Dioceses of Holy Catholic Anglican

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The Right Reverend Bishop Ordinary Leo J. Michael, a native of India, left his home at age 14 to join the Salesians of Don Bosco Minor Seminary, a religious order dedicated to youth ministry. After five years of minor seminary and a year of novitiate formation in Nashik, Maharashtra, India, he became an official member of the Salesians of Don Bosco. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy in Darjeeling. His work and experience included serving in orphanages, schools, parochial settings, and social service environments among the poverty-stricken from the hills of Darjeeling to the villages of rural Tamil Nadu. Upon completing his years of practical training, he entered his Theology formation at Kristu Jyoti (Christ the Light) College, Bangalore, which is affiliated with the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome. After eleven years of formation, he was ordained in 1992. Over the next eight years, alongside his regular pastoral duties, he served as youth director, counselor, teacher, principal, and dean of Don Bosco Schools in various locales of South India while earning Master’s Degrees in English Literature, Education, and Counseling Psychology. In August 2000, Bishop Michael came to the United States to serve the Arkansas Diocese of Little Rock in three locations: as priest chaplain at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers, associate pastor at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rogers, and pastor of St. John’s Catholic Church in Huntsville. However, on December 12, 2001, while driving toward his Huntsville parish, he was involved in an auto accident that resulted in injuries, totaled his car, and ultimately led to the end of his priestly ministry in the Roman Catholic Church. The newly appointed bishop in the Diocese of Little Rock dismissed him from his pastoral duties, but he left in excellent standing with the church and returned to India. Michael later returned to the US and accepted a position as Rector of St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church in Springdale, Arkansas, in April 2003. He was appointed as Archdeacon of the United Episcopal Church in April 2005 and consecrated as Suffragan Bishop in April 2006. In November 2007, he was licensed to serve in the Holy Catholic Anglican Church, assisting Bishop James McNeley in the Diocese of Holy Trinity. Bishop Michael became Bishop Ordinary on June 12, 2008, following Bishop McNeley's retirement. He is a US Citizen, married to Holly Michael, and resides in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Rt. Rev. James R. McNeley was born on December 30, 1931, in Fort Scott, Kansas. He was confirmed in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on April 9, 1944, and served in the United States Navy from 1952 to 1956. He married Madelyn on December 26, 1953, and they have two daughters: Gina Karleskint of Fort Scott, Kansas, and Mary Katherine McNeley of Grant’s Pass, Oregon. They also have six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Bp. McNeley was ordained to the Diaconate on August 12, 1980, by The Rt. Rev. James O. Mote and was later ordained to the Priesthood on July 16, 1981, by The Rt. Rev. Louis W. Falk. He served as Deacon and Priest at St. Francis Anglican Church in Fort Scott, Kansas, from 1980 to 1984 and held the position of Archdeacon for eight years under Archbishop Falk, who was part of the Diocese of Holy Trinity. McNeley served as Rector at St. James Anglican Church in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1985 to 2003. He was consecrated Bishop on January 25, 1992, in West Palm Beach, Florida, and later retired as Bishop Ordinary Leo J. Michael in 2008, having contributed significantly to the Holy Catholic Anglican community.