William Patrick O'Connor (October 18, 1886 – July 13, 1973) 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

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 the fifth bishop of the

Diocese of Superior The Diocese of Superior () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northwest Wisconsin in the United States. Its episcopal see is Superior, and the Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior is its mother c ...

in Wisconsin (1942–1946) and the first bishop of the new

Diocese of Madison The Diocese of Madison () is a Latin Church diocese in the southwestern part of Wisconsin in the United States. The diocese has approximately 167,000 Catholics in 102 parishes with 98 priests in active ministry. As of 2025, the bishop of Madison ...

in Wisconsin (1946–1967).

Biography

Early life

William O'Connor was born on October 18, 1886, in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

, one of five children of Patrick and Ellen (née McCarthy) O'Connor. He received his early education at St. John Cathedral grade school in Milwaukee, and then entered St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis, Wisconsin in 1901.

Priesthood

O'Connor was ordained to the priesthood on March 10, 1912, by Bishop Joseph Koudelka. His first assignment was as assistant pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Milwaukee, where he remained for four years. During this time, he also studied at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

and earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1916. O'Connor then entered 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., but his studies were interrupted by

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 ...

. In 1917, O'Connor was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the

Wisconsin National Guard The Wisconsin National Guard consists of the Wisconsin Army National Guard and the Wisconsin Air National Guard. It is a part of the Government of Wisconsin under the control of the Wisconsin Department of Military Affairs. The Wisconsin Nation ...

and served as a chaplain with the 32nd Infantry Division in France He was awarded the French ''

Croix de Guerre The (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awarded during World ...

'' medal for bravery in action. After the war, O'Connor resumed his studies at Catholic University and earned his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree in 1921. He returned to Milwaukee, where he taught philosophy at St. Francis Seminary for 20 years. He was named president of the

American Catholic Philosophical Association The American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA) is an organization of Catholic philosophers established in 1926 to promote the advancement of philosophy as an intellectual discipline consonant with Catholic tradition. Among the means used t ...

in 1939, and became pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Milwaukee in 1941.

Bishop of Superior

On December 27, 1941, O'Connor was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Superior 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 Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

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 March 7, 1942, from Archbishop Moses E. Kiley, with Bishops Aloisius Muench and Vincent Ryan serving as co-consecrators. During his tenure as bishop, O'Connor founded three new parishes, opened two new schools, and erected ten units of the

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine The Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is an association established in Rome in 1562 for the purpose of providing religious education. In modern usage, it refers to the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., which owns the copyright on t ...

with a total enrollment of 12,000 children. A former military chaplain, he also oversaw the diocese's war efforts during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, including local blood drives.

Bishop of Madison

O'Connor was appointed by Pius XII as the first bishop of the newly created

on February 22, 1946. O'Connor was installed at Saint Raphael's Cathedral on the following March 12. During his tenure, the diocese went from having 135 priests serving 82,000 Catholics to having 290 priests serving a Catholic population of 180,640. In his first year as bishop, O'Connor established the Blessed Martin Guild to promote racial understanding and convert more minorities to Catholicism. He also founded

Holy Name Seminary Holy Name Seminary was a Roman Catholic seminary staffed by the Society of Jesus which existed in Christchurch, New Zealand from 1947 until 1978. Establishment With Holy Cross College, the New Zealand national major seminary, not taking school ...

in Madison in 1965, and participated in 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 ...

(1962–1965). As part of the council's reforms, he established a diocesan Priest Senate in 1966.

Retirement and legacy

On February 18, 1967,

Pope Paul VI Pope Paul VI (born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini; 26 September 18976 August 1978) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding John XXII ...

accepted O'Connor's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Madison after 21 years of service. William O'Connor died of a heart attack in Madison on July 13, 1973, at age 86.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison

Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, William Patrick 1886 births 1973 deaths Marquette University alumni St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent Catholic University of America alumni World War I chaplains United States Army chaplains Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee Religious leaders from Milwaukee Participants in the Second Vatican Council Roman Catholic bishops of Superior Roman Catholic bishops of Madison 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States