David Gerard O'Connell (July 16, 1953 – February 18, 2023) was an Irish-born

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

who was an auxiliary bishop of the

Archdiocese of Los Angeles The Archdiocese of Los Angeles (, ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the southern coastal portion of the U.S. state of California. The archdiocese's cathedra is in Los Angeles, and the arc ...

in California from 2015 until his murder in 2023. He served in the Los Angeles area for the entirety of his career as a priest.

Early life

David O'Connell was born in

Glanmire Glanmire () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city, in the civil parish of Rathcooney, County Cork, Ireland. The greater Glanmire area encompasses the communities of Riverstown (Baile Roisín), Brooklodge (Cill Ruadhái ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, Ireland, on July 16, 1953, the son of David and Joan O’Connell. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and English literature at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

in 1975 and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from

Maynooth College St Patrick's Pontifical University, Maynooth (), is a pontifical Catholic university in the town of Maynooth near Dublin, Ireland. The college and national seminary on its grounds are often referred to as Maynooth College. The college was of ...

in 1977. He completed his studies for the priesthood at

All Hallows College All Hallows College was a college of higher education in Dublin. It was founded in 1842 and was run by the Vincentians from 1892 until 2016. On 23 May 2014, it was announced that it was closing because of declining student enrollment. The sale ...

in Dublin. He was ordained a deacon by Cardinal

Timothy Manning Timothy Manning (Irish: ''Tadhg Ó Mongáin'') (November 15, 1909 – June 23, 1989) was an Irish Catholics, Irish Catholic prelate who served as Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Archbishop of Los Angeles from 1970 to 1985. He was elev ...

of Los Angeles.

Priesthood

O'Connell was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on July 10, 1979, at All Hallows by Bishop John Scanlan. After his ordination, O'Connell served as associate pastor at three parishes in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

: St. Raymond in

Downey Downey may refer to: People *Downey (surname) *Robert Downey Jr. Places *Downey, California, US *Downey, Idaho, US *Downey, Iowa, US Businesses * W. & D. Downey, photographic studio * Downey Studios, created out of a former Boeing plant Schools ...

from 1979 to 1983, St. Maria Goretti in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

in 1983-84, and St. Hillary in

Pico Rivera Pico Rivera is a city located in southeastern Los Angeles County, California. The city is situated approximately southeast of downtown Los Angeles, on the eastern edge of the Los Angeles basin, and on the southern edge of the area known as the ...

from 1984 to 1988. In 1987, while serving in Los Angeles, he obtained a Master of Spirituality degree from

Mount St. Mary's College Mount Saint Mary's University, Los Angeles (known as Mount St. Mary's College until January 2015) is a private, Catholic university primarily for women, in Los Angeles, California. Women make up 90 percent of the student body. Founded in 1925 ...

. O'Connell later served as pastor at four Los Angeles parishes: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini and Ascension Parish from 1988 to 2003, Ascension Catholic, St. Eugene from 2004 to 2006, and St. Michael from 2003 to 2015. On the archdiocesan level, O'Connell also served for various periods as a diocesan deacon and a member of the Council of Priests. He was also a member of the Priest Pension Board, the Together in Mission Board, and the Archdiocesan Finance Council. He was a Knight of Peter Claver.

Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed O'Connell titular bishop of

Cell Ausaille The Diocese of Cell Ausaille is now a titular see of the Catholic Church.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), "Sedi titolari", p. 865 When it was a residential see, it had its centre at Killossy, near Naas, County Kild ...

and as an auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles on July 21, 2015. He was consecrated by Archbishop José Gómez on September 8, 2015. At that time, Gómez named O'Connell his episcopal vicar for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region of the archdiocese. He was invested as a Knight Grand Officer in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in September 2022.

Death and legacy

O'Connell died from gunshot wounds at his home in

Hacienda Heights Hacienda Heights () is an unincorporated suburban community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the community had a total population of 54,191, up from 54,038 at the 2010 census. For statistical purposes, t ...

on February 18, 2023. In March 2023, Gómez presided at the

funeral mass A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect the ...

for O’Connell at the

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (), informally known as the COLA or the Los Angeles Cathedral (), is the metropolitan cathedral of the Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, United States. It opened in 2002 and serves as the mo ...

in Los Angeles. The service drew thousands of attendees. Monsignor Jarlath Cunnane, a close friend of O'Connell, delivered the homily:

“For Dave life was, and especially in the recent years, life was prayer. Life was in the presence of Christ, and that is what he shared. Yes, he helped the poor. Yes, he fought for justice. But most of all, what he wanted to share was that encounter with Jesus Christ,”

Both Francis and US President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

sent their condolences to O'Connell's family.

Murder investigation

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

discovered O'Connell at the house after he failed to show up at a scheduled meeting. Police opened a

homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

investigation. On February 20, police arrested Carlos Medina at his residence in

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

. Carlos Medina's wife was O'Connell's housekeeper and had performed work on O'Connell's house. According to information received by police, Median told an associate that O'Connell owed him money. On February 22, Los Angeles District Attorney

George Gascón George Gascón (born March 12, 1954) is an American attorney and former police officer who served as the District Attorney of Los Angeles County from December 7, 2020 to December 3, 2024. A member of the Democratic Party and a former member of ...

reported that Medina had confessed to murdering O'Connell. However, Medina pleaded not guilty to murder in March 2023. In October 2024, the court began proceedings to examine Medina's mental health.

References

External links

Bishop David Gerard O’Connell at Catholic Hierarchy

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnell, David G. 1953 births 2023 deaths Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Alumni of University College Dublin Alumni of All Hallows College, Dublin American murder victims 2023 murders in the United States 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States 21st-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops Bishops appointed by Pope Francis Deaths by firearm in California Irish emigrants to the United States Christian clergy from County Cork Knights of Peter Claver & Ladies Auxiliary People from Glanmire