ARCHDIOCESE OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES FUNERAL SERVICES FOR AUXILIARY BISHOP DAVID G. O’CONNELL

February 23, 2023  |  By: newsroom  |  Press Releases  |  

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles announced today the funeral services for Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell for the San Gabriel Pastoral Region of the Archdiocese. Following is the schedule from March 1^st thru March 3^rd:

• San Gabriel Pastoral Region Memorial Mass on Wednesday, March 1^st at St. John Vianney Catholic Church (1345 Turnbull Canyon Road, Hacienda Heights) at 7:00 p.m., and will be livestreamed on Bishop David G. Connell | LA Catholics
• Public Viewing on Thursday, March 2^nd at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., followed by a Vigil Mass at 7:00 p.m., and will be livestreamed on Bishop David G. Connell | LA Catholics and on the OLA Cathedral YouTube Channel
• Funeral Mass on March 3^rd at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 West Temple Street, Los Angeles) at 11:00 a.m., and will be livestreamed on Bishop David G. Connell | LA Catholics and on the OLA Cathedral YouTube Channel

In a statement released after Bishop David O’Connell’s death, Archbishop José H. Gomez expressed his sadness and described Bishop O’Connell as a “man of deep prayer who had a great love for Our Blessed Mother … a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant.”

Bishop O’Connell “Bishop Dave” as he was known, was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1953, and was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope Francis in 2015. He studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension, St. Eugene, and St. Michael’s parishes, all in Los Angeles. While there he ministered to a community afflicted by gang violence and poverty. In addition to aiding neighborhood recovery efforts after the 1992 LA Riots, O’Connell helped to restore trust between residents and law enforcement by organizing meetings with police officers in people’s homes and providing opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation.

He was the chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force, helping coordinate the church’s response to immigrant children and families from Central America in recent years. He was key in sponsoring the enrollment of several young immigrants in Catholic schools, several of whom have advanced to college.

Last September, Bishop O’Connell was honored with the Evangelii Gaudium Award from St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, for his selfless service to the community and the Church in L.A. At a national level, he was the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

For Archbishop José H. Gomez full statements please visit: Statements from Archbishop Gomez | LA Catholics. For Bishop O’Connell’s last homily visit Bishop O’Connell’s last recorded homily (angelusnews.com).

NOTE TO EDITORS: due to space limitations funeral services will be pooled. Additional media details to follow.

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