Misplaced Pages

William Aloysius O'Connor (December 27, 1903 – November 14, 1983) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois from 1949 to 1975.

Biography

Early life

William O'Connor was born on December 27, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois, to John and Mary (née Murphy) O'Connor. His brother was longtime Chicago newsman Len O'Connor. William O'Connor attended Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in Chicago from 1917 to 1922, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, from 1922 to 1928.

Priesthood

O'Connor was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Chicago by Cardinal George Mundelein on September 24, 1927. He then furthered his studies in Rome at the Propaganda College, obtaining a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree in 1930.

On his return to Chicago in 1930, O'Connor served as a professor at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary until 1935. He then attended the New York School of Social Work in New York City before becoming superintendent of St. Mary's Training School in Des Plaines, Illinois, in 1936. He was named supervisor of Catholic Charities in the archdiocese in 1938, and president of the National Conference of Catholic Charities in 1944. O'Connor was raised by the Vatican to the rank of a domestic prelate in March 1946. He also served on the advisory board of the War Relief Services in the National Catholic Welfare Council and as director of the USO Council of Chicago.

Bishop of Springfield in Illinois

On December 17, 1948, O'Connor was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on March 7, 1949, from Cardinal Samuel Stritch, with Bishops John Boylan and Albert Zuroweste serving as co-consecrators.

O'Connor instituted the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine in 1950, initiated the diocesan development fund in 1952 for missionary work within the diocese, and founded the diocesan Latin School in 1954 for training young men preparing to enter the priesthood. He held diocesan synods in 1953 and 1963. O'Connor attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in Rome between 1962 and 1965, and was a member of the administrative board of the United States Catholic Conference and Department of Health Affairs from 1969 to 1972.

On July 22, 1975, Pope Paul VI accepted O'Connor's resignation as bishop of Springfield. William O'Connor died after suffering a cardiac arrest at St. John's Hospital in Springfield on November 14, 1983, at age 79.

References

1. ^ Curtis, Georgina Pell (1947). The American Catholic Who's Who. Vol. VII. Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig.
2. ^ "Bishop William Aloysius O'Connor". Catholic-Hierarchy.org.
3. ^ "History of the Diocese of Springfield". Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Archived from the original on 2009-06-09. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
4. ^ "Bishop William O'Connor, 79; Ex-Leader of Illinois Diocese". The New York Times. 1983-11-17.

v t e Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Illinois
Bishops	Bishops of Alton Henry Damian Juncker Peter Joseph Baltes James Ryan Bishops of Springfield in Illinois James Aloysius Griffin William Aloysius O'Connor Joseph Alphonse McNicholas Daniel L. Ryan George Joseph Lucas Thomas John Joseph Paprocki
Churches	Cathedral Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Education	Higher education Benedictine University at Springfield (closed) Quincy University High schools Marquette Catholic High School, Alton St. Teresa High School, Decatur St. Anthony High School, Effingham Routt Catholic High School, Jacksonville Father McGivney Catholic High School, Glen Carbon Notre Dame High School, Quincy Sacred Heart-Griffin High School, Springfield Ursuline Academy, Springfield (closed)
Priests	John Janssen John Baptist Franz Victor Hermann Balke Kevin Vann Carl A. Kemme
Catholic Church portal

v t e Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
v t e Ordinaries of the Archdiocese of Chicago Bishops William Quarter James Oliver Van de Velde Anthony O'Regan James Duggan Coadjutor bishop Thomas Patrick Roger Foley Archbishops Patrick Feehan James Edward Quigley George Mundelein Samuel Stritch Albert Gregory Meyer John Cody Joseph Bernardin Francis George Blase J. Cupich Catholicism portal
v t e Churches in the Archdiocese of Chicago Cathedral Holy Name Cathedral Basilicas Basilica of Saint Hyacinth Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica Queen of All Saints Basilica Churches List List of churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago Chicago Holy Cross Church Holy Family Church Holy Innocents Church Holy Trinity Church Church of the Immaculate Conception Immaculate Heart of Mary Church Nativity of Our Lord Church Notre Dame de Chicago Old St. Patrick's Church Sacred Heart Church St. Barbara Church St. Clement Church St. Edward's Church St. Hedwig's Church St. Ita's Church St. John Cantius Church St. Josaphat Church St. Joseph Church St. Jerome Croatian Church St. Ladislaus Church St. Mary of Perpetual Help Church St. Mary of the Angels Church St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church St. Michael's Church, Old Town St. Michael the Archangel Church, South Shore St. Stanislaus Kostka Church St. Thomas the Apostle Church St. Vincent de Paul Church Church of St. Vitus St. Wenceslaus Church Cook County Holy Family Church, North Chicago St. Anne Church, Barrington St. Mary of Częstochowa Church, Cicero Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Glenview SS. Cyril and Methodius Church, Lemont St. James Church, Lemont St. Martha Church, Morton Grove St. John Brebeuf Church, Niles St. Joseph Church, Wilmette Chapels Madonna Della Strada Chapel
v t e Education in the Archdiocese of Chicago Higher education DePaul University Dominican University Loyola University Chicago Saint Xavier University Stritch School of Medicine Seminaries Catholic Theological Union Saint Joseph College Seminary University of Saint Mary of the Lake High schools Chicago Brother Rice High School Christ the King Jesuit College Prep High School Cristo Rey Jesuit High School De La Salle Institute DePaul College Prep Hales Franciscan High School Holy Trinity High School Josephinum Academy Leo Catholic High School Marist High School Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School Mount Carmel High School Notre Dame High School for Girls Our Lady of Tepeyac High School Resurrection High School St. Benedict High School St. Francis de Sales High School St. Ignatius College Preparatory School St. Patrick High School St. Rita of Cascia High School Cook County St. Viator High School, Arlington Heights St. Laurence High School, Burbank Marian Catholic High School, Chicago Heights Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park Mount Assisi Academy, Lemont Notre Dame College Prep, Niles Fenwick High School, Oak Park Trinity High School, River Forest Guerin College Preparatory High School, River Grove Seton Academy, South Holland St. Joseph High School, Westchester Loyola Academy, Wilmette Regina Dominican High School, Wilmette Lake County Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, Lake Forest Carmel High School, Mundelein Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep, Waukegan Former Higher education Barat College Lexington College St. Viator College High schools Academy of Our Lady, Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary, Chicago Immaculata High School, Chicago Maria High School, Chicago Queen of Peace High School, Burbank St. Gregory the Great High School, Chicago St. Scholastica Academy, Chicago Saint Louise de Marillac High School, Northfield Grade school Our Lady of the Angels School, Chicago
v t e Clergy of the Archdiocese of Chicago Auxiliary bishops Alfred Leo Abramowicz Mark Andrew Bartosic Kevin M. Birmingham Robert Gerald Casey Edwin Michael Conway William Edward Cousins Michael Dempsey Gustavo García-Siller John R. Gorman Raymond E. Goedert Thomas Joseph Grady Wilton Daniel Gregory Jeffrey S. Grob Nevin William Hayes Ronald Aldon Hicks Raymond Peter Hillinger Edward Francis Hoban Thad J. Jakubowski Francis J. Kane Gerald Frederick Kicanas Jerome E. Listecki Robert J. Lombardo Timothy Joseph Lyne John R. Manz Alexander Joseph McGavick William Edward McManus William David O'Brien John L. May George V. Murry Cletus F. O'Donnell Thomas Paprocki Joseph N. Perry George J. Rassas Plácido Rodriguez Alberto Rojas Bernard James Sheil John George Vlazny Andrew Peter Wypych Priests who became bishop elsewhere Peter Joseph Baltes Robert Emmet Barron Romeo Roy Blanchette Stanislaus Vincent Bona Edward Braxton Maurice Francis Burke Edmund Michael Dunne Edward Joseph Dunne Edward Egan James Aloysius Griffin William Richard Griffin John Richard Keating James Patrick Keleher Moses E. Kiley Francis Joseph Magner Paul Marcinkus John McMullen Martin Dewey McNamara Peter Muldoon William Aloysius O'Connor Thomas Joseph Murphy Ernest John Primeau Paul Peter Rhode Patrick William Riordan Edward James Slattery Louis Tylka Raymond James Vonesh Aloysius John Wycisło Priests John George Alleman Thaddeus J. Butler Donald Martin Carroll George Clements Daniel Coughlin John Joseph Egan Andrew Greeley George G. Higgins Reynold Henry Hillenbrand Michael Pfleger Jeremiah J. Rodell
Other 28th International Eucharistic Congress
Catholic Church portal Chicago portal

• 1903 births
• 1983 deaths
• Clergy from Chicago
• University of Saint Mary of the Lake alumni
• Participants in the Second Vatican Council
• 20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States
• Roman Catholic bishops of Springfield in Illinois
• Columbia University School of Social Work alumni