The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Reyes said that the large number of people attending the viewing on Thursday showed how many lives OConnell impacted. Julio Cortez/AP Please enter your information to receive emails informing you of families we are currently serving. He was also the chairman of the interdiocesan Southern California Immigration Task Force which helped coordinate the churchs response to immigrant children and families from Central America in recent years. Carlos Medina, husband of his housekeeper, has been charged with his murder. A tipster told detectives on Sunday evening that he was concerned because Mr. Medina, who lives in Torrance, Calif., had been acting strange, irrational and made comments about the bishop owing him money, Sheriff Luna said. Smiles and tears abounded on Friday as Los Angeles Countys Catholic faithful gathered for a moment of mournful reverence for OConnell, the auxiliary bishop for the LA archdiocese and the Roman Catholic Churchs spiritual leader for the San Gabriel Valley. At Catholic News Agency, our team is committed to reporting the truth with courage, integrity, and fidelity to our faith. WebOBITUARY NOTIFICATIONS. On Saturday, parishioners gathered at the scene of O'Connell's death and lit candles in memory of the religious leader, Los Angeles Daily News reporter Clara Harter tweeted. He worked to restore trust between law enforcement and residents by bringing the two together in peoples homes for dialogue. This man, this bishop, made a huge difference in our community, Sheriff Luna said. He had previously served as a pastor at several parishes in Los Angeles, including St. Michaels and St. Frances X. Cabrini. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. 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A Catholic bishop who church leaders remembered as a "peacemaker" was found dead of a gunshot wound on Saturday. David M. O'Connell, loving husband and father, passed away on December 12, 2018 after a brief illness. Luna said two firearms were recovered at Medina's home, and they were being tested to determine if either weapon was involved in the Saturday shooting. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Gomez walks to the altar for Bishop David OConnells Vigil Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Thursday evening, March 2, 2023. But grateful to God for having had all those years a good friend to walk the road with, he said. The authorities said the man in custody was the husband of the bishops housekeeper. 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 During the pandemic, he held a daily prayer group for me just to sustain me in the darkest days I had ever seen as a leader when people were dying he shone a light and helped me continue that work.. Every day he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant and to all those living on societys margins, Archbishop Gomez said. As part of this free service you may receive occasional offers from us at EWTN News and EWTN. A Sligoman would say goodbye but wouldnt leave. He was the one we went to for advice and support. 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. He was the loving husband to Lynnette (Strople) O'Connell with OConnell was at the scene hours after the early morning fire, rosary in hand, to grieve and pray with shocked parishioners. Hutchings holds a B.A. I ". The Rev. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Born: July 16th, 1953 Died: February 18th, 2023 Bishop David OConnell who has died, aged 69, was originally from Cork but spent his Catholic ministry in Los Angeles OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. During that time, OConnell ministered to a community afflicted by gang violence and poverty. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini Church, Ascension Church, St. Eugene Church, and St. Michael Church all in South LA. Mourners had waited in long lines that stretched outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown LA over a four-hour period on Thursday to pay their respects to Bishop OConnell as he lay in repose in an open casket. And now Cork man that he is has left without saying goodbye. 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. Ruth Graham and Christine Hauser contributed reporting. Irish-born Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, David OConnell, who was shot dead last month was so beloved in the community that his funeral remembrances took place over three days culminating in his interment in a crypt in a Cathedral on Friday. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. He and other local faith leaders helped organize meetings with police officers in peoples homes and provide opportunities for dialogue and reconciliation. The people have touched my heart the way they are sincere.. It had poignancy and humor. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), A standing room only crowd attends the Funeral Mass for Bishop David OConnell at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. OConnell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in LAs inner city, has died. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. Cunnanes homily managed to make the crowd both laugh and cry. Born in Springfield on February 20, 1935, he was a son of the late Thomas and Mary (Lacey) OConnell. A police chase is underway involving a possible shooting suspect. There was a trust built up between LAPD and residents. O'Connell was 69. 270 Main Street Watertown, MA DAVID O'CONNELL OBITUARY O'CONNELL, David Michael Of Watertown, March 31, 2020. It was as if the city where OConnell had dedicated much of his life wanted to provide a glimmer for him as a final send off. about violence in urban America when the riots started. Cunnane, who is from Sligo, Ireland, closed his homily with an apt saying from his and OConnells shared homeland. He was ordained in June 1979 and returned to Glounthaune to say his first Mass in the Sacred Heart Church where he had been baptised almost 26 years earlier. Bishop OConnell once said that being a pastor was the greatest joy of his life. OConnells ministry will be forever memorialized by the people he helped and the support be it assistance with an asylum application, or merely a friendly smile. Gartland said she knew OConnell through working with Catholic schools in South L.A. when he was a pastor at St. Michaels, among a series of L.A. churches where he rooted his ministry in a community afflicted with poverty and violence. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a statement that Bishop OConnell was an active member of our Conference and a champion for the poor and marginalized who had previously led its antipoverty initiative. I knew it was going to be a big turnout because he touched and impacted so many lives.. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OConnell made headlines when he led a blessing of the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas as he, held up a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament, Its been the great joy of my life to be the pastor of these people, especially the ones who are suffering or in need or facing difficulty, OConnell, . Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated with new details as they become available. [Church pays tributes to murdered Cork-born Bishop David OConnell], [World Meeting of Families accused of blacklisting liberal Catholic group]. All services will be livestreamed at lacatholics.org/bishop-connell. He then left for the archdiocese of Los Angeles, beginning his ministry at St Raymond parish in Downey. Kristy Hutchings covers all things Long Beach including local government, politics, and the environment. David OConnell, an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, leading a memorial service in 2020. 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 said. Monsignor Cunnane said that Bishop OConnell had a particular fondness for Guinness which he described with his typical comedic touch as being all black with a white collar a bit like a priest. OConnell was fatally shot at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. He felt that it was his lifes mission to work with the disadvantaged poor in the wealthiest region of the US. 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Theres a young lady that I still keep in touch with she has asylum now, shes getting straight As in school, and her sister is in the Navy.. A Catholic bishop who church leaders remembered as a "peacemaker" was found dead of a gunshot wound on Saturday. Los Angeles County Roman Catholics paid their respects to Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell during a public viewing and vigil Thursday, March 2, at the churchs Downtown L.A. cathedral that filled the 3,000-capacity house of worship. Funeral services will take place over a three-day period, beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights. 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., Archbishop of Los Angeles Jos Gmez described Bishop OConnell as a man of peace. Mr OConnell thanked all those who had assisted in the police investigation following the murder of his uncle. At the national level, OConnell was the chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Subcommittee on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. (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. The suspect in the shooting, 61-year-old Carlos Medina, has been charged with the murder. After ordination, he served as associate pastor in several parishes and as the lead pastor at St. Frances X. Cabrini, Ascension, St. Eugene and St. Michaels parishes all in LA. No matter what the configuration of the family is, the call is still to adults to think about how to provide the best, most loving, faithful environment for children possible. The comments were made in a video associated with the Catholic World Meeting of Families event in Dublin and generated some controversy when they were edited from a later version of the video. Mayors Eric Garcetti and James Hahn, and L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn. Archbishop Jose H Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles celebrated the Mass. He held a rosary. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Archbishop Jose Gomez places a bible on the casket of Bishop David OConnell at Funeral Mass held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, CA Friday, March 3, 2023. Father Robert Young, his friend from his secondary school days, remembered him as a very bright and capable student who was warm and sincere. . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. He is survived by his brother Kieran and extended family. He studied for the priesthood at All Hallows College in Dublin, and later moved to Los Angeles to begin his own ministry where he was ordained to serve by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979. Its something weve heard to this point, and that is something the detectives will go out and validate and see if its true or not.. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OConnell made headlines when he led a blessing of the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas as he held up a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament from a nearby lookout. He came home days later to find widespread destruction in much of his parishs territory. 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." Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O'Connell, a native of Ireland who spent most of his four decades as a priest ministering in L.A.'s inner city, was found dead of a gunshot wound Feb. 18. That was part of our work as a Church, to try to provide spaces for conversations, he told CNA in a 2020 interview. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG), Clergy arrive 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. "It is a shock and I have no words to express my sadness," Gomez said. OConnell was found shot at his Hacienda Heights home on February 18. That inspired him to organize. 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. (Jay L. Clendenin / LA Times) He also prayed with grieving parishioners. He said that Mr. Medina had not been formally charged and that investigators were continuing to examine evidence, including two firearms seized from Mr. Medinas home, where he was arrested after a standoff. As will the thousands of others whom OConnell had comforted. Southern California Immigration Task Force. OConnell was shot and killed at his Hacienda Heights home on Feb. 18. Auxiliary Bishop David OConnell was remembered as a man gripped by grace and at ease with movers and shakers and also with the moved and shaken as nearly 5,000 attended a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on Friday morning.