Denis J. O'Connell (January 28, 1849 – January 1, 1927) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

of the

Diocese of Richmond The Diocese of Richmond ( la, Diœcesis Richmondiensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or diocese of the Catholic Church in the United States. Its current territory encompasses all of central and southern Virginia, Hampton Roads ...

in Virginia from 1912 to 1926. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...

in California from 1908 to 1912. Before becoming a bishop, O'Connell served as rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome, then as rector of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

Biography

Early life

O'Connell was born on January 28, 1849, in

Donoughmore Donoughmore (spelt ''Donaghmore'' by Ordnance Survey Ireland; Irish: ''Domhnach Mór'') is a civil and Catholic parish in County Cork, Ireland. This rural district lies 25 km west-northwest of Cork city. Donoughmore is part of the Cork Nor ...

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to Michael and Bridget O'Connell. His family emigrated to the United States and settled in

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, where his father's two brothers, Jeremiah and Joseph O'Connell, were serving as missionary priests. As a young man, O'Connell felt called to be a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

and entered St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Maryland, in 1868. In part due to the influence of his uncles, in 1871 he was sent to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to study at the Pontifical North American College. "So brilliant was the young man that at his examination for the degree of Doctor of Divinity the cardinal prefect and examining professors accorded it to him by acclamation instead of by the usual method of balloting."

Priesthood

O'Connell was ordained in Rome for the Diocese of Richmond on May 26, 1877, by Cardinal Raffaele La Valletta. When Bishop

James Gibbons James Cardinal Gibbons (July 23, 1834 – March 24, 1921) was a senior-ranking American prelate of the Catholic Church who served as Apostolic Vicar of North Carolina from 1868 to 1872, Bishop of Richmond from 1872 to 1877, and as ninth ...

was appointed archbishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, he sent O'Connell to Rome in November as his procurator to accept the bishop's ''

pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropol ...

''. In 1884, O'Connell became secretary to Gibbons, and was sent to Rome with the decrees of the

Third Plenary Council of Baltimore The Plenary Councils of Baltimore were three national meetings of Catholic bishops in the United States in 1852, 1866 and 1884 in Baltimore, Maryland. During the early history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States all of the diocese ...

. In 1885, O'Connell was appointed

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of the North American College a position he held until 1895. In 1887, he was given the papal honor of domestic prelate with the title of monsignor.“Most Rev. Denis Joseph O'Connell, D. D.” ''The Catholic Historical Review'', vol. 13, no. 1, 1927, pp. 100–104. JSTOR
/ref>Upon his return to Richmond, O'Connell was assigned to St. Peter's Parish. From 1903 to 1909, he served as the third rector of The Catholic University of America On December 16, 1907, O'Connell was appointed as titular bishop of

Sebaste in Phrygia Sebaste ( grc, Σεβαστή) was a town of Phrygia Pacatiana in ancient Phrygia, inhabited in Roman and Byzantine times. It was located between Alydda and Eumenia. It became the seat of a Christian bishop, mentioned by Hierocles, and in the A ...

by Pope Pius X. O'Connell was consecrated at Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore by Cardinal Gibbons on May 3, 1908.

Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco

On December 24, 1908, O'Connell was appointed by Pius X as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco

Bishop of Richmond

On January 19, 1912, O'Connell was appointed as the seventh bishop of the Diocese of Richmond by Pius X. O'Connell's resignation due to health reasons as bishop of the Diocese of Richmond was accepted by the pope on January 15, 1926; he was named the titular bishop of Mariamme. Denis O'Connell died on January 1, 1927, in Richmond at age 77. Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School in Arlington,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, founded when the location was still part of the Diocese of Richmond, is named for him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Denis J. 1849 births 1927 deaths 19th-century Irish people People from County Cork Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent Pontifical North American College alumni Pontifical North American College rectors Presidents of the Catholic University of America Roman Catholic bishops of Richmond 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Burials at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Richmond, Virginia)