James O'Connor (bishop)
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James O'Connor, S.J. (September 10, 1823 – May 27, 1890) was the first Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Omaha,
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
.


Biography

James O'Connor was born in Queenstown,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
, September 10, 1823. In 1834, his older brother
Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
, former Vice-Rector of the
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in Rome, was serving as chaplain at for the convent of the
Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The sisters of the congregation use th ...
in Doneraile.
Peter Richard Kenrick Peter Richard Kenrick (August 17, 1806 – March 4, 1896) was an Irish Catholic priest who served as Bishop of St. Louis from 1843 to 1895. The see was made an archdiocese in 1847, when he was called as the first archbishop west of the Mississi ...
, brother of
Francis Kenrick Francis Patrick Kenrick (December 3, 1796 or 1797 – July 8, 1863) was an Irish-born Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Philadelphia (1842–1851) and Archbishop of Baltimore (1851–1863). Kenrick grew up in Ireland, where he received ...
, coadjutor bishop of Philadelphia, persuaded Father Michael to come to Philadelphia and teach at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.Canevin, Regis. "Pittsburgh." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 6 August 2019 James accompanied his brother to Philadelphia and took up studies at the seminary. From there he completed his studies at the
Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide The Pontificio Collegio Urbano de Propaganda Fide ( English: Pontifical Urban College for the Propagation of the Faith), also known as the Collegium Urbanum or Urban College, was a Catholic seminary established in 1627 for the purpose of training ...
in Rome, where he was ordained a priest in 1845. In the meantime, his brother had been appointed Bishop of Pittsburgh. James therefore took up missionary work in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. His administrative skills led him to be appointed in 1857 president of the diocesan seminary of St. Michael."Rev. James O'Connor" (obit), ''San Francisco Call'', May 28, 1890
/ref> This led in 1862 to Archbishop Wood naming him rector of St. Charles Borromeo. In 1872, he became pastor of St. Dominic's in Holmesburg, Philadelphia and served as chaplain to the nearby
Society of the Sacred Heart The Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (; ), abbreviated RSCJ, is a Catholic centralized religious institute of consecrated life of pontifical right for women established in France by Madeleine Sophie Barat in 1800. History Madeleine Soph ...
at their motherhouse at Eden Hall in Torresdale. In 1876, he succeeded James Myles O'Gorman as vicar apostolica of Nebraska, an area that covered Nebraska, northeastern Colorado, Wyoming, and parts of Utah, Montana and the Dakotas. He was consecrated titular Bishop of Dibona at the chapel at Eden Hall by Patrick John Ryan, Coadjutor Archbishop of St. Louis, assisted by Jeremiah F. Shanahan, Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and Bishop O'Hara of Bishop of Scranton. The construction of the Union Pacific Railway in 1867, and more especially the extension of the Burlington Railway in the seventies and eighties, opened up Nebraska to settlers from the East. It became the duty of the new vicar to provide for the growing needs of the faithful, and the yearly statistics of the vicariate show how successful were his labours. In 1880 the Dakotas were erected into a vicariate, and in April, 1887, Montana was split off. Aherne, James. "Diocese of Omaha." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 6 August 2019
In 1885, the Diocese of Omaha was created, and Bishop O'Connor was appointed its first bishop. The new diocese embraced the present states of Nebraska and Wyoming. In August, 1887, the Dioceses of Cheyenne and Lincoln were erected. During his administration, many of Omaha's older parishes were founded. Bishop O'Connor also introduced into his jurisdiction the Franciscan Fathers, the Poor Clares, the Religious of the Sacred Heart, the Benedictines, and the Sisters of Providence. A most important work in the bishop's life was the foundation, in conjunction with Miss
Katharine Drexel Katharine Drexel, SBS (born Catherine Mary Drexel; November 26, 1858 – March 3, 1955) was an American Catholic religious sister, and educator. In 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, a religious congregation serving Black ...
, of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, in 1889 (In 2000, Drexel became a saint in the Catholic Church.). Through the generosity of the Creighton family, Bishop O'Connor was enabled to erect Creighton College. On its completion in 1879, the bishop, who held the property in trust, deeded over the institution to the Jesuit Fathers, who are since in charge and hold the property as trustees. Bishop O'Connor also helped to establish the Catholic Mutual Relief Society of America. Bishop O'Connor died shortly before noon on May 27, 1890, at the age of sixty-seven, after having been in failing health for about a year.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, James 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests 1823 births 1890 deaths People from Cobh St. Charles Borromeo Seminary alumni Irish emigrants to the United States 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States Roman Catholic bishops of Omaha 19th-century American Roman Catholic priests Christian clergy from County Cork