Michael J. Byrnes


Michael Jude Byrnes is an American Roman Catholic bishop who serves as Metropolitan Archbishop of Agaña.

Biography

Born in Detroit, Michigan, on August 23, 1958. He graduated from Detroit Catholic Central High School. Byrnes was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1996, for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit. Beginning in 2004, he served as vice rector of Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit as well as a parish pastor.

Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit

On March 22, 2011, he was appointed titular bishop of Eguga and auxiliary bishop of the Detroit Archdiocese. He was consecrated on May 5, 2011.

Archbishop of Agaña

On October 31, 2016, Byrnes was appointed Coadjutor Archbishop with special faculties of the Archdiocese of Agaña, located on the Pacific Island Territory of Guam. He was installed as Archbishop Coadjutor on November 30. Though the Archbishop of Agaña, Anthony Apuron, was found guilty on charges of the sexual abuse of minors by an Apostolic Tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on March 16, 2018, he was only suspended from the exercise of his authority over the archdiocese and retained his title pending the outcome of his appeals. Byrnes succeeded to the position of archbishop in everything except title at that time.
Byrnes became Archbishop of Agaña on April 4, 2019, when Apuron lost his title having exhausted his appeals in April 2019. On April 6, the Holy See Press Office confirmed that Byrnes had succeeded to the office of archbishop at the conclusion of judicial proceedings against Apuron.