David O’Connell, auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles Archdiocese in the United States, was shot dead on Saturday. The archdiocese commemorated his death in mourning for his life’s services to the Church as a peacemaker and advocate for immigrants.
David O’Connell, the auxiliary bishop of Los Angeles, was found shot to death in the suburb of Hacienda Heights at 1:00 p.m. local time on Saturday. He was pronounced dead at the scene, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department released a statement without naming Bishop O’Connell that a young man is under surveillance in connection with the shooting. No details about any suspects or a motive for the killings have been released.
A beating heart for the poor and immigrants
Los Angeles Metropolitan Jose Gomez expressed his “shock and sadness” at the sudden death of Auxiliary Bishop Davis O’Connell in a statement Saturday, saying O’Connell was “a peacemaker with a heart for the poor and immigrants, and a passion for building a society that respects and preserves the sanctity and dignity of every human life.” Also recorded. He was a good friend and will be greatly missed, he added.
The archbishop said the 69-year-old O’Connell, who served Los Angeles for 45 years as a priest and later as a bishop, was a man of deep prayer who loved the Blessed Virgin. Urged to pray for the deceased bishop and his family in Ireland, José Gómez wished Metropolitan Mother of Guadalupe to wrap him in her mantle of love, may the angels guide him to heaven and may his soul rest in peace.
Irish priest in American diocese
Born on August 16, 1953 in Cork, Ireland, O’Connell studied theology at All Hallows College, Dublin. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on June 10, 1979. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles by Pope Francis on June 21, 2015. Rubini CTC, Vatican News
