Hundreds of the faithful gathered at the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26 for a solemn prayer service to remember the late bishop’s life. The bilingual service was led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the annual Religious Education Congress, put on by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
“We all feel the presence of Bishop Dave in a special way, especially here at our conference this weekend,” said Archbishop Gomez, wearing an all-black cassock, during his remarks. “It is beautiful to be able to reflect on his life, his ministry, and his effect on so many people.”
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
Rev Jay Cunnane of St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Long Beach shares memories, as the late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
Dayrin Perez, Coordinator Of Youth Ministry at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, shares memories as the late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
Rev. Jay Cunnane of St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Long Beach shares memories, as the late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
Thousands attend Mass at the annual Religious Education Congress Youth Day, a Catholic teaching conference for youth and adults, held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on Thursday, February 23, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The late Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles David O’Connell was honored during a special bilingual prayer service led by Archbishop José H. Gomez at the Religious Education Congress 2023 (RECongress 2023) at the Arena of the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday, Feb. 26. Photo: Screenshot from livecast
Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, in 2021. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
O’Connell’s death on Feb. 18 was days before the season of Lent, and the weekend-long religious education conference attended by thousands of youth, youth ministers and the faithful. But as the community mourns, they hope to find strength, healing and inspiration by remembering O’Connell’s zeal for life, love of people, and his Catholic faith. Many of the conference’s workshops and events, including a sacred prayer space, have been dedicated to him.
O’Connell was “a regular” at RECongress since he arrived to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 1979, celebrating Masses and participating in immigration-related talks and workshop, officials from the Los Angeles Archdiocese said. The bishop was mostly remembered by Congress-goers for his friendly conversations with all who stopped him while walking the convention center halls in between workshops and Masses.
Sunday’s solemn liturgy featured special Irish and Celtic prayers and music. O’Connell was born in 1953 in County Cork, Ireland. A slideshow of photo memories from his service was played, showing the Bishop’s deep connection to the people he served for decades around the Archdiocese of L.A., and followed by solemn prayers and testimonies.
Dayrin Perez, a youth ministry coordinator with the Archdiocese, said that O’Connell had spoken and influenced many young people attending a National Catholic Youth Conference in Long Beach last year.
“He invited young people to talk with Jesus, with love,” Perez said. “Bishop Dave made young people, and all of us adults in that room felt seen, loved, and worthy of a personal relationship with Jesus. I hope I can take all I’ve learned from him and put that into practice with my family at home and all those I serve.”
A group of attendees to the annual Religious Education Congress Youth Day view a photo collage of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell and write notes in a book in the Sacred Space at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on Thursday, February 23, 2023. O’Connell was shot and killed in his home in Hacienda Heights. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Thousands attend Mass at the annual Religious Education Congress Youth Day, a Catholic teaching conference for youth and adults, held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on Thursday, February 23, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez celebrates Mass at the annual Religious Education Congress Youth Day, a Catholic teaching conference for youth and adults, held at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on Thursday, February 23, 2023. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A group of attendees to the annual Religious Education Congress Youth Day view a photo collage of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell and write notes in a book in the Sacred Space at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim on Thursday, February 23, 2023. O’Connell was shot and killed in his home in Hacienda Heights. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Rev. Jay Cunnane of St. Cornelius Catholic Church in Long Beach had been friends with O’Connell for more than 50 years. He shared about his weekly dinners with him; always seeing him in deep, reverent prayer, and his heart “always moved for young people and their suffering.”
“Dave was my ‘soul friend,’ and he was not just my friend… he was such a good friend to many,” said Cunnane. “I was better for having known Dave O’Connell… the essence of him was his relationship with Jesus Christ. He always wanted to give people Jesus.”
Funeral services were announced this week at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights and at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. On Thursday, March 2, there will be a public viewing from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a live-streamed vigil Mass, at the Cathedral. The funeral Mass on Friday, March 3 will be also live streamed from the Cathedral.
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