BELOVED MONSIGNOR DIES AT 95 PARISHIONERS REMEMBER IRISH ACCENT, VALUES, HUMOR.Byline: Rick Coca Special to the Daily News WOODLAND HILLS - Monsignor Michael Joseph O'Connor Joseph Victor O'Connor (born September 20, 1963) is an Irish novelist and brother of singer Sinéad O'Connor. Before success as an author he was a journalist with Sunday newspaper The Sunday Tribune and Esquire magazine. , the visionary Irish priest who founded St. Mel Parish a half-century ago and delighted young and old with his playful spirit, has died. He was 95. O'Connor died June 26 in Good Samaritan Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital may refer to: In the United States:
``He stayed faithful to his church,'' said archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg, who knew O'Connor well. ``Even after he retired from active ministry, he was still a minister. ``He told wonderful stories with an Irish twinkle in his eye.'' O'Connor was born July 26, 1909, in Annascaul, County Kerry “Kerry” redirects here. For other uses, see Kerry (disambiguation). County Kerry (Irish: Contae Chiarraí) is a county in the south west of Ireland, in the Munster province of the Republic of Ireland, informally referred , Ireland. He was ordained or·dain tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. in 1934, came to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and worked at several Los Angeles parishes as an associate pastor. He later served as a World War II chaplain with a rank of lieutenant commander, before becoming a monsignor in 1968. Besides O'Connor's distinctive Irish rogue, parishioners praised his devotion to children and sharp sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor" sense of humour, humor, humour . He will be remembered for founding St. Mel Catholic Church in 1955 at a time when the area was mostly cow pastures. ``He had a vision of the future, and he said, 'We need a big church and grounds for the school,''' said John Patrick Toole, a St. Mel parishioner since 1978 and like O'Connor, a Kerry, Ireland, native. ``He was a marvelous, marvelous man.'' St. Mel Parish opened at the base of Chalk Hill on May 18, 1955, with 415 families registered. Today, the church has 3,000 families. Tamberg said O'Connor managed to ``live several lives in one lifetime'' and witnessed the tremendous growth of the Valley and the Los Angeles archdiocese. Church members praised O'Connor's devotion to the priesthood and his congregation, as well as his ability to give his time to others, delighting them with a joke or story. ``He would tell stories about what Woodland Hills looked like when he first founded St. Mel,'' Tamberg said. ``He could see dairy cows grazing along the hills.'' Parishioners said O'Connor was ``a brick-and-mortar type of priest'' who literally helped build the church with his own hands and raised money by pushing a wheelbarrow down Ventura Boulevard, soliciting funds. O'Connor was an avid sportsman who loved playing golf with adults and kickball kick·ball n. A children's game having rules similar to baseball but played with a large ball that is rolled toward homeplate instead of pitched and kicked instead of batted. with children. He never stopped rooting for Ireland's Kerry County ``football'' team. ``He never lost his sense of humor or his accent,'' said longtime parishioner Mary Wylde. ``He sounded like he came from County Kerry yesterday.'' To those he shepherded, O'Connor will not soon be forgotten. As one parishioner said: ``This is the house that Mike built.'' A vigil Mass for O'Connor will be held at St. Mel Parish at 7:30 tonight, with viewing from 5 to 7 p.m. The funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Tuesday will be presided over by Cardinal Roger Mahony. Burial will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery Holy Cross Cemetery may refer to:
Rick Coca, (818) 713-3705 rick.coca(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: O'CONNOR |
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