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WebOBITUARY NOTIFICATIONS. He came home days later to find widespread destruction in much of his parishs territory. He helped so many, many unaccompanied minors and families with immigration, Jeff Hamilton, also a member of that task force, said in an interview after the service. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. OConnell, who was known as Bishop Dave, served the San Gabriel Pastoral Region of the archdiocese, which covers East Los Angeles through the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. But now the Cork man that he is has left without saying goodbye. Deputies found the bishop in bed with at least one gunshot wound to the upper body, Sheriff Luna said. Father Jay Cunnane, pastor of St. Cornelius Parish in Long Beach, California, and a close friend to OConnell, told EWTN News Nightly that the bishop had a great heart for people on the margins of society, specifically immigrants and the poor. Please enter your information to receive emails informing you of families we are currently serving. It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop David G. OConnell was held Friday morning. David did soul work. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), A Vigil Mass for Bishop David OConnell is held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. During Sunday Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels the next day, Archbishop Gomez announced that the LA County Sheriffs Department had confirmed to the archdiocese earlier that morning that investigators had ruled his death a homicide. He was fatally shot in his home on Saturday. He thanked the Bishops brother, Kieran, his sister-in-law Paula, his nieces and nephews Ciara, Orla, David, Aoisha, Chloe and Brian for giving Los Angeles the blessing of having David OConnell among them rather than residing in his native Cork. When you have found an obituary of interest, you have the option of upgrading that obituary with more recent and relevant content unless the obituary is He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected, the archbishop said. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. That meeting left a strong impression on the young student, and he eventually opted to study for the priesthood at All-Hallows College, which prepared candidates for missions abroad. The people have touched my heart the way they are sincere," he added. He was also a good friend, and I will miss him greatly, continued Archbishop Gomez, who asked for prayers for the bishop and his family in Ireland. Theresa Gartland, 40, walked from her home nearby in downtown Los Angeles to attend the afternoon viewing. Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. OConnell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in LAs inner city, has died. He praised Bishop OConnell as a good friend of Los Angeles who had served the city for more than 40 years. 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Bishop OConnell cared deeply for victims of social and racial injustice and spent most of his priesthood in South Central Los Angeles, Bishop Barron said. (Photo by Dean Musgrove), People attend a public viewing for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. "He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected," the archbishop added. Lend an ear and listen to people. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Hutchings holds a B.A. And now Cork man that he is has left without saying goodbye. (Jay L. Clendenin / LA Times) Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. OConnell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in LAs inner city, has died. There, OConnell ministered to a community afflicted by gang violence, poverty, broken families, as well as tensions between locals and members of the Los Angeles Police Department and the LA Sheriffs Department. David was a friend of souls, Cunnane told the congregation during the homily. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department previously said investigators responded to a shooting death at 12:57 p.m. on Saturday in the LA suburb of Hacienda Heights, where an adult male was pronounced dead. Its something weve heard to this point, and that is something the detectives will go out and validate and see if its true or not.. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. But grateful to God for having had all those years a good friend to walk the road with, he said. You are a good man, Man you are on fire, to quote just a few.. And its been a great privilege, a great blessing to be given these parishes all these years, to be pastor all these years. He helped restore trust between residents and law enforcement by organizing meetings with police officers in peoples homes and providing opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation in the aftermath of the 1992 LA riots. He went to Glounthaune National School and continued to Farranferris College in Cork city. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. The church pews filled an hour before the Mass. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), People attend a Vigil Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. Beverly - David R. O'Connell, 58, of Beverly, died on Wednesday, January 5, 2022, at Beverly Hospital. David OConnell, the Bishops nephew, expressed the same reverence for his uncle. Sheriff Luna said the motive remained under investigation. He offered his condolences to the family of the late Bishop. At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. Joseph Bukuras is a staff writer at the Catholic News Agency. Bishop David O'Connell's nephew remembered him as 'a comedian' who introduced his nieces and nephews to Disneyland and Denny's. Ramon Reyes, from Incarnation Catholic Church in Glendale, echoed another theme through the week that OConnell was a model of service for a generation. He also took a leading role in advocating for immigrants and was chairman of the inter-diocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force. He had a gift for telling stories and had a delightful, playful sense of humor, Bishop Barron said, adding that Bishop OConnell had once performed at a comedy clubs open mic night. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), David OConnell, nephew of Bishop David OConnell, speaks at the Funeral Mass for his uncle at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. The three formal days of mourning for OConnell, while rare, seemed appropriate given his decades of shepherding his flock. When you subscribe to the CNA UPDATE, we'll send you a daily email with links to the news you need and, occasionally, breaking news. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. They were always words of affirmation. He was a progressive within the church and told the Los Angeles Times journalist Mary McNamara that women should be ordained and clergy should be able to marry. in communication and M.S. usually in the mountains focusing on how to be good fathers and husbands, something he saw as key to the health of a community. He said a Cork man might leave without saying goodbye but a Sligo man might say goodbye but he wouldnt leave.. A view of the nave of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels where the funeral Mass for Bishop David O'Connell will be celebrated | David Leigh Ellis|Wikipedia|CC BY-SA 3.0, Bishop Paprocki, Archbishop Naumann speak out in support of Traditional Latin Mass goers in their dioceses. Make sure that those who are close to you know that you love them and are proud of them., [Bishop David OConnell obituary: Progressive cleric from Cork who spent his life in Los Angeles]. He worked to restore trust between law enforcement and residents by bringing the two together in peoples homes for dialogue. He brought peace to souls.. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. As a pastor, OConnell also saw firsthand the effect of broken families on the community. He said that his friend, who he first met when they studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin in 1971, was as at ease with the movers and the shakers and also with the moved and the shaken. We all love you so much, David OConnell, the bishops nephew, said during his eulogy. All Los Angeles county flags were lowered to half-mast after his death and people gathered to pray for him outside his home and in parishes where he had worked since his arrival in Los Angeles more than 43 years ago. During that time, OConnell ministered to a community afflicted by gang violence and poverty. It is a privilege to be part of peoples lives, especially in their time of suffering and need, he said, on learning he was to be elevated to auxiliary bishop in 2015. He was the kind of person that, when he walked in the room, everyone felt better, Bishop Barron said. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez places a bible on the casket of Bishop David OConnell at Funeral Mass held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. We need to rebuild the fabric of our relationships so we can be a hopeful world.. He became Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2015. The Mass will be livestreamed here. Theres a young lady that I still keep in touch with she has asylum now, shes getting straight As in school, and her sister is in the Navy.. There is no known motive for the murder on February 18th. Born: July 16th, 1953 Died: February 18th, 2023 Bishop David OConnell who has died, aged 69, was originally from Cork but spent his Catholic ministry in Los Angeles (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Former LA mayor Eric Garcetti attends the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. (Photo by Dean Musgrove), The entrance for the viewing for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, in Downtown Los Angeles, March 2, 2023. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Priests and bishops walk to the altar for Bishop David OConnells Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. This is Pope Francis prayer intention for the month of March, God really intervened: How a Catholic priest escaped from his kidnappers in Haiti, Decline in vocations to the priesthood is worse where priests serve larger flocks, report says, Suspect confesses to the murder of Bishop David OConnell, LA prosecutor says, Catholics, are you going to confession? Michael David OConnell, Sr., 73 of Allegan, Michigan, passed away early Friday morning, October 1, 2021 at Holland Hospital. Bishop David OConnell who has died, aged 69, was originally from Cork but spent his Catholic ministry in Los Angeles where he was a community leader and vocal campaigner on behalf of immigrants and marginalised people. "It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness," Gomez said. His story is worth sharing. Everyone the West, Putin, China learned the wrong lessons from the Gorbachev era, We dont know when this war will be over, but we know this: Ukraine will be a strong, sovereign and independent nation, Arrival of Pret a Manger is not actually an act of cultural vandalism. March 3, 2023 6:44 PM PT. It was as if the city where OConnell had dedicated much of his life wanted to provide a glimmer for him as a final send off. that matched that description, Sheriff Luna said. The younger OConnell, as if speaking to the heavens, told his uncle he and everyone who knew the bishop was proud of him. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez greets family members of Bishop David OConnell at the Funeral Mass held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. O'Connell was born in County Cork, Ireland, and ordained in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979, the diocesan news site Angelus News reported. It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop David G. OConnell was held (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem stand as others pay their respects during the viewing for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, in Downtown Los Angeles, March 2, 2023. He worked on efforts to curb violence in the city, and many of his congregants were minorities and immigrants. OConnell then began serving in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and held many different positions during his priesthood, in which he ministered to immigrants and those affected by both gang violence and poverty. In a statement following O'Connell's death, Archbishop Jos H. Gomez described the 69-year-old O'Connell as a "peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant.". A Catholic bishop who church leaders remembered as a "peacemaker" was found dead of a gunshot wound on Saturday. ", Immigration attorney Linda Dakin-Grimm said O'Connell was "there for every child and family I have represented. Apu OConnells ministry will be forever memorialized by the people he helped and the support be it assistance with an asylum application, or merely a friendly smile. Luna said two firearms were recovered at Medina's home, and they were being tested to determine if either weapon was involved in the Saturday shooting. O'Connell, who had been a priest and then a bishop during his 45 years with the church, was found dead in a home Sunday in the unincorporated neighborhood of Visitation David M. O'Connell, loving husband and father, passed away on December 12, 2018 after a brief illness. There was an outpouring of grief among the communities in which he worked when the news emerged that he had been shot dead at his home in Hacienda Heights. He was a dear friend and brother, Garcetti, whod known OConnell for 20 years, said in an interview after the Mass. He understood that grassroots organising was the only way that the poor and disenfranchised would win power and a better life.. We provide news about the Church and the world, as seen through the teachings of the Catholic Church. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Church pays tributes to murdered Cork-born Bishop David OConnell, World Meeting of Families accused of blacklisting liberal Catholic group, Southern California Immigration Task Force, Betty Boothroyd obituary: First woman speaker of the House of Commons famed for her warmth and wit, Frank Feely obituary: The man who ran Dublin, Jo Egan dramatist with a strong commitment to feminism and social justice, Henry McDonald: Leading journalist and author of authoritative books on the Troubles, Roy Lilley: courageous editor of Belfast Telegraph during worst of the Troubles, Refugees told they are to be moved as hotels prepare for holiday season. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez delivers the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. The authorities arrested a man on Monday in connection with the killing of David G. OConnell, an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who was found fatally shot at his home on Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department said. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. Age 85. Your monthly donation will help our team continue reporting the truth, with fairness, integrity, and fidelity to Jesus Christ and his Church. The funeral Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 3, also at the cathedral. Mr OConnell thanked all those who had assisted in the police investigation following the murder of his uncle. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Before the Mass, he remembered being OConnells shadow as the bishop mentored him into priesthood in South L.A. He was a mentor, and a spiritual father, Meyer said. David OConnell, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, leading a memorial service in 2020. On Saturday, Feb. 18, authorities found OConnell, 69, dead by gunshot wound at his Hacienda Heights home. OConnell was He was ordained in June 1979 and returned to Glounthaune to say his first Mass in the Sacred Heart Church where he had been baptised almost 26 years earlier. Apart from aiding neighborhood recovery efforts, OConnell pushed to restore trust between the inner-city residents and law enforcement. He healed souls. And its very sad that were gathered here today to talk about his murder in this way.. And we thought we really had achieved a lot of progress. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez at the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. OConnell was pastor at St. Frances Cabrini Parish when the violent 1992 L.A. riots took place after the acquittal of four police officers who had been videotaped beating an unarmed black man, Rodney King. Over the years, O'Connell was a pastor at a number of parishes in Los Angeles and several nearby communities. I have heard from people in Peru and South Africa. Watch for these changes, Pope Francis approves miracle to pave way to beatification of Elisabetta Martinez. Investigators later learned that Mr. Medina drove an S.U.V. "Your sudden departure has left us extremely sad," Pimentel said. How the biggest companies plan mass layoffs, Greece train crash: Rescuers to wrap up search operation, Thinking Anew Speaking the language of compassion. He then left for the archdiocese of Los Angeles, beginning his ministry at St Raymond parish in Downey. During the pandemic, he held a daily prayer group for me just to sustain me in the darkest days I had ever seen as a leader when people were dying he shone a light and helped me continue that work.. Los Angeles county has the highest poverty rate in California and his work focused on helping marginalised people in communities affected by gang violence, drugs and poverty. Bishop Robert Barron, a former auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles who now serves in Minnesota, said he first met Bishop OConnell when they were appointed as bishops on the same day in September 2015. And of course in Ireland. Anyone can read what you share. He later described his role in the rebuilding of the historic church as one of support and encouragement.. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Bishop David OConnells Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. This level of trust has helped us over many different crises over the last almost 30 years to be able to talk things through..