Edward Joseph O'Donnell
St Louis, Missouri, US | |
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| Died | February 1, 2009 (aged 77) Kirkwood, Missouri, US |
Edward Joseph O'Donnell (July 4, 1931 – February 1, 2009) was an
O'Donnell built a reputation as a strong supporter of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States during the 1960's.
Biography
Early life
Edward O'Donnell was born on July 4, 1931,
O'Donnell was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis on April 6, 1956, by Cardinal Joseph Ritter.[3] In 1965, O'Donnell led a contingent from St. Louis to Alabama to participate in the Selma to Montgomery civil rights march.
O'Donnell ran the Radio and Television Apostolate for the archdiocese. He moderated a television programs called “Quiz A Catholic” and appeared on radio in discussions with clergy from other faiths. [2]
Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Louis
On December 6, 1982, Pope John Paul II appointed O'Donnell as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Louis; he was consecrated by Archbishop John Lawrence May on February 10, 1983. [3] He also served as vicar general of the archdiocese and edited its newspaper.[2]
In 1993, O'Donnell was appointed as apostolic administrator of the archdiocese while Archbishop May was fighting brain cancer. He served in this role for 15 months.[2] He founded the Pro-Life Committee for the archdiocese as part of his opposition to abortion rights for women. It was one of the first Catholic groups in the nation to provide support to women who chose not to have abortions.[2]
Bishop of Lafayette
On November 8, 1994, John Paul II appointed O'Donnell as bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette. He was installed on December 16, 1994.[3] One of O'Donnell's initiatives was to increase the number of African-Americans in diocesan affairs.[4] He also instituted one of the first zero tolerance policies towards child sexual abuse by clergy in the nation.[2]
On November 8, 2002, John Paul II accepted O'Donnell's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Lafayette. Edward O'Donnell died from Parkinson's disease on February 1, 2009, at St. Agnes Home in Kirkwood, Missouri, at age 77.[3][2]
Notes
- ^ "Community mourns: O'Donnell served as bishop of Lafayette Diocese until 2002 | theadvertiser.com | the Advertiser". Archived from the original on 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Obituary of Bishop Edward O'Donnell: Civil rights leader, beloved pastor". STLPR. 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
- ^ a b c d "Bishop Edward Joseph O'Donnell". Catholic-Hierarchy.org. David M. Cheney. Retrieved 21 January 2015.[self-published source]
- ^ "Bishop Edward O'Donnell". Roman Catholic Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
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