Martin John O'Connor
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| Styles of Martin John O'Connor |
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| Reference style | The Most Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Archbishop |
| Posthumous style | none |
Martin John O'Connor (May 18, 1900—December 1, 1986) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, serving as President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications from 1948 to 1971.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, he studied at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and was ordained to the priesthood on March 15, 1924.
On November 14, 1942, O’Connor was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Scranton and Titular Bishop of Thespiae by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on January 27, 1943 from Bishop William Hafey, with Bishops Gerald O’Hara and George Leech serving as co-consecrators.
O'Connor was later made rector of his alma mater of the North American College on November 26, 1946. He would remain in this post until 1964, and during his tenure the college, which had closed in 1940 when Italy entered World War II, reopened in 1948[1] and later moved to a new location atop Janiculum Hill[2]. Supposedly, O'Connor once said that his mission was "to educate others in gracious dining and papal protocol," to which Joe Kennedy responded: "Don't be such an ass"[3]. He is also believed to have dissaproved of Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi's appointment as Apostolic Delegate to the United States[4].
Pius XII, with the establishment of the Curial office of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, named Bishop O'Connor as its first president in January 1948. He was raised to Titular Archbishop of Laodicea in Syria on September 5, 1959, and, after attending the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), became the first Nuncio to Malta on December 15, 1965. O'Connor, who resigned his diplomatic post in May 1969, also resigned his Curial post on September 8, 1971, after thirty-three years of service.
He died at the age of 86.
[edit] References
- ^ TIME Magazine. Yankee Seminarians October 19, 1959
- ^ The Pontifical North American College. A Brief History of the North American College
- ^ National Catholic Reporter. Politics in the Purple Kingdom: The Derailment of Vatican II. - book reviews December 10, 1993
- ^ Ibid.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by J. Gerald Kealy |
Rector of the Pontifical North American College 1946–1964 |
Succeeded by Francis F. Reh |
| Preceded by none |
President of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications 1948–1971 |
Succeeded by Andrzej Deskur |
| Preceded by none |
Nuncio to the Malta 1965–1969 |
Succeeded by Giuseppe Mojoli |
