David G. O'Connell

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

David Gerard O'Connell

KC*HS
Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
Titular Bishop of Cell Ausaille
Bishop David G. O'Connell
ChurchCatholic Church
ArchdioceseLos Angeles
AppointedJuly 21, 2015
InstalledSeptember 8, 2015
Term endedFebruary 18, 2023
SuccessorBrian Nunes
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Cell Ausaille
(2015-2023)
Orders
OrdinationJuly 10, 1979
by John Scanlan
ConsecrationSeptember 12, 2015
by Archbishop José Horacio Gómez, Joseph Martin Sartoris, and Blase J. Cupich
Personal details
Born(1953-07-16)July 16, 1953
Glanmire, County Cork, Ireland
DiedFebruary 18, 2023(2023-02-18) (aged 69)
Hacienda Heights, California, United States
Alma materAll Hallows College
Mount St. Mary's College
MottoJesus I trust in you
Styles of
David Gerard O'Connell
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop
Not to be confused with David M. O'Connell.

David Gerard O'Connell KC*HS (July 16, 1953 – February 18, 2023) was an Irish-born prelate of the Catholic Church who was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California from 2015 until his murder in 2023. He served in the Los Angeles area for the entirety of his career as a priest.

Early life and career[edit]

David O'Connell was born in Glanmire, County Cork, Ireland, on July 16, 1953, the son of David and Joan O’Connell.[1][2] He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and English literature at University College Dublin in 1975 and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Maynooth College in 1977.[3] He completed his studies for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin.[1] He was ordained a deacon by Ireland-born Cardinal Timothy Manning of Los Angeles.[2] He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on July 10, 1979,[1] at All Hallows by John Scanlon, the Ireland-born Bishop of Honolulu.[2] In 1987, while serving in Los Angeles, he obtained a Masters of Spirituality from Mount St. Mary's College.[3]

After his ordination, O'Connell served as associate pastor at three parishes in Southern California: St. Raymond in Downey from 1979 to 1983, St. Maria Goretti in Long Beach in 1983/84, and St. Hillary in Pico Rivera from 1984 to 1988. He later served as pastor at four Los Angeles parishes: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and Ascension Parish from 1988 to 2003, Ascension Catholic, St. Eugene from 2004 to 2006, and St. Michael from 2003 to 2015.[1]

On the archdiocesan level, O'Connell also served for various periods as a diocesan deacon and a member of the Council of Priests.[1] He was also a member of the Priest Pension Board, the Together in Mission Board, and the Archdiocesan Finance Council. He was a Knight of Peter Claver.[3]

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles[edit]

Pope Francis appointed O'Connell titular bishop of Cell Ausaille and an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on July 21, 2015.[1][4] He was consecrated by Archbishop José Gómez on September 8, 2015.[5] Gómez named O'Connell his episcopal vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region.[3] He was invested as a Knight Grand Officer in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in September 2022.

Murder[edit]

Police found O'Connell dead from a gunshot wound to the chest at his home in Hacienda Heights at approximately 1 p.m. PST on February 18, 2023.[6][7][8] He was 69. A deacon had called for emergency medical help when he visited the house after O'Connell failed to attend a scheduled meeting.[6] Police opened a homicide investigation.[9]

On February 20, police arrested 65-year-old Carlos Medina at his residence in Torrance, California. Carlos Medina's wife was O'Connell's housekeeper and has performed work on O'Connell's house.[6][10] On February 22, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón reported that Medina had confessed to murdering O'Connell. He reported that O'Connell had suffered multiple gunshot wounds.[11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Rinunce e nomine, 21.07.2015" (Press release) (in Italian). Holy See Press Office. July 21, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Murphy, Ann (February 19, 2023). "Shooting of Glanmire-born bishop David O'Connell in LA being treated as murder". The Irish Examiner. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Bishop David G. O'Connell". Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Archived from the original on October 7, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
  4. ^ "Archbishop Gomez introduces three new auxiliary bishops for L.A. Archdiocese". California Catholic Daily. July 21, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  5. ^ "3 auxiliary bishops picked by Pope Francis are ordained in Los Angeles". Los Angeles Times. September 8, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Levenson, Michael; Chung, Christine (February 20, 2023). "Man Arrested in Killing of Auxiliary Bishop Had Worked at His House". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Kay, Pablo (February 18, 2023). "LA's 'peacemaker' Bishop David O'Connell dead at 69". Angelus. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell fatally shot in Hacienda Heights". CBS News. February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  9. ^ Queally, James; St. John, Paige (February 18, 2023). "Los Angeles bishop death's is being investigated as a homicide, authorities said". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Schlepp, Travis; Von Quednow, Cindy; McDade, Mary Beth; Menitoff, Rachel (February 20, 2023). "Husband of housekeeper arrested in death of Los Angeles Bishop David O'Connell". KTLA. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  11. ^ Bukuras, Joe (February 23, 2023). "Suspect confesses to the murder of Bishop David O'Connell, LA prosecutor says". Catholic News Agency. Retrieved February 27, 2023.

External links[edit]

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by
–
 Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles
2015–2023 		Succeeded by
–
Preceded by Titular Bishop of Cell Ausaille
2015–2023 		Succeeded by
Vacant
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