"Fearless." "A rare bird." And a burr under the saddle of authority. The Rev. Mike Tegeder was all those things, according to those who knew him. Tegeder, 67, who died Saturday after battling lung cancer, was never afraid to speak up or get his hands dirty on behalf of others, whether that meant bucking the Catholic hierarchy or showing up with a trailer to help someone move.
"Mike was one of the most hands-on priests I ever worked with," said former priest Ed Flahavan, who first met Tegeder in the 1980s when he was a seminarian and volunteer bus driver, transporting special-needs people to and from their group home to parish dances.
Tegeder embodied Pope Francis' urging that priests must be "shepherds living with the smell of the sheep," said Flahavan. "He wanted the priests to get close to people, to be with the people in their pain and suffering. Mike smelled like the sheep in a very special way."
Tegeder made headlines in recent years as a vocal critic of former Archbishop John Nienstedt and the church's attempts to block gay marriage, opposition that threatened Tegeder's status as priest at his two Minneapolis churches, St. Frances Cabrini and Gichitwaa Kateri. He kept his bus driver's license up to date in case he was dismissed from the priesthood.
"He used to get under the skin of power people," said Flahavan. "He was an especially gutsy guy when it came to church reform issues."
But although Tegeder was a leader and sometimes a lighting rod, he was a humble man who didn't seek the spotlight, according to those who knew him.
"He dove into some of the most complex, challenging issues, but his motives were pure," said Brett Feldman, who formed a decadelong friendship with Tegeder through their work on behalf of the Parks & Trails Council of Minnesota. "A lot of people are drawn to people with connections and power, but Mike was drawn to people who didn't have the power and stood up for them. He saw inequities in the world and was on a mission to fix them. He was one of the great souls of the earth."
Tegeder, the eldest of four children, grew up in Brooklyn Center and Golden Valley, biking, fishing, playing Little League Baseball and developing his love for the outdoors. He attended De La Salle High School and later St. John's University. After working at several jobs, including as a hospital orderly and driving a beer truck, he committed himself to the seminary, according to his brother Tom Tegeder.
