| Paul Sheridan | |
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Office |
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In office |
1932 - 1953 |
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Church |
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Province |
Province of Uppsala |
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Diocese |
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Predecessor |
Alois Wellesley |
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Successor |
Francis Gray |
Reverend Paul Sheridan (13 August 1870 - 30 November 1963) was an Aloian clergyman. He was the Archbishop of Uppsala from 1932 to 1953. He, along with Archbishop of Minneapolis Francis Gray, was the first recipient of the Folke Tordenskjold Peace Award for his part in directing Church of Aloia operations to smuggle ethnic Newellians out of Arveyres during the Omnestacita.
Early life and career[]
Sheridan was raised in Concordia, Konza, near the former Aloian border with Newellia. Sheridan attended Bethel University to become a priest, first being called to Misericordia Church in Belleville, Konza. After his time in Belleville, he was called to a mission church in Coldwater, Newellia. He built connections during that time which would be crucial to Aloia's later efforts to save Newellians during the Omnestacita.
Sheridan was then called to serve Emmanuel Church, the largest congregation in Konza City. After 10 years at Emmanuel, he was selected to be the next Archbishop of Konza City. In 1932, after the death of Rev. Erling Johnson, Sheridan was selected to be Archbishop of Uppsala, the leading bishop of the Church of Aloia.
The Great War[]
In 1936, the Great War broke out, with Aloian neighbor Newellia being invaded. Within days the Aloian border was almost overrun with refugees from Newellia. Sheridan convinced Chancellor Peter Cassidy to use his last act as Chancellor to grant asylum to almost 20,000 Newellians.
Late in the war, Aloian intelligence services uncovered the atrocities of the Omnestacita. They approached Sheridan with the information, and to their surprise, the Church had already learned of the concentration camps through one of the escapees. The Church had an operation to save Newellians underway before the Aloian government even knew about the genocide. Sheridan and Minneapolis Archbishop Gray had used connections with mission priests and Newellian dissidents to get at-risk Newellians into Aloia. Later historians have criticized this operation for prioritizing members of the Aloian Lutherans' mission churches, but they still saved many lives from many religions.
After the war came to an end, Sheridan did much to see that Newellians became fully integrated into Aloian society and religion. Sheridan, along with Archbishop Francis Gray, received the first Folke Tordenskjold Peace Award in 1950. The award was named for another Aloian hero of the Great War who was assassinated in 1948. Sheridan retired as Archbishop of Aloia in 1953. He returned to parish ministry, serving a church in rural St. Francis, Konza, until he died in 1963, at age 93.
Legacy[]
As a result of Sheridan's actions during the war, an estimated total of 75,000 Newellians escaped to freedom in Aloia. Georgia Bell Davis, the 61st Chancellor of Aloia, is a descendant of ethnic Newellians who were brought to Aloia during Sheridan's operation.
A large region of what was once Newellia came under Aloian jurisdiction in the Second Parition of Newellia, with most of the territory being joined to Sheridan's home state of Konza. Following the Second Partition, Newellian Aloians were able to return to their home cities. The Seneca Falls and Lake Erie camps also came under Aloian control, with both being turned into museums to memorialize the people killed there.
A series of Royal Aloian Navy hospital ships have been named RAS Sheridan, in honor of Archbishop Sheridan.