Suzanne Hernandez, who worships at Holy Name of Mary Parish in the San Gabriel Valley city of San Dimas, said O’Connell was caring, humble and “a man of the people” who encouraged others to speak up.
“If there was an injustice, he encouraged people not to be afraid,” said Hernandez, who met O’Connell at an archdiocese event a few years ago. “He was such a champion for the immigrants here in California … In this political climate that we unfortunately live in, people like him, there’s a big need for them.”
Bishop O’Connell was an involved member of the community in and outside of the church. He attended community events like this to eat and talk with members of the L.A. migrant community. Courtesy of Linda Dakin-Grimm
Larry Dietz, vice president for the San Gabriel Valley chapter of the Knights of Columbus, regarded O’Connell as a “brother knight.”
“He was one of us,” said Dietz, who was at the prayer service on Sunday with members of Knights on Bikes who belong to the fraternal organization.
“He would do anything for his parishes … for the Knights, for his Catholic family. It was whatever he could do, he was there, and we were always there to support him,” Dietz said.
“We’re taught to protect our bishop, our priests, our clergy. So whatever they need, in a heartbeat we’re there,” he added.
O’Connell, 69, a native of Ireland, had been episcopal vicar for the archdiocese’s San Gabriel Pastoral Region since 2015, when Pope Francis named him an auxiliary, according to Angelus News, the L.A. Archdiocese’s news outlet. He had worked in the L.A. diocese for 45 years.
Born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1953, O’Connell studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin and was ordained to serve in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979, according to Angelus News.
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After ordination, O’Connell worked in South Central L.A. parishes and focused on gang intervention. He worked to mediate peace between residents and law enforcement following the violent 1992 uprising after a jury acquitted four white L.A. police officers in the beating of Rodney King.
O’Connell was a “peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant,” Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said in his statement, “and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life was honored and protected.”
His influence was widespread in the L.A. region, and across the country and globe.
A poster and rosary hang on a sign marked off with crime scene tape in memory of Bishop O’Connell on Sunday evening, Feb. 19, 2023, in Hacienda Heights. RNS photo by Alejandra Molina
The Diocese of Cork and Ross in Ireland, where O’Connell was born, called for prayers for the bishop’s death. Bishop Fintan Gavin said in a statement that O’Connell “has always maintained his connection with family and friends in Cork.”
Former L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti called O’Connell a friend who was part of a prayer group he participated in during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This city has lost one of its most beautiful angels,” he said.
Sister Norma Pimentel regarded O’Connell as “truly a man of God!” His departure, she said on Twitter, “has left us extremely sad.”
Even officials with the Los Angeles Football Club recognized the impact of O’Connell, who blessed the then-Banc of California Stadium at the 2018 ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Rich Orosco, chief brand officer for LAFC, recalled in an Instagram post meeting O’Connell in 2013 and describing him “as a football loving Irishman,” who became a co-founder for the club’s youth leadership program, “committed to making an impact with underprivileged youth in LA.”
“He was a true community hero with a huge heart,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared here.
