard Vincent Whelan John Joseph Kain Patrick James Donahue John Joseph Swint Joseph Howard Hodges Francis B. Schulte Bernard William Schmitt Michael Joseph Bransfield Coadjutor Thomas John McDonnell Auxiliary James Edward Michaels

Churches	Cathedrals Cathedral of St. Joseph, Wheeling Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Charleston Parishes Good Shepherd Church, Coalburg St. Peter's Church, Harpers Ferry St. Francis Xavier Church, Parkersburg Former parishes St. Bernard Church, Camden St. Colman's Church, Dillon

Education	Higher education Wheeling Jesuit University High Schools Bishop Donahue Memorial High School, McMechen Charleston Catholic High School, Charleston Madonna High School, Weirton Notre Dame High School, Clarksburg Parkersburg Catholic High School, Parkersburg St. Joseph Central Catholic High School, Huntington Wheeling Central Catholic High School, Wheeling Former high school Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy, Wheeling Grade school Cathedral Parish School

Catholicism Portal

Archdiocese of Philadelphia

Ordinaries	Bishops Michael Francis Egan, OFM Henry Conwell Francis Patrick Kenrick Saint John Nepomucene Neumann, CSsR Archbishops James Frederick Wood Patrick John Ryan Edmond Francis Prendergast Dennis Joseph Cardinal Dougherty John Francis Cardinal O'Hara, CSC John Joseph Cardinal Krol Anthony Joseph Cardinal Bevilacqua Justin Francis Cardinal Rigali Charles Joseph Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. Auxiliary Bishops, current Michael J. Fitzgerald John J. McIntyre Timothy C. Senior Auxiliary Bishops, former Cletus Joseph Benjamin Michael Francis Burbidge Joseph R. Cistone Michael Joseph Crane Edward Peter Cullen Louis A. DeSimone Francis James Furey John Joseph Graham Edward Hughes Hugh L. Lamb Martin Nicholas Lohmuller Robert P. Maginnis Joseph Francis Martino Joseph Carroll McCormick John Joseph McCort Gerald Vincent McDevitt Joseph P. McFadden Joseph Mark McShea Gerald Patrick O'Hara Francis B. Schulte Daniel Edward Thomas Thomas Jerome Welsh

Churches	Cathedral Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul Parish churches Immaculate Conception Old St. Joseph Old St. Mary St. Adalbert St. Agatha and St. James St. Anne St. Augustine St. Basil the Great St. Cyprian St. Donato St. Francis de Sales St. Joachim St. Nicholas of Tolentine St. William Chapels and shrines National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa National Shrine of St. John Neumann

Education	Seminary St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Higher education Cabrini College Chestnut Hill College Gwynedd Mercy University Holy Family University Immaculata University La Salle University Neumann University Rosemont College Saint Joseph's University Villanova University High schools Academy of Notre Dame de Namur Archbishop John Carroll High School Archbishop Prendergast High School Archbishop Ryan High School Archbishop Wood Catholic High School Bishop McDevitt High School Bishop Shanahan High School Cardinal O'Hara High School Conwell-Egan Catholic High School Country Day School of the Sacred Heart Devon Preparatory School Father Judge High School Gwynedd Mercy Academy High School Holy Ghost Preparatory School John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls High School La Salle College High School Lansdale Catholic High School Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls Malvern Preparatory School Mercy Vocational High School Merion Mercy Academy Monsignor Bonner High School Mount Saint Joseph Academy Nazareth Academy High School Pope John Paul II High School Roman Catholic High School for Boys Saint Basil Academy Saint Joseph's Preparatory School Saints John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School, St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls Villa Joseph Marie High School Villa Maria Academy

Priests	Living Edward Joseph Adams Herbert Bevard Michael Joseph Bransfield Francis Xavier DiLorenzo Joseph Anthony Galante James Patrick Green Joseph A. Pepe Nelson J. Perez Deceased Francis Brennan Edwin Byrne George Aloysius Carrell, SJ Hubert James Cartwright Joseph M. Corrigan Joseph Thomas Daley Edmond John Fitzmaurice John Edmund Fitzmaurice John Patrick Foley Francis Xavier Gartland Daniel James Gercke Ignatius Frederick Horstmann John Joseph Hughes Francis Edward Hyland Thomas Francis Kennedy Philip R. McDevitt Thomas Joseph McDonough Thomas McGovern Eugene J. McGuinness John Joseph O'Connor William O'Hara Jeremiah F. Shanahan John W. Shanahan David B. Thompson

Miscellany	Archdiocesan Boy Choir St. Francesca Xavier Cabrini, M.S.C. Catholic League The Catholic Standard & Times St. Katharine Drexel, S.B.S. Sexual abuse scandal

Catholicism Portal

Authority control	WorldCat Identities VIAF: 163874367 LCCN: no2004086772

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