Richard Alphonsus O'Connor (April 15, 1838 – January 23, 1913) was a Canadian priest and Bishop of Peterborough, Ontario.

Biography

Born in

Listowel Listowel ( ; , IPA: �lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the CSO Census 2016. Desc ...

, County Kerry, Ireland on April 15, 1838, O'Connor emigrated to Canada with his parents in 1841, settling in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

. He received his early education in the Toronto separate schools, and in 1852, entered

St. Michael's College School St. Michael's College School, (also known as St. Michael's, St. Mike's, and SMCS), is an independent, Catholic school for young men in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Administered by the Basilian Fathers, it is the largest school of its kind in Cana ...

in Toronto. In 1859, he entered the Grand Seminary of St. Sulpice, Montreal, to complete his theological course. He was ordained priest August 2, 1861, in St. Michael's Cathedral, Toronto, by Archbishop

John Joseph Lynch John Joseph Lynch (6 February 1816 – 12 May 1888) was an Irish prelate of the Catholic Church. A member of the Congregation of the Mission, he served as the third Bishop (1860-1870) and first Archbishop of Toronto (1870-1888). He founded O ...

. His first charge after ordination was as assistant priest at Toronto Gore, and in January 1862, he was appointed pastor of that mission. In December 1865, he was transferred to

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

mission, and in September 1868, he was entrusted with the parish of South Adjala, Ont. In October 1870, he was made Dean of Barrie, where he remained for over eighteen years, taking a leading position in educational matters. He was consecrated bishop in St. Peter's Cathedral, Peterborough on May 1, 1889. He died in Peterborough on January 23, 1913.

References

The Canadian album: Men of Canada'' (Volume 2) (1891-1896)
1838 births 1913 deaths 19th-century Roman Catholic bishops in Canada Roman Catholic bishops of Peterborough Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to the Province of Canada {{Canada-RC-bishop-stub