Edward Joseph O'Donnell (July 4, 1931 – February 1, 2009) was an

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of the

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who served as the fifth

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of the Diocese of Lafayette in Louisiana from 1994 to 2002. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis in Missouri from 1983 to 1994, O'Donnell built a reputation as a strong supporter of the

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in the United States during the 1960's.

Biography

Early life

Edward O'Donnell was born on July 4, 1931,

Saint Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which ...

. He attended Kenrick Seminary in Shrewsbury, Missouri. O'Donnell was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on April 6, 1956, by Cardinal Joseph Ritter. In 1965, O'Donnell led a contingent from St. Louis to

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to participate in the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march. O'Donnell ran the Radio and Television Apostolate for the archdiocese. He moderated a television programs called “Quiz A Catholic” and appeared on radio in discussions with clergy from other faiths.

Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Louis

On December 6, 1982,

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appointed O'Donnell as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis; he was consecrated by Archbishop John Lawrence May on February 10, 1983. He also served as vicar general of the archdiocese and edited its newspaper. In 1993, O'Donnell was appointed as

apostolic administrator An Apostolic administration in the Catholic Church is administrated by a prelate appointed by the pope to serve as the ordinary for a specific area. Either the area is not yet a diocese (a stable 'pre-diocesan', usually missionary apostolic admi ...

of the archdiocese while Archbishop May was fighting

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. He served in this role for 15 months. He founded the Pro-Life Committee for the archdiocese as part of his opposition to abortion rights for women. It was one of the first Catholic groups in the nation to provide support to women who chose not to have

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Bishop of Lafayette

On November 8, 1994, John Paul II appointed O'Donnell as bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette. He was installed on December 16, 1994. One of O'Donnell's initiatives was to increase the number of African-Americans in diocesan affairs. He also instituted one of the first zero tolerance policies towards child sexual abuse by clergy in the nation. On November 8, 2002, John Paul II accepted O'Donnell's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette. Edward O'Donnell died from

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on February 1, 2009, at St. Agnes Home in Kirkwood, Missouri, at age 77.

Notes

1931 births 2009 deaths Clergy from St. Louis People from Lafayette, Louisiana Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Religious leaders from Missouri Catholics from Louisiana {{Missouri-stub