Michael Shehadie was born in Lebanon in 1895, the second child of Fr [[Nicholas Shehadie|Nicholas]] and [[Khourieh]] Alexandra Shehadie. Growing up there, he studied at Balamand, Lebanon, and then in Russia; however, his wife Hannah (nee Khoury) did not want Michael to be [[ordination|ordained]] at that time. Michael chose to become a chemist/herbalist.

He arrived in Sydney, Australia, in 1925 with his wife Hannah and his two daughters Alexandra (Alice) (m. Mounir Doumani) and Paulette(m. Daniel Joseph). In Australia, Michael and Hannah then had two more children, Nicholas and (later Sir Nicholas) (m. Marie Bashir, currently Governor of NSW), George(m. Carmel Wigan), born in Australiaand Margaret (m. Morris Hanna).

After the repose of his father in 1934, however, he accepted ordination to the [[priest]]hood and became parish priest of the Church of St Saint GeorgeRedfern. After his ordination, he the family then had one further child, Margaret(m. Morris Hanna).

It was At the end of World War II the Egyptian government offerd Fr Michael the position of Honorary Consul in Australia. Due to jealousy within the church community and his devotion to the church, he declined. The Egyptian government would not accept anyone else, so the position remained unfilled.  In 1949 while Fr Michael was parish priest that the church lease from , the NSW government expired and decided to resume the land the church was resumed built on to build a housing estateerect Department of Housing flats. Fr Michael worked closely with ensured the NSW Government to find Minister, Clive Evatt, found a new suitable site and, after some setbacks, they were close by for the replacement church. Land was granted land at the corner of Walker and Cooper StsStreets, Redfern, where the church—now cathedral—stands today.