Bishop OConnell was also an advocate for immigrants. hide caption, Bishop David O'Connell, seen above at a meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2021, is being remembered as a peacemaker and "truly a man of God.". The church pews filled an hour before the Mass. Born in Springfield on February 20, 1935, he was a son of the late Thomas and Mary (Lacey) OConnell. David served in the US Army as Private First Class during the Korean War and worked for BASF Bishop David OConnell obituary: Progressive cleric from David did soul work. David O'Connell Obituary (1963 - 2022) - Legacy Remembers usually in the mountains focusing on how to be good fathers and husbands, something he saw as key to the health of a community. With other religious leaders, he brought police officers to meetings in peoples homes in an effort to improve relations. He added that he looks forward to returning to California from Rome to follow in ODonnells footsteps and mentor others into the faith. A vigil Mass was held Thursday for Auxiliary Bishop David G. OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. Don Ball Obituary (1954 - 2023) | Provo, Utah This level of trust has helped us over many different crises over the last almost 30 years to be able to talk things through.. Father Robert Young, his friend from his secondary school days, remembered him as a very bright and capable student who was warm and sincere. A police chase is underway involving a possible shooting suspect. 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. A red velvet rope kept mourners at a slight distance. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Pope Francis named O'Connell an auxiliary bishop in 2015. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. He was the kind of person that, when he walked in the room, everyone felt better, Bishop Barron said. He began his day before dawn, ended it after midnight and filled almost every hour with people, all sorts of people in every state of emotion, need and grace. He offered his condolences to the family of the late Bishop. Apart from aiding neighborhood recovery efforts, OConnell pushed to restore trust between the inner-city residents and law enforcement. From the smallest family to the biggest organizations he was always there, he said. The final goodbye for Bishop David OConnell was grievous and joyous. 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 suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. 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. A Cork man might leave without saying goodbye, Cunnane said. Prior to joining the Press-Telegram, she served as the Daily Breeze's lead city hall reporter. (Photo by Dean Musgrove). Those who knew him testify that he seemed most at ease with the working people he spent all those years with in South LA. Those emotions were on display once again on Thursday, as Cardinal Roger Mahony wept as he embraced OConnells casket in prayer as he ended his homily. Visitation 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. Obituary. They were always words of affirmation. He was the loving husband to Lynnette (Strople) O'Connell with whom he shared 21 years of marriage. Archbishop Jose H Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles celebrated the Mass. In response to the report that O'Connell was killed, Los Angeles Archbishop Jos H. Gomez said, "We are deeply disturbed and saddened by this news.". OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. In his role as episcopal vicar for the archdioceses San Gabriel Pastoral Region, it fell to OConnell to accompany the parish community of Mission San Gabriel, the oldest Catholic outpost in the archdiocese, when it was almost completely destroyed in an. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. At the news conference, Jos H. Gomez, the archbishop of Los Angeles, thanked the authorities for taking a suspect into custody. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. He healed souls. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Members of Bishop David OConnell move his casket through Our Lady of the Angels cathedral at the end of his Vigil Mass in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. On Friday, an 11 a.m. funeral service, also at the Cathedral, is expected to fill the massive sanctuary, where afterward, OConnell will be interred in the Cathedrals Mausoleum in a private service, officials said Thursday. And now Cork man that he is has left without saying goodbye. (Victor Alemn). O'Connell was a native of Ireland and had been a priest and later a bishop in Los Angeles for 45 years. He found the good in people, praised it, and spoke it into them., The recessional 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. Well never make it up, but maybe we can make a dent.. It was that spirit, Mahony said, that moved OConnell in inspired ways, from his now well-known efforts as a peacemaker during the 1992 riots in L.A. to his advocacy of immigrants to connecting with generations of young Catholics and priests. He was pronounced dead at the scene. LOS ANGELES - Funeral services were announced Thursday for Los Angeles Catholic Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell, who was gunned down at his home in Hacienda (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Clergy arrive for the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. Ron DeSantis to visit Orange County for GOP fundraiser, David O'Connell: Mass held for slain LA bishop, The Issue Is: NSC's John Kirby talks Ukraine, China and his own military service, Families asked to clear gas lines amid leaks happening across San Bernardino County homes, Tom Sizemore, 'Saving Private Ryan' Actor, Dies at 61 after suffering brain aneurysm, 'We need help': Stranded Lake Arrowhead residents plead for assistance amid food and medication shortages. He came home days later to find widespread destruction in much of his parishs territory. "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. The Holy Father said the ministry of the late Bishop was marked especially by his profound concern for the poor, immigrants and those in need, his efforts to uphold the sanctity and dignity of Gods gift of life and his zeal for fostering solidarity, co-operation and peace within the local community. Apu Gomes/Agence France-Presse Getty Images, Bishop OConnell said in a July 2015 interview with Angelus. The younger OConnell described how his uncle ended every phone call by telling his nephew how proud of him he was. Cunnane, who is from Sligo, Ireland, closed his homily with an apt saying from his and OConnells shared homeland. Norma Seni Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, called O'Connell "truly a man of God" in a tweet. DAVID O'CONNELL OBITUARY Bishop David O'Connell (center) and Archbishop Jos H. Gomez greet people during the annual Our Lady of Guadalupe procession in Los Angeles in 2019. 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), Mass is given to 4,000 attendees at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels during the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell in Los Angeles, CA, Friday, March 3, 2023. He was a friend of souls. Funeral Services Set for Slain Bishop David O'Connell The Los Angeles Times described him as one of the regions most beloved clerics. OConnell was He was the loving husband to Lynnette (Strople) O'Connell with whom he about violence in urban America when the riots started. The community mourns the loss of Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell, who was found shot dead in Hacienda Heights. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Apu It brought a lot of peace to come today and say goodbye, she said. Weve been forced to draw back from each other. Around 11 a.m., the mourners stood as dozens of church leaders proceeded to the cathedrals altar. He was arrested about six hours later when he walked out of his home, he said. He noted that the bishop was a great supporter of the Diocesan Mission to South America and ensured that it was included in LAs annual mission appeal. But above all, the bishops funeral Mass attended by thousands on Friday morning, March 3, with an untold number watching via livestream reflected the spirit of a man who saw reverence in the prosaic. Respect each other. Bishop Dave loved and served Jesus with all of his heart and all of his strength. OConnell was at the scene hours after the early morning fire, rosary in hand, to grieve and pray with shocked parishioners. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. But now the Cork man that he is has left without saying goodbye. Ted Chen reports for the NBC4 News on Feb. 21, 2023. His work as a community leader came to the fore again during the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020 when he carried the Blessed Sacrament to a high summit in the San Gabriel valley to pray for the community below.