Msgr. James Ryan, 89; Missionary Friar, Bishop in Brazil
Msgr. James M. Ryan, 89, a Roman Catholic missionary friar who served more than 25 years as bishop of a diocese in Brazil, died of cancer July 12 in Chicago.
As bishop of Santarem, Brazil, from 1958 to 1985, Ryan administered a harsh jungle domain that, at more than 125,000 square miles, was larger than many European countries. He oversaw the building of clinics, schools, churches and a radio station in a part of Brazil that was often neglected by the central government 2,000 miles away.
After a military dictatorship took power in Brazil in 1964, Ryan became known as a staunch defender of human rights and the environment. He used the diocesan radio station to denounce abuses and corruption even when local army commanders threatened to have him expelled.
Born in Chicago in 1912, Ryan was ordained in 1938 and initially taught English, speech and drama at a Catholic seminary in Illinois. In 1943, he and three other Franciscan friars from the Midwest volunteered to go to Brazil.
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