Leo Martin Shea, O.P., Death, 1972-04-24
Scope and Contents
This collection contains personal materials relating to friars after they have left the order, passed away, or transferred to another province. Each friar's file contents are mostly contain to their novitiate records, canonical assignments, historically important correspondence, and a small number of personal items if desired upon their passing. Within the broader collection, each Friar is sorted as a series.
Friars with particuarly substantial historically important papers or items outside of the scope of the Personal Files Collection are moved to a dedicated collection under their name.
This collection is a work in progress and any use of these files requires the explicit permission of the Provincial. Contact the Archivist to discuss access or inquire about friars that may not been cataloged yet.
Dates
- Creation: Death, 1972-04-24
Conditions Governing Access
Requires explicit permission from Provincial to access any records. Contact the Archivist for more information.
For comprehensive lists and records of individuals who left the order or transferred to other provinces, researchers must contact the archivist. Access to such materials may be restricted and is subject to privacy considerations and organizational policy.
Conditions Governing Use
Can only be accessed upon written permission of the Provincial. Contact the Archivist for further details.
Biographical / Historical
Father Leo Martin Shea died in Houston, Texas on April 24, 1972. A concelebrated Mass of Christ the High Priest was offered at St. Dominic's Priory in New Orleans, where he was last assigned. Funeral services followed at St. Peter's Church in Memphis, Tennessee, with burial in the Dominican plot there.
Father Shea was born in Memphis on August 7, 1898, the youngest of seven children. His elementary education was received in the parochial schools of Memphis and his high school studies were made with the Christian Brothers there. For his college education he attended Christian Brothers College, Memphis; Loras College, Dubuque; Christian Brothers College, St. Louis; and Manhattan College, New York City.
He entered the Order at St. Joseph's Priory, Somerset, Ohio, and made profession there on September 8, 1920. Studies for the priesthood followed at St. Rose, Springfield, and Washington, D.C., where he was ordained on June 4, 1926. That same year he was awarded a doctorate in English Literature at Catholic University, and the following year the lectorate in theology from the Dominican House of Studies.
Among his principal assignments were: teaching English and American literature at Providence College for two years and then homiletics at the House of Studies in River Forest for another two years. For two years he served as assistant national director of the Holy Name Society; for four years he preached parish missions in the south and west. He then taught philosophy and theology for three years at Dominican College, New Orleans. For nine years he taught homiletics at the House of Studies in River Forest and conducted the Preachers' Institute at St. Pius in Chicago. After reassignment to New Orleans, he again taught philosophy and theology at Dominican College and at the Carmelite Junior College and St. Joseph's Junior College. The last years of his life were spent at St. Dominic's in semi-retirement although he remained available for counselling, retreats, and occasional preaching engagements.
Extent
From the Collection: 100 Linear Feet (30 File Cabinets )
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
From the Collection: Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Archives of the Province of St. Albert the Great, U.S.A. Repository
1910 S. Ashland Ave
Chicago Illinois 60608 United States
3122430011
archivist@opcentral.org