Martin John O'Connor
Martin John O'Connor (born May 18, 1900 in Scranton , Pennsylvania , † December 1, 1986 in Wilkes-Barre ) was an American Curial Archbishop , diplomat of the Holy See and first president of the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications .
Life
Martin John O'Connor was the only child of the teacher John O'Connor and his wife Belinda Caffrey. His parents died when he was young. After graduating from St. Thomas College in Scranton and serving in the Army in World War I , he went to Rome, where he became a seminarian at the Pontifical North America College . On March 15, 1924, he was ordained a priest in Rome , where he also acquired doctoral degrees in theology and canon law. In 1927 he returned to Scranton and worked as an editor and publisher of ecclesiastical publications. From 1934 to 1943 he was a chaplain at Scranton Cathedral.
Pope Pius XII appointed him on November 14, 1942 titular bishop of Thespiae and auxiliary bishop in Scranton . He received his episcopal ordination on January 27, 1943, the Bishop of Scranton, William Joseph Hafey ; Co- consecrators were Gerald Patrick Aloysius O'Hara , Bishop of Savannah-Atlanta , and George Leo Leech , Bishop of Harrisburg . In addition to his duties as auxiliary bishop, O'Connor worked as a pastor at St. Mary's Church in Wilkes-Barre until he was called to Rome again in December 1946 to rebuild the Pontifical North America College, which had been abandoned during World War II . The facility reopened in 1948 and was managed by him until 1964.
In January 1948 Pius XII called made him president of the newly formed Pontifical Commission for Social Communications, while O'Connor was the press office of the Holy See. Pope John XXIII appointed him secretary for the official announcements in the course of the preparation of the Second Vatican Council . O'Connor attended all four sessions of the council, in 1963 he was chairman of the press committee for the second session of the council. In 1959 he was made titular archbishop of Laodicea in Syria . From 1965 to 1969 he was nuncio in Malta .
Pope Paul VI accepted his age-related resignation on September 8, 1971.
Archbishop O'Connor retired to the United States in 1979 and died in a hospital in Wilkes-Barre.
literature
- O'Connor, Martin John. In: Thomas Carson (Ed.): New Catholic encyclopedia. 2nd edition, Thomson / Gale, Detroit 2003.
- MJ O'Connor, 86; Archbishop Served Vatican 2 Decades . In: New York Times . December 3, 1986, p. 26 (American English, nytimes.com [accessed January 23, 2019]).
Web links
- Entry on Martin John O'Connor on catholic-hierarchy.org ; accessed on January 17, 2019 ..
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| --- |
President of the Pontifical Commission for Social Communications 1948–1971 |
Edward Louis Heston CSC |
| Ralph Leo Hayes |
Rector of the Pontifical North America College 1946–1964 |
Francis Frederick Deer |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Connor, Martin John |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Curia Archbishop and first President of the Pontifical Commission on Social Communications |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 18, 1900 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Scranton, Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1st December 1986 |
| Place of death | Wilkes-Barre |