david o'connell obituary
After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as the lead pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension, St. Eugene and St. Michaels parishes all in LA. Ron DeSantis to visit Orange County for GOP fundraiser, David O'Connell: Mass held for slain LA bishop, The Issue Is: NSC's John Kirby talks Ukraine, China and his own military service, Families asked to clear gas lines amid leaks happening across San Bernardino County homes, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, 'We need help': Stranded Lake Arrowhead residents plead for assistance amid food and medication shortages. Mourners had waited in long lines that stretched outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA over a four-hour period on Thursday to pay their respects to Bishop OConnell as he lay in repose in an open casket. He was the kind of person that, when he walked in the room, everyone felt better, Bishop Barron said. Apu The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Over the years, O'Connell was a pastor at a number of parishes in Los Angeles and several nearby communities. The Holy Father said the ministry of the late Bishop was marked especially by his profound concern for the poor, immigrants and those in need, his efforts to uphold the sanctity and dignity of Gods gift of life and his zeal for fostering solidarity, co-operation and peace within the local community. He had a gift for telling stories and had a delightful, playful sense of humor, Bishop Barron said, adding that Bishop OConnell had once performed at a comedy clubs open mic night. OConnell was at the scene hours after the early morning fire, rosary in hand, to grieve and pray with shocked parishioners. He then left for the archdiocese of Los Angeles, beginning his ministry at St Raymond parish in Downey. During his time as auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, evangelization, pastoral care for immigrants, and ensuring the future of his regions Catholic schools were all top priorities for OConnell, who believed that parishes and schools are powerful instruments of transformation of people's lives and of neighborhoods.. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department He spoke of always seeing his friend approaching him in the parking lot with his dog leash in one hand and his Padre Pio rosary in the other. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Bishop OConnell said in a July 2015 interview with Angelus, the publication of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, that being a pastor in South Central Los Angeles had been the great joy of my life., Its been a great privilege, a great blessing to be given these parishes all these years, to be pastor all these years, he said. A secret place that you and I all have, as well that is where our spirit, our soul, our heart our mind converge with Jesus and the Holy Spirit.. The miracle involved the healing of an unborn baby girl in Rimini, Italy. We won't rent or sell your information, and you can unsubscribe at any time. May Our Lady of Guadalupe wrap him in the mantle of her love, and may the angels lead him into paradise, and may he rest in peace, said the archbishop. But grateful to God for having had all those years a good friend to walk the road with, he said. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Los Angeles County Roman Catholics paid their respects to Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell during a public viewing and vigil Thursday, March 2, at the churchs Downtown L.A. cathedral that filled the 3,000-capacity house of worship. The community mourns the loss of Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell, who was found shot dead in Hacienda Heights. OConnell would later tell how he was in Washington, D.C., testifying before a panel on Capitol Hill about violence in urban America when the riots started. The Los Angeles Times described him as one of the regions most beloved clerics. Ruth Graham and Christine Hauser contributed reporting. Every day he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant and to all those living on societys margins, Archbishop Gomez said. Father Jay Cunnane, pastor of St. Cornelius Parish in Long Beach, California, and a close friend to OConnell, told EWTN News Nightly that the bishop had a great heart for people on the margins of society, specifically immigrants and the poor. The younger OConnell described how his uncle ended every phone call by telling his nephew how proud of him he was. The Ballingeary native was at home on holidays in Cork at the time. There were no signs of forced entry, and no weapon was found at the home, Sheriff Luna said. He joked that he looked at him and the dog so at peace that sometimes he fancied that the dog had learned the rosary!. We all love you so much, David OConnell, the bishops nephew, said during his eulogy. "Bishop O'Connell was a guiding light for so many, and his legacy will continue to live on," the department said in a statement. That inspired him to organize. Many young immigrants, Hamilton added, likely would not have been granted asylum without OConnells work. Cunnanes homily managed to make the crowd both laugh and cry. Even then, he had such a strong sense of fairness about him and a compassion for vulnerable people, he said. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Bishop OConnell cared deeply for victims of social and racial injustice and spent most of his priesthood in South Central Los Angeles, Bishop Barron said. Pope Francis named O'Connell an auxiliary bishop in 2015. Thousands more watched from the cathedrals plaza. He helped so many, many unaccompanied minors and families with immigration, Jeff Hamilton, also a member of that task force, said in an interview after the service. Bishop David O'Connell, auxiliary bishop for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region, visits the damaged San Gabriel Mission church the afternoon of Saturday, July 11, 2020. He was pronounced dead at the scene. LOS ANGELES - Funeral services were announced Thursday for Los Angeles Catholic Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell, who was gunned down at his home in Hacienda We are heartbroken.. The authorities surrounded Mr. Medinas home at about 2 a.m. and called on him to surrender, but he refused, Sheriff Luna said. A Sligoman would say goodbye but wouldnt leave. Funeral services will take place over a three-day period, beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights. about violence in urban America when the riots started. But now I wouldnt, A sad day for republicans: Sinn Fin activist Rita OHare dies aged 80, Ukraine under increased pressure as Russian onslaught in Bakhmut continues, Who to fire? OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Its currently unclear what the motive for the killing was. Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. OConnell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in LAs inner city, has died. It is a privilege to be part of peoples lives, especially in their time of suffering and need. It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness.. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), People attend a Vigil Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez prepares the casket of Bishop David OConnell at the Funeral Mass held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. He and other local faith leaders helped organize meetings with police officers in peoples homes and provide opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation. He was the chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, helping coordinate the local churchs response to the influx of migrants from Central America in recent years and navigating the challenges presented by changing immigration policies. In his role as episcopal vicar for the archdioceses San Gabriel Pastoral Region, it fell to OConnell to accompany the parish community of Mission San Gabriel, the oldest Catholic outpost in the archdiocese, when it was almost completely destroyed in an. Someone what was caring, forgiving, and merciful with the community and people.. 2023 FOX Television Stations, LA bishop shot to death in Hacienda Heights was murdered: LASD, Suspect arrested in LA bishop's murder claimed he was owed money: LASD, Suspect accused of killing LA Bishop charged with murder, OC high school teacher arrested on allegations of recording students in all-gender restroom, FOX 11's Marla Tellez chased, nearly attacked in broad daylight; How to keep yourself safe, I didnt realize: Woman mistakenly eats heart-shaped chip that could have won her 100K, Hong Kong model's ex-husband, family, arrested after body found dismembered, In-N-Out has 2nd-healthiest fast-food cheeseburger in America, study says, Police Chase: Gunman waits for kids to cross street near Lakewood; Opens fire at several different locations, Florida Gov. The Sheriffs department has not offered further details on the circumstances of his death, which is under investigation. Folks lined the aisles and craned their necks from behind the pews, not wanting to miss a moment of the Mass or their chance to say goodbye to a man theyd called a friend. (Photo by Dean Musgrove), Flowers at the entrance for the viewing for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, in Downtown Los Angeles, March 2, 2023. Beverly - David R. O'Connell, 58, of Beverly, died on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at Beverly Hospital. Carlos Medina is the husband of the Bishops housekeeper. In a Wednesday press conference, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascn said that Carlos Medina of Torrance, the suspect in custody, has admitted to murdering the bishop. And we thought we really had achieved a lot of progress. The church pews filled an hour before the Mass. That support, Garcetti said, was something hell always cherish and miss. Bishop Robert Barron, a former auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who now serves in Minnesota, said he first met Bishop OConnell when they were appointed as bishops on the same day in September 2015. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. It was solemn yet emotionally riotous. The casket of Bishop David O'Connell is brought into the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for his funeral Mass Friday, March 3, 2023. The grief will scar. At the national level, OConnell was the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. He was arrested about six hours later when he walked out of his home, he said. We are heartbroken. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. And its been a great privilege, a great blessing to be given these parishes all these years, to be pastor all these years. It had poignancy and humor. Bishop David O'Connell, seen above at a meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2021, is being remembered as a peacemaker and "truly a man of God." And thats what OConnells ministry was ultimately about, Cunnane said: friendship communion. He said the housekeeper was fully cooperating with detectives. He noted that the bishop was a great supporter of the Diocesan Mission to South America and ensured that it was included in LAs annual mission appeal. "He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected," the archbishop added. in communication and M.S. "And it's been a great privilege, a great blessing to be given these parishes all these years, to be pastor all these years. It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop David G. OConnell was held Friday morning. OConnell, who was known as Bishop Dave, served the San Gabriel Pastoral Region of the archdiocese, which covers East Los Angeles through the San Gabriel and I knew it was going to be a big turnout because he touched and impacted so many lives.. Respect each other. Visitation Kristy Hutchings covers all things Long Beach including local government, politics, and the environment. He helped restore trust between residents and law enforcement by organizing meetings with police officers in peoples homes and providing opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation in the aftermath of the 1992 LA riots. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Earlier Pope Francis sent a message paying tribute to Bishop OConnells years of devoted priestly and episcopal ministry to the Church in Los Angeles. His work as a community leader came to the fore again during the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020 when he carried the Blessed Sacrament to a high summit in the San Gabriel valley to pray for the community below. He had previously served as a pastor at several parishes in Los Angeles, including St. Michaels and St. Frances X. Cabrini. And it was always such a joy to see her, and a joy to see how happy she was that I was home.. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini Church, Ascension Church, St. Eugene Church, and St. Michael Church all in South LA. The 69-year-old OConnell, (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez greets family members of Bishop David OConnell at the Funeral Mass held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. It brought a lot of peace to come today and say goodbye, she said. We need to rebuild the fabric of our relationships so we can be a hopeful world.. Why are womens bodies under attack from autoimmune diseases? You are a good man, Man you are on fire, to quote just a few.. A public viewing is held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels for Bishop David OConnell in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. 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He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honoured and protected., Politics professor and author Peter Dreier said the bishop was a progressive community organiser who used his charm to get powerful people to listen and help. Carlos Medina, the husband of O'Connell's housekeeper has been arrested for his murder. OConnells casket followed shortly after. Reyes said that the large number of people attending the viewing on Thursday showed how many lives OConnell impacted. Later Friday, the bishop was interred at the cathedrals underground mausoleum. How the biggest companies plan mass layoffs, Greece train crash: Rescuers to wrap up search operation, Thinking Anew Speaking the language of compassion. We are sad to announce that on October 8, 2020 we had to say goodbye to David Hall of Orem, Utah, born in Price, Utah. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), The casket of Bishop David OConnell arrives at the Funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. Born December 17, 1947 in Allegan, Michigan, he was the son of the late James Joseph and Amelia (Hinkle) OConnell and the husband of his only true love, Donna Jean (Stratton) OConnell. The Sheriffs department has not offered further details on the circumstances of his death, which is under investigation. We have the opportunity to pick up where he left off and to carry the example that he set., He urged all those who attended the Mass to help those you can help.. David O'Connell passed away in Warriors Mark, Pennsylvania. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Clergy arrive at the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. He was a progressive within the church and told the Los Angeles Times journalist Mary McNamara that women should be ordained and clergy should be able to marry. Heres what we know, Governors declaration allows Los Angeles County to get reimbursed, Who will replace ex-LA councilmember Nury Martinez? He thanked the Bishops brother, Kieran, his sister-in-law Paula, his nieces and nephews Ciara, Orla, David, Aoisha, Chloe and Brian for giving Los Angeles the blessing of having David OConnell among them rather than residing in his native Cork. Gomez said O'Connell had served as a priest and later a bishop in Los Angeles for 45 years. OConnell then began serving in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and held many different positions during his priesthood, in which he ministered to immigrants and those affected by both gang violence and poverty. Throughout the day, visitors waited in lines that stretched outside the Cathedral for the chance to approach and walk by OConnells body, which lay in an open casket. A mass for the late Bishop David OConnell is held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights, Calif. on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. A transcript of his last recorded homily, delivered one week before he was killed, is on the Catholic news website angelusnews.com. He worked to restore trust between law enforcement and residents by bringing the two together in peoples homes for dialogue. The Catholic Bishop of Cork and Ross Dr Fintan Gavin, said Bishop OConnells tragic death had sent shockwaves across the diocese. Bishop David OConnell who has died, aged 69, was originally from Cork but spent his Catholic ministry in Los Angeles where he was a community leader and vocal campaigner on behalf of immigrants and marginalised people. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. He brought peace to souls.. (Photo by Dean Musgrove). On Friday, an 11 a.m. funeral service, also at the Cathedral, is expected to fill the massive sanctuary, where afterward, OConnell will be interred in the Cathedrals Mausoleum in a private service, officials said Thursday. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Monsignor Jarlath Cunnane delivers the homily for his long-time friend, Bishop David OConnell, at the Funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. He found the good in people, praised it, and spoke it into them., The recessional at the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. Many US and Hispanic friends commented approvingly on his fluent Spanish spoken in a strong Irish accent, despite the years abroad. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department previously said investigators responded to a shooting death at 12:57 p.m. on Saturday in the LA suburb of Hacienda Heights, where an adult male was pronounced dead. (The) presence of Christ and deep prayer, the Rev. David OConnell, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, leading a memorial service in 2020. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), The Funeral Mass begins for Bishop David OConnell at Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. I regard it as a great blessing in my life to have had the opportunity to serve here. Bishop OConnell once said that being a pastor was the greatest joy of his life. Those tensions eventually boiled over during the LA riots in 1992 that followed the videotaped beating of Rodney King by police officers. I thank God that as the years go on I have more and more love for my priesthood and for the people in the parishes I have served., Fellow auxiliary bishop Robert Barron said he was always struck by his goodness, kindness, prayerfulness, and simplicity of heart. David D. OConnell Sr., 80, of Chicopee passed away, Monday, April 27, 2015 at Palmer Health Care Center. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. David did soul work. Bishop Dave, as he was affectionately known among his mostly Hispanic congregation, was much admired for his peacemaking efforts during the 1992 riots in LA following the acquittal of four white policemen on all but one charge connected with the severe beating of African American Rodney King. Born in Springfield on February 20, 1935, he was a son of the late Thomas and Mary (Lacey) OConnell. OConnell, 69, a beloved priest in the diocese, who administered its San Gabriel Valley region, was found fatally shot on Feb. 18 at his Hacienda Heights home. A police chase is underway involving a possible shooting suspect. Apu Gomes/Agence France-Presse Getty Images, Bishop OConnell said in a July 2015 interview with Angelus. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez at the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. 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O'Connell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in L.A.'s inner city, was found dead of a gunshot wound Feb. 18. He organised retreats to help men become better parents and partners, and believed in the power of parish communities and schools to transform peoples lives. Carlos Medina, husband of his housekeeper, has been charged with his murder. He was 69. All services will be livestreamed at lacatholics.org/bishop-connell. During the pandemic, he held a daily prayer group for me just to sustain me in the darkest days I had ever seen as a leader when people were dying he shone a light and helped me continue that work.. OConnell was fatally shot at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. At the news conference, Jos H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, thanked the authorities for taking a suspect into custody. (Jay L. Clendenin / LA Times) OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), In our mission as Catholics is to be Christ-like to embody the image of our Lord and to do all the good work that (OConnell) did and thats someone in our lifetime that we witnessed do that, Reyes said. Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new details as they become available. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles has announced the funeral arrangements for the late Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell, who was murdered in his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Fr OConnell was lauded for leadership at that time, particularly for his efforts to build trust between residents and police officers. Southern California Immigration Task Force. During Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels the next day, Archbishop Gomez announced that the LA County Sheriffs Department had confirmed to the archdiocese earlier that morning that investigators had ruled his death a homicide. He added that he looks forward to returning to California from Rome to follow in ODonnells footsteps and mentor others into the faith. But on Friday, during a moment in which the prosaic gave way to the reverential, LA Countys Catholics said a final goodbye to their friend and spiritual shepherd. He was loved. March 3, 2023 6:44 PM PT. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. OConnell was pastor at St. Frances Cabrini Parish when the violent 1992 L.A. riots took place after the acquittal of four police officers who had been videotaped beating an unarmed black man, Rodney King. [ Bishop David OConnell obituary: Progressive cleric from Cork who spent his life in Los Angeles ] Monsignor Jarlath Cunnane, a Sligo born friend of five decades to