Bishop O'Connell's biography
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
Bishop O’Connell was born April 21, 1955, in Philadelphia. A priest of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians, he grew up in Langhorne, Pa., one of four sons of June O’Connell, a resident of Langhorne, and the late Arthur J. O’Connell, who passed away Aug. 21, 2005. His brothers, Arthur Jr., Dennis and Daniel, all reside in the Philadelphia area.
His family are longtime members of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, Pa. He attended the parish grammar school, where he was taught by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters. Knowing from an early age that he wished to pursue the priesthood, Bishop O’Connell attended the Vincentians’ St. Joseph Preparatory High School, Princeton. He continued his Vincentian education in Niagara University, New York, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1978.
Bishop O’Connell prepared for the priesthood in Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, Pa., where he received a master of divinity degree in 1981 and a master’s degree in moral theology in 1983. On May 29, 1982, he was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Mission in Mary Immaculate Seminary by Bishop Joseph McShea of the Diocese of Allentown.
Following ordination, Bishop O’Connell’s first assignment was as director of student activities and faculty in Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Pa., where he served from 1982 to 1985. He then pursued studies in canon law at The Catholic University of America, Washington, obtaining a licentiate in 1987 and then a doctorate in canon law in 1990. He has since received numerous honorary academic degrees from various colleges and universities.
While working toward his canon law degrees, Bishop O’Connell also served as registrar and assistant professor of canon law, theology and philosophy in Mary Immaculate Seminary.
In 1990, he joined St. John’s University, Queens, N.Y., where he served in various capacities, including professor of theology and religious studies, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, academic dean and dean of faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and assistant to legal counsel. He also spent one year simultaneously serving as interim academic vice president of Niagara University.
In 1998, then-Father O’Connell was named the 14th president of The Catholic University of America. Among the many highlights of his presidency was the opportunity to serve as a member of the planning committee for Pope Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to the United States in April 2008 and to host the pope at CUA, where he delivered an address to Catholic educators. In the fall of 2009, then-Father O’Connell announced his plan to resign from CUA in the summer of 2010.
On June 4, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed then-Father O’Connell as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Trenton. He was ordained to the episcopacy by Bishop John M. Smith in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, on July 30, 2010. When Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Smith on Dec. 1, 2010, Bishop O'Connell succeeded him as the 10th Bishop of Trenton.
Since becoming bishop of the Diocese, Bishop O’Connell has focused his efforts on the catechetical development of his flock, the sanctification and cultivation of his priests and the advancement of new vocations. The Bishop initiated a 2011 diocesan administration restructuring that led to the creation of the Office for Catholic Social Services, and has been credited with active support for social service programs across the four counties of the Diocese.
Bishop O’Connell has been a staunch supporter of Catholic education, implementing strategic planning, leadership development and marketing efforts to build sustainability of the Catholic schools in the Diocese. He also commissioned an evaluation and realignment of the Diocese’s permanent deacon formation program and a review and updating of the Fourth Diocesan Synod statutes promulgated in 1991.
In addition to his active support of social service programs, his efforts on behalf of the less fortunate included the mobilization of a massive relief effort for the victims of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, an outreach that has continued to the present day along the Bayshore and coastal areas of the Diocese.
[[In-content Ad]]
Related Stories
Sunday, December 14, 2025
E-Editions
Events
Bishop O’Connell was born April 21, 1955, in Philadelphia. A priest of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentians, he grew up in Langhorne, Pa., one of four sons of June O’Connell, a resident of Langhorne, and the late Arthur J. O’Connell, who passed away Aug. 21, 2005. His brothers, Arthur Jr., Dennis and Daniel, all reside in the Philadelphia area.
His family are longtime members of Our Lady of Grace Parish, Penndel, Pa. He attended the parish grammar school, where he was taught by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters. Knowing from an early age that he wished to pursue the priesthood, Bishop O’Connell attended the Vincentians’ St. Joseph Preparatory High School, Princeton. He continued his Vincentian education in Niagara University, New York, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in philosophy in 1978.
Bishop O’Connell prepared for the priesthood in Mary Immaculate Seminary, Northampton, Pa., where he received a master of divinity degree in 1981 and a master’s degree in moral theology in 1983. On May 29, 1982, he was ordained a priest of the Congregation of the Mission in Mary Immaculate Seminary by Bishop Joseph McShea of the Diocese of Allentown.
Following ordination, Bishop O’Connell’s first assignment was as director of student activities and faculty in Archbishop Wood High School, Warminster, Pa., where he served from 1982 to 1985. He then pursued studies in canon law at The Catholic University of America, Washington, obtaining a licentiate in 1987 and then a doctorate in canon law in 1990. He has since received numerous honorary academic degrees from various colleges and universities.
While working toward his canon law degrees, Bishop O’Connell also served as registrar and assistant professor of canon law, theology and philosophy in Mary Immaculate Seminary.
In 1990, he joined St. John’s University, Queens, N.Y., where he served in various capacities, including professor of theology and religious studies, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, academic dean and dean of faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and assistant to legal counsel. He also spent one year simultaneously serving as interim academic vice president of Niagara University.
In 1998, then-Father O’Connell was named the 14th president of The Catholic University of America. Among the many highlights of his presidency was the opportunity to serve as a member of the planning committee for Pope Benedict XVI’s pastoral visit to the United States in April 2008 and to host the pope at CUA, where he delivered an address to Catholic educators. In the fall of 2009, then-Father O’Connell announced his plan to resign from CUA in the summer of 2010.
On June 4, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI appointed then-Father O’Connell as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Trenton. He was ordained to the episcopacy by Bishop John M. Smith in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton, on July 30, 2010. When Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Bishop Smith on Dec. 1, 2010, Bishop O'Connell succeeded him as the 10th Bishop of Trenton.
Since becoming bishop of the Diocese, Bishop O’Connell has focused his efforts on the catechetical development of his flock, the sanctification and cultivation of his priests and the advancement of new vocations. The Bishop initiated a 2011 diocesan administration restructuring that led to the creation of the Office for Catholic Social Services, and has been credited with active support for social service programs across the four counties of the Diocese.
Bishop O’Connell has been a staunch supporter of Catholic education, implementing strategic planning, leadership development and marketing efforts to build sustainability of the Catholic schools in the Diocese. He also commissioned an evaluation and realignment of the Diocese’s permanent deacon formation program and a review and updating of the Fourth Diocesan Synod statutes promulgated in 1991.
In addition to his active support of social service programs, his efforts on behalf of the less fortunate included the mobilization of a massive relief effort for the victims of Superstorm Sandy in 2012, an outreach that has continued to the present day along the Bayshore and coastal areas of the Diocese.
[[In-content Ad]]