Rev. Michael Carson

Rev. Michael Carson, a priest of the Diocese of San Jose, California, currently serves as the Assistant Director for Native American Affairs with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and acts as liaison for the corresponding Bishops’ subcommittee.  Rev. Michael Carson has been a Catholic Priest for the last twenty-three years. His background includes experience with Native American culture, social justice and education. 

Along with his Masters in Divinity from the Franciscan School of Theology (Graduate Theological Union) Rev. Carson has also earned a Master’s in Education Administration from Santa Clara University. He has been involved with long term strategic planning for the Department of Catholic Education in the Diocese of San Jose, and has worked with the Catholic Education Department in the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico.  

His interest in Native American beliefs, values and culture comes from his grandfather. From his earliest days he received his spiritual and cultural grounding from his grandfather who was a full blooded member of the Louisiana Choctaw tribe. Fr. Mike remembers that he was always proud of his Native American heritage. 

In addition to his parish ministry in San Jose, Rev. Michael Carson has spent summers volunteering his time at Christ the King, Shiprock, Navajo Nation, New Mexico. In this capacity, he has facilitated workshops, programs and ministry with the parishioners and staff in the Navajo Nation.