Born in Cork, Ireland, David O’Connell served in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 45 years. His body was found in his home.
The death of US Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell provoked horror. The cleric known as a peacemaker was found shot dead in his California home over the weekend, US media reported, according to Kathpress. Investigators still have no leads on the perpetrator or motive. O’Connell was from Cork, Ireland, and worked in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles for 45 years, serving as an auxiliary bishop since 2015.
Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles said he was “very saddened” in a statement released on Saturday. And again: “It’s a shock and I have no words to express my sadness.” O’Connell was a good friend who will be greatly missed. “He was a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and immigrants, and he had a passion for building a community where the sanctity and dignity of every human life is honored and protected,” said the Archbishop.
O’Connell was valued in politics and society for his social commitment. For several years he worked in the “South Central” slum as a pastor for blacks and Latinos and was particularly concerned with immigration issues. Among other things, he was president of an organization that helps children and families who immigrated from Central America.
(APA/KAP/KNA)