Donald W. Shea

{{Short description|United States Army general (1936–2016)}}

{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = The Reverend Monsignor

| name = Donald W. Shea

| image =Donald Shea.JPEG

| caption = Official portrait of CH (MG) Shea, 1994

| birth_name = Donald William Shea

| birth_date = {{birth date|1936|4|15}}

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|05|18|1936|4|15}}

| placeofburial_label =

| placeofburial =

| birth_place = Butte, Montana, U.S.

| death_place = Kalispell, Montana, U.S.

| placeofburial_coordinates =

| nickname =

| allegiance =United States

| branch =United States Army

| serviceyears = 1966–1999

| rank =Major general

| unit =

| commands = U.S. Army Chaplain Corps (CCH)

| battles = Vietnam War

| awards = {{ubl|Distinguished Service Medal|Legion of Merit|Bronze Star Medal (3)}}

| alma_mater = {{ubl|Carroll College|Saint Paul Seminary|U.S. Army War College|University of Oklahoma|Long Island University|Central Michigan University}}

| relations =

| laterwork =

| module = {{Infobox Christian leader

| embed = yes

| church = Catholic (Latin Church)

| rank = Protonotary apostolic (2002)

| ordination = June 2, 1962

| ordained_by =

}}

}}

Donald William Shea (April 15, 1936 – May 18, 2016) was an American Army officer and Catholic priest who served as the 19th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army from 1994 to 1999.{{Cite web |url=http://diocesehelena.org/2016/05/20/monsignor-major-general-donald-w-shea-funeral-mass-to-be-held-may-27/ |title=Monsignor (Major General) Donald W. Shea Funeral Mass to be Held May 27 |date=May 2016 |website=diocesehelena.org |access-date=2017-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213083857/http://diocesehelena.org/2016/05/20/monsignor-major-general-donald-w-shea-funeral-mass-to-be-held-may-27/ |archive-date=2017-12-13 |url-status=dead }}Marquis Who's Who on the Web

Shea went to seminary at the Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN.{{cite news |title=For God and Country |url=https://www.stthomas.edu/media/spssod/pdfs/oracle/2015WinterOracle.pdf |accessdate=1 October 2018 |work=The Oracle |date=Winter 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912110512/http://www.stthomas.edu/media/spssod/pdfs/oracle/2015WinterOracle.pdf |archive-date=12 September 2015 |url-status=dead }} Ordained a priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena in 1962, Brigadier General Shea was granted the honorary title of monsignor by Pope John Paul II in 1991.{{cite news|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-84-1992-ocr.pdf|title=Prelati d'onore di Sua Santità|language=it|date=April 1992|magazine=Acta Apostolicae Sedis|volume=LXXXIV|number=4|page=343|accessdate=2018-07-31}} He was designated a protonotary apostolic supernumerary in 2002 after his military retirement and return to Montana in 1999.{{cite news|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/2003/aprile%202003.pdf|title=Protonotari Apostolici soprannumerari|language=it|date=April 2003|magazine=Acta Apostolicae Sedis|volume=XCV|number=4|page=287|accessdate=2018-07-31}} He is one of four alumni of the Saint Paul Seminary in St. Paul, MN to become the Chief of Chaplains of the United States Army, the other three being Patrick J. Ryan, Francis L. Sampson, and Patrick J. Hessian.{{cite news |title=For God and Country |url=https://www.stthomas.edu/media/spssod/pdfs/oracle/2015WinterOracle.pdf |accessdate=1 October 2018 |work=The Oracle |date=Winter 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912110512/http://www.stthomas.edu/media/spssod/pdfs/oracle/2015WinterOracle.pdf |archive-date=12 September 2015 |url-status=dead }}