Martin John O'Connor
The Most Reverend Martin John O'Connor | |
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Titular Archbishop of Laodicea | |
Roman Catholic |
Styles of Martin John O'Connor | ||
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Reference style His Excellency | | |
Spoken style | Your Excellency |
Martin John O'Connor (May 18, 1900 – December 1, 1986) was an American
Biography
Early life and education
Martin O'Connor was born on May 18, 1900, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, to Martin John and Belinda Catherine (née Caffrey) O'Connor.[1] His parents died when he was young.[2] He received his early education at James Madison Elementary School, but was later transferred to the district's administration building to attend advanced classes.[3] O'Connor entered St. Thomas High School in Scranton at age 12, and enrolled at St. Thomas College three years later.[3] He graduated from St. Thomas with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1918.[1]
O'Connor began his studies for the
Priesthood
On March 15, 1924, O'Connor was
Returning to Pennsylvania in 1929, O'Connor was appointed secretary to Bishop Thomas O'Reilly and as chancellor of the diocese.[1] He served as an associate editor of the diocesan newspaper, Catholic Light, from 1929 to 1932.[2]From 1934 to 1943, O'Connor was pastor of St. Peter's Cathedral Parish.[4] He was named a papal chamberlain in 1931, and raised to the rank of domestic prelate in 1936.[1] In addition to his pastoral duties, O'Connor became vicar general of the diocese in 1938.[7]
Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton
On November 14, 1942, O'Connor was appointed as an
Rector of the Pontifical North American College
O'Connor was named
Curial official
With the establishment of the
O'Connor was raised to titular archbishop of Laodicea in Syria on September 5, 1959. O'Connor attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council between 1962 and 1965.[6] During the preparatory stages of the Council, he was named to head the press secretariat in June 1960.[12] As head of the secretariat, he drafted a constitution dealing with the press, motion pictures, radio, and television.[13] In September 1963, in response to complaints by journalists about the lack of news sources, he was appointed to head a new press committee for the second session of the Council.[14]
Apostolic Nuncio to Malta
He became the first Nuncio to Malta on December 15, 1965. According to his Los Angeles Times obituary, "the appointment marked the first time a papal ambassador had been sent to a country in the United Kingdom since the Protestant Reformation 400 years earlier"[15] – although technically, Malta was no longer in the United Kingdom after 1964.[16]
Retirement
O'Connor resigned his
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Curtis, Georgina Pell (1961). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. XIV. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
- ^ a b c d e "M.J. O'Connor, 86; Archbishop Served Vatican 2 Decades". The New York Times. 1986-12-03.
- ^ a b Gallagher, John P. (1968). A Century of History: The Diocese of Scranton, 1868-1968. Diocese of Scranton.
- ^ a b c d "Consecrated as Bishop Of Scranton, Pa., Diocese". The New York Times. 1943-01-28.
- ^ "A Versatile Prelate: Martin John O'Connor". The New York Times. 1962-11-24.
- ^ a b c d e "Archbishop Martin John O'Connor". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.[self-published source]
- ^ "Bishop Named Rector Of College in Rome". The New York Times. 1946-11-22.
- ^ TIME Magazine. Yankee Seminarians October 19, 1959
- ^ The Pontifical North American College. A Brief History of the North American College Archived 2007-08-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Hebblethwaite, Peter. "Politics in the Purple Kingdom: The Derailment of Vatican II" - book review. National Catholic Reporter. December 10, 1993.
- ^ "Pope Names U.S. Bishop to Post". The New York Times. 1954-11-12.
- ^ "Pope Appoints Press Aide". The New York Times. 1960-06-21.
- ^ "MEDIA GUIDANCE WEIGHED IN ROME; Document on Church's Role Pleases Vatican Council". The New York Times. 1962-11-24.
- ^ "PRESS CHIEF NAMED BY VATICAN COUNCIL". The New York Times. 1963-09-08.
- ^ "Archbishop O'Connor, 86; Papal Adviser, Ambassador". Los Angeles Times. December 5, 1986.
- ^ "Malta Independence Act". The National Archives (UK). 1964.