Father Scanlan's legacy: a conservative Catholic citadel on the Ohio River

January 15, 2017
12:00 AM
By Peter Smith / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — For hours on Tuesday afternoon, mourners filtered in to the round, concrete Christ the King Chapel on the campus of Franciscan University of Steubenville. They paid respects to the Rev. Michael Scanlan, the former longtime president who by all accounts is responsible for the university being there in the first place.

The white-haired Father Scanlan, who died Jan. 7, lay in an open casket beneath a Christ candle, symbolic of resurrection, and a framed and folded American flag, a tribute to the Harvard-educated lawyer’s military service. He’s remembered as a fiery preacher, a leader in the revivalism of the Catholic charismatic movement and as the turnaround specialist who put a provincial college on the map as a powerhouse of conservative Catholicism.

Young nuns wearing traditional habits arrived at the chapel, many from the religious orders that have sprouted around Steubenville within the university’s orbit. Also lining up to pay respects were university staff members, out-of-state visitors, city residents and the occasional students who happened to be on campus during Christmas break.

Many knelt on the hard floor before Father Scanlan’s casket. Some handed rosaries or other objects to the friars, who would hold the objects to Father Scanlan’s chest for a moment, then bless them with the sign of the cross before returning them to their owners.

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