Thomas J. O'Hara (born March 16, 1949) served as Provincial Superior of the U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers of the

Congregation of Holy Cross The Congregation of Holy Cross (), abbreviated CSC, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France. Moreau also founded the Marianites of Holy Cross for women, n ...

from his election to the position on June 15, 2012 (The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Patron of Holy Cross Priests) until the election of Father

Bill Lies Bill(s) may refer to: Common meanings * Banknote, paper cash (especially in the United States) * Bill (law), a proposed law put before a legislature * Invoice, commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer * Bill, a bird or animal's beak Plac ...

on June 14, 2018. O'Hara was born in

Hazleton, Pennsylvania Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 29,963 at the 2020 census. Hazleton is the second-most populous city in Luzerne County. It was incorporated as a borough on January 5, 1857, and as a city on ...

. He attended Moreau Seminary, on the campus of the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, from 1973 to 1975. He professed First Vows on Aug. 3, 1974 and Closing Vows on Sept. 3, 1977. He was consecrate to the diaconate on Jan. 15, 1978, at Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Brooklyn, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood on June 10, 1978. A 1971 graduate of

King's College (Pennsylvania) King's College is a Private university, private Catholic university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and locat ...

with a bachelor's in political science, O’Hara received his master's in theology from Notre Dame in 1977 and his doctorate in political science from The American University in Washington, D.C., in 1988. O'Hara's first teaching assignment in 1975 was as professor of English at

Notre Dame College (Dhaka) Notre Dame College, Dhaka (), also known as NDC, is a catholic higher secondary and degree level educational institution founded and managed by the priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross located in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Upon t ...

in Bangladesh, where he was assisting in relief work with

Mother Teresa Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu (born Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, ; 26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997), better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic Church, Roman Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of ...

Missionaries of Charity The Missionaries of Charity () is a Catholic centralised religious institute of consecrated life of Pontifical Right for women established in 1950 by Mother Teresa, now known in the Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta. , it consisted o ...

. He has worked in parish ministry in Brooklyn, N.Y., and served in the Holy Cross missions in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

. He was a resident assistant at Notre Dame from 1976 to 1977; associate pastor at our Lady of Good Counsel from 1977 to 1982; chaplain at Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring, Md.; and chaplain to the Holy Cross brothers at

Bishop McNamara High School Bishop McNamara High School (BMHS, McNamara, or Mac) is a private, Catholic coed high school in Forestville CDP in unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland.American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

(1987) and a priest-in-residence at St. Ann Parish, Washington, D.C., from 1984 to 1988. O’Hara joined the faculty of King's in 1988 as assistant professor of government and politics and became the eighth president of his alma mater in 1999. He was the first King's alumnus to be named president, as well as its second longest-serving president. He left the post in 2011. He also served as professor of political science at the Philosophical Centre of Jinja in Uganda from 1994 until he returned to King's in 1996 as a professor and associate vice president for academic affairs. Among his many awards, O'Hara was presented an honorary degree by the

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

(Pa.) in 2008 and the

University of Portland The University of Portland (UP) is a private Catholic university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1901 and is affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, which also founded UP's sister school, the University of Notre Da ...

(Ore.) in 2012. He also was awarded the Exemplar Award from the University of Notre Dame Alumni Association, the New York State Award for Dedication to Youth (1982) and the King's College All College Award for Faculty (1992) and Administrators (1998). O'Hara continues to serve on Notre Dame's board of trustees, as well as that of

St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas, United States. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edwa ...

. He has served on the boards of a number of education, religious and non-profit organizations throughout his career, including the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of business and Industry, the Diamond City Partnership, CityVest, St. Vincent De Paul Kitchen, King's/St. Mary's Developmental Day Care Center, Healthy Northeast Pennsylvania. In addition, Father O'Hara has held membership on the board of trustees of

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a private Catholic college in Easton, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr., with 29 buildings that compl ...

Easton, Massachusetts Easton is a New England town, town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,058 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Greater Boston area. Easton is governed by an elected Select Board. Town meeting, Open Town Meeti ...

, and the advisory council of the Jewish Family Service of Greater Wilkes-Barre. O'Hara was elected as the new provincial superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers by the Provincial Chapter in Portland, Ore., on Friday, June 15 (Feast Day of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Thomas King's College (Pennsylvania) alumni University of Notre Dame alumni O'Hara, Thomas J. 1949 births Living people https://news.nd.edu/news/father-lies-elected-provincial-superior-for-u-s-province-of-holy-cross/ After a six-year tenure, Notre Dame announced Rev. William M. Lies, C.S.C., vice president for mission engagement and church affairs at the University of Notre Dame, was elected Thursday (June 14) provincial superior of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers, replacing O'Hara.