John Joseph O'Connor (June 11, 1855 – May 20, 1927) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Newark from 1901 until his death in 1927.

Early life and education

O'Connor was born in Newark, New Jersey to Thomas and Catherine (née Farrell) O'Connor, Irish immigrants. His father worked as a contractor and builder. He received his early education at the

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

of St. James the Less Church in Newark, and then attended a private school run by Bernard Kearney in the same city. He studied at Seton Hall University in South Orange, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1873. He was then sent by Bishop Winand Wigger to study theology at the

Pontifical North American College The Pontifical North American College (NAC) is a Catholic Church, Roman Catholic educational institution in Rome, Italy, that prepares seminarians to become priests in the United States and elsewhere. The NAC also provides a residence for Pri ...

in Rome, where he remained for four years. He then studied for one year at the

American College of Louvain The American College of the Immaculate Conception, or the American College of Louvain is a former Roman Catholic seminary in Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1857, it was operated by United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to prepare Euro ...

in Belgium.

Priesthood

On December 22, 1877, O'Connor was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Carlo Andrea Anthonis at St. Rumbold's Cathedral in

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

. Following his return to New Jersey, he was appointed professor of

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

and dogmatic theology at Seton Hall. He later became director of Immaculate Conception Seminary at Seton Hall. In addition, he served as

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

of St. Mary's Orphanage and assisted at parishes in Irvington and Short Hills on weekends. He was named vicar general of the Diocese of Newark in 1892 and then

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 St. Joseph's Church in Newark in 1895.

Episcopacy

On May 24, 1901, O'Connor was appointed the fourth Bishop of Newark by Pope Leo XIII. He received his

episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

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 the following July 25 from Archbishop Michael Corrigan, with Bishops

Charles McDonnell Charles McDonnell may refer to: * Charles McDonnell (police officer) (1841–1888), American police captain in the New York City Police Department * Charles Edward McDonnell (1854–1921), American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church * Charles Jam ...

and James McFaul 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 St. Patrick's Cathedral in Newark. During his tenure, O'Connor presided over a period of explosive growth for the diocese. The Catholic population more than doubled, standing at over 683,000 by the time of his death. He increased the number of churches from 114 to 273, the number of priests from 265 to 712, and the number of Catholic school students from 35,330 to 82,462. He also established over 45 missions and chapels. He continued to oversee the construction of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, which had been initiated by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley. In 1903, O'Connor condemned the oath of the International Typographical Union and forbade Catholics from taking it, saying, "A man owes his allegiance first to God. That is equivalent to the allegiance he owes his Church. If this oath or pledge requires the members of a union to do anything which the Catholic Church forbids—it being a religious organization as described in the oath—no Catholic can conscientiously take the oath or make such a pledge." He was made Assistant at the Pontifical Throne by

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

in 1910. In 1926, fear of accidents caused O'Connor to prohibit the priests of Newark from owning or driving motor vehicles, except in rural parishes. O'Connor died of bronchial asthma in South Orange, New Jersey, at age 71. He is buried at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of NewarkPapers of John J. O'Connor
ADN 0002-004, in the Archives of the Archdiocese of Newark located at Seton Hall University. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, John Joseph 1855 births 1927 deaths Seton Hall University alumni American College of the Immaculate Conception alumni American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent Roman Catholic bishops of Newark Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Burials in New Jersey