Michael Jackels was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, on April 13, 1954. A child of a military family, he lived in Wyoming, Spain and California before finally settling in Nebraska. to complete his secondary studies. Jackel says that as a young man, he became a Buddhist. However, after reading a Bible from a Protestant co-worker at a country club, he decided to return to Catholicism.[1]
Jackels was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Lincoln by Bishop Glennon Flavin on May 30, 1981. His first assignment was as the associate pastor of the Cathedral of the Risen Christ Parish and as a teacher at Pius X High School in Lincoln. From 1982 to 1985, Jackels was assigned as associate pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. In addition to his teaching duties at Pius X High School, he also served as the assistant vocations director for the diocese during this period.[2]
After returning to Lincoln, Jackels served for the next eight years served as the diocesan director of religious education, the master of ceremonies, the co-vicar for religious, and the chaplain for the School Sisters of Christ the King community in Lincoln. In 1994, Pope John Paul II named Jackels a prelate of honor, granting him the title of monsignor. Jackels returned to Rome in 1997 to work for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI.[2]
Bishop of Wichita
John Paul II appointed Jackels as bishop of the Diocese of Wichita in January, 2005. On April 4, 2005, Jackels was consecrated by Archbishop Joseph Naumann. Bishops Fabian Bruskewitz and Thomas J. Olmsted served as co-consecrators.[3] Because of the size of the crowd in attendance and the small size of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Jackels' consecration took place at the larger Church of the Magdalen.
Jackels helped to establish the St. Katherine Drexel School Fund, which aids financially strapped Catholic schools within the diocese.[4]
Archbishop of Dubuque
On April 8, 2013, Pope Francis appointed Jackels as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dubuque.[5] He was installed by Archbishop Carlo Vigano, apostolic nuncio to the United States, on May 30, 2013, at the Church of the Nativity in Dubuque.[2][3]
In 2019, Jackels experienced a heart attack and was hospitalized for six weeks, after which he returned to his duties. On April 4, 2023, Jackels resigned as archbishop of Dubuque for health reasons.[6][7]
Views
Jackels joined the other three Kansas bishops in approving a pastoral letter opposing embryonic stem cell research.[8] He has spoken against same-sex marriage and abortion rights for women as well.[9][10] He also opposes the death penalty and has written about the need for more just immigration laws.[11][12] Jackels also voted to approve language changes in the mass to bring the English translation into a better accord with the original Latin at the June 2006 meetings of the USCCB in Los Angeles. [citation needed]
