He was born in Oldcastle, County Meath, the son of Bridget Fagan and John Smith and studied for the priesthood at the Irish College in Rome. He was ordained a priest for his native diocese on 9 March 1963 and continued his studies in Rome where he earned a doctorate in canon law. He attended all 168 days of the Second Vatican Council for which he and 41 other young priests prepared the official record,[2] having been appointed as a recording secretary to the Council immediately after his ordination as a priest.
After his return from Rome he served in the Cathedral Parish of Mullingar, as chaplain to St Loman's Hospital and as secretary to the bishop.
On 13 October 1988, he was appointed coadjutor bishop with the right of succession. On 16 May 1990 he succeeded John McCormack on the latter's retirement.
Episcopal Ministry
For much of his time as Bishop of Meath he served as secretary to the Irish Bishops' Conference and was actively involved in Church matters. Regarded as a traditional bishop he is well respected both by the people of his diocese and those in public life.[citation needed]
He took a keen interest in world affairs and led fund-raising campaigns to assist the victims of earthquakes in South America and victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.[3]
In October 2006 he travelled to Rome with the other bishops of Ireland for their five-yearly ad limina visit to the Pope.
Smith retired as Bishop of Meath on 18 June 2018[1]
^Smith, Michael (2006). "An Eyewitness Account". In Dermot Lane; Brendan Leahy (eds.). Vatican II: Facing the 21st Century. Dublin: Veritas. ISBN9781847300126. Retrieved 30 October 2012. In all, forty-two students drawn from the seminaries in Rome were invited to take part, the majority of them Italian.[permanent dead link]
