Pastor of St Andrew Parish & School 1960-1965

Pastor of St Elizabeth Ann Seton School 1961-1965

Date of Birth: July 12, 1907

Date of Ordination: 1933

Date of Death: February 8, 1974

A native of Springfield where he was a member of St. Mary Parish, Monsignor Coleman attended the old St. Raphael High School there and St. Joseph College, Collegeville, Ind., before entering St. Gregory Seminary, Cincinnati.

Ordained to the priesthood in 1933, he was one of the first priests of the archdiocese to be sent to Denver for journalism training with the Register System of Newspapers.

In 1935 he was appointed assistant pastor of St. Aloysius Church, Elmwood, and teacher at Elder High School. He also served as assistant pastor of Assumption Church and Holy Angel's Church, both in Cincinnati, and as a member of the editorial staff of the Catholic Telegraph.

In 1940 he was named assistant at St. Martin's Cheviot, and from 1942 to 1946 he served as a U.S. Army chaplain. In 1946 he became assistant pastor of St. John's Church, Deer Park, and in 1950 he became pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Batavia, and its mission at Stonelick.

He was appointed pastor of St. Mary's Church, Greenville, in 1954, and in 1960 he became pastor of St. Andrew Church, Milford, Ohio. Pastor of St. Raphael's, Springfield, since January, 1965, Monsignor Coleman served as dean of the Springfield deanery from July, 1965, until his death February 8, 1974.

Monsignor Coleman was active in the Springfield civic community, where he was a leader in campaigns for equal job opportunity, fair housing and interfaith cooperation.

He was survived by a sister, Mrs. Helen Evenburg, and a brother, James P. Coleman, both of Springfield. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery, Springfield, Ohio.