Michael Joseph Ready

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Roman Catholic Church
SeeDiocese of Columbus
In officeJanuary 4, 1945 to
May 2, 1957
PredecessorJames Joseph Hartley
SuccessorClarence George Issenmann
Orders
OrdinationSeptember 14, 1918
by John Farrelly
ConsecrationDecember 14, 1944
by Archbishop Amleto Cicognani
Personal details
BornApril 9, 1893
New Haven, Connecticut, US
DiedMay 2, 1957(1957-05-02) (aged 64)
Columbus, Ohio, US
EducationSt. Vincent Seminary
St. Bernard Seminary
St. Mary Seminary
Styles of
Michael Ready
Your Excellency
Religious styleMonsignor
Posthumous stylenone

Michael Joseph Ready (April 9, 1893 – May 2, 1957) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Columbus in Ohio from 1944 until his death.

Biography

Early life

The second youngest of 14 children, Michael Ready was born on April 9, 1893, in New Haven, Connecticut, to Michael T. and Mary A. (née Ellis) Ready.[1] His parents were Irish immigrants who moved to the United States in the 1880s.[1] In 1900, he and his family moved to Mansfield, Ohio, and later to Barberton, Ohio.[1]

Ready studied at

Cleveland, Ohio.[1]

Priesthood

Ready was

general secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, becoming its general secretary in 1936.[1] He was raised to the rank of monsignor in 1934.[1] During his time in Washington, Ready became friends with sports writer Bob Considine, baptizing his son in 1939.[3][4]

In 1939, Ready joined Bishops

Mexican Church, since seminaries were at that time illegal in that country.[5] During the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930s, Ready denounced the Spanish government for its anti-clerical policies.[6]

Ready gave the benediction at the 1941 inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Later that year, he met with Roosevelt after the latter made controversial remarks regarding the status of religious freedom in the Soviet Union.[7]

In 1942, Ready declared that "the liberty and institutions" of the United States were threatened by the same "rampant totalitarian military forces which harass the Church and all that the Church has built," in an implicit reference to Japan.[8] In 1944, Reverend Stanislaus Orlemanski returned to the United States from a visit to the Soviet Uniton to meet Premier Joseph Stalin, who signed his written support for religious freedom. Ready described the priest's trip as "a political burlesque...staged and directed by capable Soviet agents," saying, "What we need from Stalin is his declaration of full religious freedom in Russia, not his signature."[9] Ready also opposed military conscription in the United States, favoring volunteer recruiting[10]

Bishop of Columbus

Ready's grave

On November 11, 1944, Ready was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Columbus by

St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington, D.C.[2] He was formally installed at St. Joseph's Cathedral on January 4, 1945.[2]

One of Ready's first tasks was overseeing the erection of the

Hollywood produced more films with "wholesome and moral qualities" in 1952.[12]

Ready also organized the Holy Name Society, a Parent-Teacher Organization, the Council of Catholic Women, the Catholic Youth Council, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the diocese.[1] He created 18 new parishes and oversaw the construction of nine elementary and five high schools.[1] Ready founded two nursing homes, the diocesan Child Guidance Center, and the Catholic Student Center at Ohio State University. He worked with his fellow Ohio bishops to start the Ohio Catholic Welfare Conference.[1]

Ready died in Columbus from a

cerebral hemorrhage on May 2, 1957, at age 64. He was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Lockbourne, Ohio.[1] Bishop Ready High School
in Columbus is named in his honor.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "The Bishops of Columbus". Roman Catholic Diocese of Columbus. Archived from the original on 2009-01-03. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  2. ^ a b c d "Bishop Michael Joseph Ready". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
  3. ^ The Washington Post 1939-02-28: Iss 22902. Internet Archive. 1939-02-28.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. ^ The Catholic Digest 1953-09: Vol 17 Iss 11. Internet Archive. Catholic Digest, Inc. September 1953.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. TIME Magazine. 1939-08-14. Archived from the original
    on December 14, 2008.
  6. TIME Magazine. 1944-11-27. Archived from the original
    on December 14, 2008.
  7. TIME Magazine. 1941-10-13. Archived from the original
    on November 22, 2010.
  8. TIME Magazine. 1942-03-23. Archived from the original
    on October 14, 2010.
  9. TIME Magazine. 1944-05-22. Archived from the original
    on November 2, 2012.
  10. TIME Magazine. 1940-08-12. Archived from the original
    on November 2, 2012.
  11. TIME Magazine. 1951-11-05. Archived from the original
    on June 12, 2009.
  12. TIME Magazine. 1952-11-24. Archived from the original
    on January 8, 2012.
Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Columbus
1944–1957 		Succeeded by
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