Martin John O'Connor (May 18, 1900 – December 1, 1986) was an American

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

Roman 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 ...

. He served as rector of 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 Prie ...

from 1946–1964 and

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1948–1971.

Biography

Early life and education

Martin O'Connor was born on May 18, 1900, in

Scranton Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, to Martin John and Belinda Catherine (née Caffrey) O'Connor. His parents died when he was young. He received his early education at James Madison Elementary School, but was later transferred to the district's administration building to attend advanced classes. O'Connor entered St. Thomas High School in Scranton at age 12, and enrolled at St. Thomas College three years later. He graduated from St. Thomas with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree in 1918. O'Connor began his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. He continued his studies at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

in Washington, D.C. While a student, he enlisted in the U.S Army after the United States entered

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Discharged in 1919, he resumed his studies at the university. After his college graduation, O'Connor went study at the

in Rome. He earned a

Doctor of Theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor o ...

degree from the

Pontifical Urban University The Pontifical Urban University, also called the ''Urbaniana'' after its names in both Latin and Italian, is a pontifical university that was under the authority of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. The university's mission is to ...

in Rome in 1925.

Priesthood

On March 15, 1924, O'Connor was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

a priest for the Diocese of Scranton by Archbishop Giuseppe Palica at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome Following his return to Scranton, he was assigned as a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' () of souls of a parish. In this sense, ''curate'' means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy who are as ...

at St. Peter's Cathedral Parish, serving there from 1925 to 1927. O'Connor then returned to Rome to earn a

Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law (, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD or dr.iur.can. (''Iuris Can ...

degree from the Apollinare University in 1929. Returning to Pennsylvania in 1929, O'Connor was appointed secretary to Bishop Thomas O'Reilly and as

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the diocese. He served as an associate

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of the diocesan newspaper, ''Catholic Light'', from 1929 to 1932.From 1934 to 1943, O'Connor was

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of St. Peter's Cathedral Parish. He was named a papal chamberlain in 1931, and raised to the rank of domestic prelate in 1936. In addition to his pastoral duties, O'Connor became

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

of the diocese in 1938.

Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton

On November 14, 1942, O'Connor was appointed as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

of the Diocese of Scranton and

titular bishop A titular bishop in various churches is a bishop who is not in charge of a diocese. By definition, a bishop is an "overseer" of a community of the faithful, so when a priest is ordained a bishop, the tradition of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox an ...

of ''Thespiae'' by

Pope Pius XII Pope Pius XII (; born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli; 2 March 18769 October 1958) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death on 9 October 1958. He is the most recent p ...

. He received his episcopal

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

on January 27, 1943, from Bishop William Hafey, with Bishops Gerald O'Hara and George L. Leech 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 Churche ...

, at St. Peter's Cathedral. As an auxiliary bishop, he continued to serve as vicar general of the diocese, a post which he held until 1946. He also served as pastor of St. Mary's Parish in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( , alternatively or ) is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It ...

, from 1943 to 1946.

Rector of the Pontifical North American College

O'Connor was named rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome on November 26, 1946, then still closed in the aftermath of World War II. O'Connor reopened the college in 1948, having supervised its construction of new campus on

Janiculum Hill The Janiculum (; ), occasionally known as the Janiculan Hill, is a hill in western Rome, Italy. Although it is the second-tallest hill (the tallest being Monte Mario) in the contemporary city of Rome, the Janiculum does not figure among the pro ...

in Rome. Supposedly, O'Connor once said that his mission was "to educate others in gracious dining and

papal The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

protocol," to which U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Joseph Kennedy Sr. responded, "Don't be such an ass."Hebblethwaite, Peter
"Politics in the Purple Kingdom: The Derailment of Vatican II" - book review
''National Catholic Reporter''. December 10, 1993. O'Connor allegedly disapproved of Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi's appointment as apostolic delegate to the United States.

Curial official

With the establishment of the curial office of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Pius XII named O'Connor as its first

in January 1948. He was named an assistant at the pontifical throne in 1953. In November 1954, O'Connor was appointed as a counselor of the Congregation of Seminaries and Universities. O'Connor was raised to titular archbishop of ''Laodicea in Syria'' on September 5, 1959. O'Connor attended all four sessions of the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

between 1962 and 1965. During the preparatory stages of the Council, he was named to head the press secretariat in June 1960. As head of the secretariat, he drafted a constitution dealing with the press, motion pictures, radio, and television. In September 1963, in response to complaints by journalists about the lack of news sources, he was appointed to head a new press committee for the second session of the Council.

Apostolic Nuncio to Malta

He became the first Nuncio to Malta on December 15, 1965. According to his ''Los Angeles Times'' obituary, "the appointment marked the first time a papal ambassador had been sent to a country in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

since the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the papacy and ...

400 years earlier" – although technically, Malta was no longer in the United Kingdom after 1964.

Retirement

O'Connor resigned his diplomatic post in May 1969 and his curial post on September 8, 1971. He returned to Pennsylvania in 1980.Martin O'Connor died on December 1, 1986, at Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre at age 86.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Martin John 1900 births 1986 deaths 20th-century American Roman Catholic titular bishops St. Mary's Seminary and University alumni Catholic University of America alumni Pontifical North American College rectors Participants in the Second Vatican Council Pontifical Council for Social Communications University of Scranton alumni People from Scranton, Pennsylvania Apostolic nuncios to Malta Catholics from Pennsylvania