January 15, 1985

Father Michael Lies

Father Lies was born on June 11, 1916 in Andale, KS. After attending St. Joseph Grade School, Andale, KS; Andale Rural High School, Andale, KS; St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO; and Kenrick Seminary, St. Louis, MO; he was ordained in St. John Chapel at Sacred Heart College, Wichita, on December 19, 1942. Regarding his first nineteen years as a priest The Catholic Advance notes, “Father Lies has been everything. He has been chaplain, assistant pastor, pastor, assistant chancellor, editor, retreat master, radio speaker, moderator of the USO activities, diocesan director of youth, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, and Catholic Action. He has built two parishes, St. Michael in Mulvane and St. Rose in Wellington.” (The Catholic Advance, Jan. 24, 1985) From 1961 to 1966 he was released from the diocese to be Assistant National Director of the Papal Volunteer Program and received the Xavier Award for his service to the missions. Upon his return to the diocese he spent the next nineteen years of his priesthood as pastor at St. Francis of Assisi in Wichita; St. Leo in St. Leo; and Sacred Heart in Caney with Sedan and Cedarvale as missions; and St. Mary Parish in Moline with Sedan and Cedarvale as missions. Fr. Lies died of cardiac arrest on January 15, 1985 at Moline. Bishop Gerber was principal celebrant and homilist of his funeral Mass in Andale. Following a Mass celebrated in Moline by Archbishop Strecker, a classmate of Father Lies, he was buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Moline.