David Michael O'Connell (born April 21, 1955) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as the bishop of the Diocese of Trenton in New Jersey since 2010. He is a member of the

Congregation of the Mission The Congregation of the Mission ( la, Congregatio Missionis) abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists. is a Roman Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated ...

and a past president of the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

Biography

Early life and education

David O'Connell was born on April 21, 1955, in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, one of the four sons of Arthur J. and June O'Connell. He was raised in nearby

Langhorne, Pennsylvania Langhorne Borough is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The population was 1,622 at the time of the 2010 census. The mailing address "Langhorne" is used for Langhorne Borough, but it is also used broadly to describe the majority of surro ...

. Feeling drawn at an early age to the Catholic priesthood, he attended the Vincentian

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

, St. Joseph Preparatory High School, in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of w ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Philosophy Bachelor of Philosophy (BPhil, BPh, or PhB; la, Baccalaureus Philosophiae or ) is the title of an academic degree that usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects. Unlike many other bachelor's d ...

degree from

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in Lewiston in Niagara County, New York. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and has 3,300 undergraduate students in 50 academic programs. App ...

in Lewiston, New York, in 1978. He then studied at Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, Pennsylvania, where he earned a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and di ...

degree (1981) and a

Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a sta ...

degree in

moral theology Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy''"Ethics"/ref> A central aspect of ethics is "the good life", the life worth living or life that is simply sati ...

(1983).

Ordination and ministry

O'Connell was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

a priest of the Congregation of the Mission by Joseph McShea on May 29, 1982, in the chapel of the seminary. His first assignment was as a teacher at

Archbishop Wood Catholic High School Archbishop Wood Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. The school was founded in 1964 in Warminster Township in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It sits on thirty-two acre tract of land an ...

in Warminster, Pennsylvania, where he also served as director of student activities from 1983 to 1985. He continued his studies at

The Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Roman Catholic research university in Washington, D.C. It is a pontifical university of the Catholic Church in the United States and the only institution of higher education founded by U.S. ...

School of Canon Law The School of Canon Law is the only faculty of Catholic canon law in the United States. It is one of the twelve schools at The Catholic University of America, located in Washington, D.C.Licentiate of Canon Law Licentiate of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Licentiatus; JCL) is the title of an advanced graduate degree with canonical effects in the Roman Catholic Church offered by pontifical universities and ecclesiastical faculties of canon law. Licentiat ...

in 1987. From 1987 to 1990, O'Connell was registrar and an assistant professor of

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is t ...

, theology, and philosophy at Mary Immaculate Seminary. He earned a

Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...

degree from the Catholic University in 1990. He also served as an ecclesiastical judge and canonical consultant for: * Diocese of Harrisburg (1987–1998) * Diocese of Birmingham (1987–1993) * Diocese of Scranton (1988–1998) Between 1990 and 1998, O'Connell served at St. John's University in New York City in various capacities. He was associate dean (1990–1991) before serving as professor of theology and religious studies, academic dean, and dean of

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division) A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...

(1991–1998). O'Connell was also associate

vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on ...

from 1995 to 1998, and assistant

legal counsel A lawyer is a person who Practice of law, practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different Jurisdiction, legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney at law, attorney, barrister, canonist, canon l ...

from 1996 to 1998. From 1994 to 1998, he served as acting vice president and dean of Niagara University.

Presidency of the Catholic University of America

O'Connell was the 14th president of Catholic University of America (CUA) from 1998 until 2010. He also became a consultor to the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

Congregation for Catholic Education , type = Congregation , seal = Coat of arms Holy See.svg , seal_size = 100px , seal_caption = Coat of arms of the Holy See , logo = , picture =Via della Conciliazione din Roma1.jpg , picture_caption = Palazzo delle Congregazioni in Piazza ...

in 2005 and was appointed as John Joseph Keane University Professor of the university in 2006. According to the CUA, "He has been a nationally recognized spokesperson for and supporter of '' Ex Corde Ecclesiae'' and its full implementation within the Catholic academy." Under O'Connell's tenure, CUA remained under censure by the

American Association of University Professors The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) is an organization of professors and other academics in the United States. AAUP membership includes over 500 local campus chapters and 39 state organizations. The AAUP's stated mission ...

, and O'Connell did not seek to remove this sanction. In 1998, the Vatican ordered senior church members in the United States to address new requirements for higher education. The Vatican also required some educators to take an oath of fidelity to these teachings. Although many opposed the oath, O'Connell took the oath on the final day of the conference. On October 2, 2009, O'Connell announced that he was stepping down as president of Catholic University in August 2010. On June 4, 2010,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereig ...

named him

coadjutor bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) is a bishop in the Catholic, Anglican, and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The coadjutor (literally, "co- ...

of the Diocese of Trenton.

Coadjutor Bishop and Bishop of Trenton

On June 4, 2010, O'Connell was appointed

of the Diocese of Trenton by Pope Benedict XVI. O'Connell received his episcopal

consecration Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

on July 30, 2010, from Bishop John M. Smith, with Archbishops John J. Myers and

Donald Wuerl Donald William Wuerl (born November 12, 1940) is an American prelate, a cardinal, of the Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2018. He was elevated by Pope John Paul II to serve as auxiliary bishop of S ...

serving as

co-consecrators A consecrator is a bishop who ordains someone to the episcopacy. A co-consecrator is someone who assists the consecrator bishop in the act of ordaining a new bishop. The terms are used in the canon law of the Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches ...

, at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption in Trenton. O'Connell chose as his episcopal

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. M ...

: ''Ministrare non ministrari'', meaning, "To serve and not to be served" (). As coadjutor bishop, O'Connell automatically succeeded Bishop Smith on December 1, 2010, when Benedict XVI accepted Smith's resignation.

Transparency

In August 2012, O'Connell was given records showing that a priest of his diocese, Matthew Riedlinger, had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with and tried to set up a meeting with a person he believed to be a 16-year-old boy. O'Connell removed Riedlinger from the parish where he was serving, but did not inform parishioners of the reason for his removal until a year later, when he was informed that ''

The Star-Ledger ''The Star-Ledger'' is the largest circulated newspaper in the U.S. state of New Jersey and is based in Newark. It is a sister paper to '' The Jersey Journal'' of Jersey City, ''The Times'' of Trenton and the '' Staten Island Advance'', all of ...

'' would be publishing a story on the matter.

References

External links

Bishop of Trenton BioCatholic Diocese of Trenton Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnell, David M. 1955 births Living people Clergy from Philadelphia Vincentians Niagara University alumni Mary Immaculate Seminary alumni Catholic University of America alumni Canonical theologians St. John's University (New York City) faculty Mary Immaculate Seminary faculty Catholic University of America faculty Presidents of the Catholic University of America 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Trenton Vincentian bishops Catholic University of America School of Canon Law alumni