Pope Leo XIV names Bishop Mark O'Connell as new Bishop of Albany NY

 

Boston Auxiliary Bishop Mark W. O'Connell is pictured in a Feb. 6, 2024, photo. Pope Leo XIV on Oct. 20, 2025, appointed Bishop O'Connell to succeed Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger of Albany, N.Y., 77, whose resignation he accepted the same day. (OSV News photo by Gregory L. Tracy/ The Pilot)

Pope Leo XIV names new bishop of Albany

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Pope Leo XIV has accepted the resignation of Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger, 77, from the pastoral governance of the Diocese of Albany, New York, and has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Mark W. O’Connell of Boston as his successor.

The resignation and appointment were announced by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the U.S., in Washington Oct. 20.

“I have had the blessing over the last year to work with Bishop Mark O’Connell,” Boston Archbishop Richard G. Henning said. “He is a remarkably capable man and very humble. He loves people and he loves the priests of our Archdiocese.”

Archbishop Henning said that Bishop O’Connell has “served Boston joyfully and effectively for decades. While we are sorry to lose him here in Boston we rejoice with the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of the Diocese of Albany. We are sending you our best and wishing you and your new bishop every blessing!”

Bishop O’Connell will be installed as Albany’s 11th bishop on Dec. 5.

Bishop O’Connell has served in the Archdiocese of Boston for 30 years

Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston in 1990, then-Father O’Connell served in parish, seminary and tribunal roles before being named an auxiliary bishop of Boston June 3, 2016. He was ordained a bishop on Aug. 24 of that year. He chose the Latin “Invenimus Messiam,” or “We found a Messiah” as his episcopal motto.

Bishop O’Connell, 61, was born in Toronto to Thomas F. and Margaret M. (Delaney) O’Connell, both American citizens. His father was the head librarian at York University in Toronto. When the future bishop was 12, the family moved back to Massachusetts, with his father taking a job at Boston College.

After studying philosophy at Boston College and theology at St. John Seminary in Brighton, Bishop O’Connell obtained a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.

He was ordained a priest on June 16, 1990, for the Archdiocese of Boston. Among his assignments, he was parochial vicar of St. Barbara in Woburn and of St. Mary of the Annunciation in Danvers from 1990 to 1997; he was a college chaplain in Salem and assistant judicial vicar of the archdiocese between 2002-2007.

He was a professor of canon law at St. John Seminary (2006-2016) and vice chancellor and judicial vicar (2007-2016).

On June 3, 2016, he was appointed titular bishop of Gigti and auxiliary bishop of Boston, and was ordained a bishop on Aug. 24 of that year. He chose the Latin “Invenimus Messiam,” or “We found a Messiah” as his episcopal motto.

New York Cardinal Dolan welcomes Bishop O’Connell; sends his best wishes to Bishop Scharfenberger

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan said he joined the clergy, religious and faithful of the Diocese of Albany in welcoming Bishop O’Connell.

“I look forward to working with him on behalf of God’s people here in the Empire State,” the cardinal said, adding his gratitude to Bishop Scharfenberger. “Bishop Ed has been a wise and trusted colleague, and I am confident that even as he relinquishes his administrative duties, he will continue his priestly and apostolic ministry. May he enjoy a long and fruitful retirement.”

Bishop Scharfenberger was a leader in responding to the clergy abuse crisis

Bishop Scharfenberger served in the Diocese of Albany since April 10, 2014. In his time as bishop of Albany, Bishop Scharfenberger has been a national leader in responding to the clergy abuse crisis.

He published a list of offenders in the diocese in 2015, was among the first bishops in the country to call for an independent lay-led investigation of the scandal involving former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, revamped the diocesan review board, and established a predominantly lay task force on sexual abuse to make recommendations to the diocese on its response to survivors and its internal policies.

Bishop Scharfenberger serves as a consultor to the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and has served on several committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Diocese of Albany comprises 10,419 square miles in the state of New York and has a total population of just over 1.4 million. The diocese has a Catholic population of 316,275.

Murdered L.A. Bishop's residential Tabernacle stolen from his home

 

Tabernacle stolen from murdered Bishop David O’Connell’s residence

By Joe Bukuras

Boston, Mass., Mar 30, 2023 / 12:30 pm

An empty tabernacle that was bolted to the wall has been stolen from the residence of the late Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, who was murdered in his Hacienda Heights, California, home in February. 

A tabernacle is a structure found in a Catholic church or chapel that houses the holy Eucharist, which Catholics profess to be the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. It is often made of gold and can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

News of O’Connell’s Feb. 18 murder shocked the nation following reports that he died after suffering multiple gunshot wounds. The local and wider Catholic community mourned O’Connell, who was remembered as a man of peace dedicated to serving the poor and immigrants.

First reported by LifeSiteNews, the burglary occurred sometime over the past weekend, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles told CNA in a statement. 

The archdiocese said that the tabernacle was located in O’Connell’s personal chapel. The theft was reported to law enforcement and “security has been enhanced,” the archdiocese’s statement said.

Lt. Michael Modica, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department who has been in the late bishop’s residence, told CNA Thursday that he remembered seeing the tabernacle “bolted to the wall.” 

The man who was charged with the murder of O’Connell is 61-year-old Carlos Medina, the husband of the woman who was O’Connell’s housekeeper.

Medina pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in court March 22. It remains unclear what the motive for the murder might have been. 

Medina is being held on more than $2 million bail and will have his next court hearing May 17.

Before his not-guilty plea, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said in a Feb. 22 press conference that Medina admitted to the murder.

“He admitted that he had done the killing and we believe we recovered the weapon that they were using, and we have other evidence from the bed, certain things that indicate that they were in the place where the killing occurred,” Gascón said in Spanish, translated here by CNA.

Following the revelation of the alleged admission, a current and former colleague of Gascón criticized him for breaking the L.A. District Attorney’s Office’s policy of forbidding the disclosure of a defendant’s admission in an open criminal case.

John Lewin, a former deputy district attorney for Los Angeles, told Fox News Digital that the statement could affect the outcome of the trial.

“It cannot be more simply stated, George Gascón is a D.A. who either doesn’t know the basic ethical rules that govern the agency he leads or doesn’t care to follow them,” he said.

“What if a court decides that the confession will not be admitted to trial? You can’t put that genie back into the bottle,” he added.

John McKinney, a current L.A. deputy district attorney, told Fox News Digital that the disclosure was contrary to police department rules. 

“By disclosing a defendant’s confession in an open criminal case, George Gascón has not only committed a blatant violation of LADA policy but has also potentially violated the due process rights of the accused.” 

Obtained by CNA, the District Attorney’s Legal Policy Manual states that “at the time of arrest, the issuance of an arrest warrant, the filing of a complaint, or the public revelation of an indictment,” information about a confession, admission, or statement given by the accused shall not be released.

Marc Debbaudt, a former career deputy district attorney for Los Angeles, told CNA Feb. 27 that he didn’t think Gascón’s announcement of the admission could cause the case to be thrown out but said that “it could result in motions to change jurisdiction.”

Three days of memorial services were held for O’Connell, 69, in early March. O’Connell’s funeral was attended by thousands as Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez called him an intercessor for souls.

Speaking briefly at the conclusion of the funeral liturgy, Gomez said “Bishop Dave,” as O’Connell was affectionately known, would be sorely missed, but “we know that he’s in heaven.” 

“From there he’s going to continue to intercede for us,” Gomez said, “as he has done his whole life.”

The beautiful and moving funeral for Bishop David O'Connell

 

Thousands gather at funeral Mass for LA’s Bishop O’Connell, recalled as ‘soul friend’ to all

Mike Cisneros, Pablo Kay, Tom Hoffarth March 4, 2023

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez places the Book of Gospels on the casket of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O'Connell during his funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels March 3, 2023. Bishop O'Connell was fatally shot at his home in Hacienda Heights Feb. 18. (OSV News photo/Sarah Yaklic, courtesy Archdiocese of Los Angeles)

LOS ANGELES (OSV NEWS) — Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David G. O’Connell was remembered as a man “gripped by grace” and “at ease with movers and shakers and also with the moved and shaken” as nearly 5,000 attended a funeral Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels March 3.

The Mass was the conclusion of a three-day tribute to Bishop O’Connell, starting with a March 1 memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Church in Hacienda Heights. On March 2 at the cathedral, local Catholics said farewell to Bishop O’Connell in an all-day public viewing followed by a vigil Mass.

In his homily at the funeral Mass, Msgr. Jarlath Cunnane, Bishop O’Connell’s classmate and close friend from their seminary days in Ireland in 1971, called upon the phrase “Anam Cara,” the Celtic concept of having a friend of the soul.

“You’re blessed if you have a soul friend,” said Msgr. Cunnane, the pastor of St. Cornelius Church in Long Beach. “And I was blessed to have David. … I was better for having known David O’Connell. Many of you were too, were you not?”

The question drew a round of applause from the pews.

Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez presided over the Mass that not only filled the cathedral pews but had hundreds more standing in the aisles, ambulatories and seated on the outside plaza watching a livestream presentation.

Long, yellow school buses frequently pulled up to the curb outside the cathedral to drop off more mourners. Several streamed into the Cathedral Plaza as the two-hour Mass went on, using umbrellas as shade, clutching their young children, simply wanting to be present.

Three cardinals — Roger M. Mahony, Blase J. Cupich of Chicago and Robert W. McElroy of San Diego — attended as well as 34 bishops and more than 50 priests at the altar.

Local dignitaries included LA Police Chief Michel Moore, former Los Angeles mayors Eric Garcetti and Jim Hahn, former LA County Sheriff Jim McDonnell, LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn, LA District Attorney George Gascón and several other civic leaders who called Bishop O’Connell a friend over the years.

Cunnane noted that Bishop O’Connell “wasn’t just my good friend. Friendship is something he was good at. He has friends young and old, far and wide … he has friends up and down the social scale, at ease in the corridors of power and with the powerless.”

In calling him a man “gripped by grace,” Msgr. Cunnane said Bishop O’Connell was “seized by the Lord, like Jeremiah (who) said: ‘Lord, you seduced me, and I let myself be seduced; you were stronger and you triumphed.'”

“A mind and a wit always quick and sharp, but sometimes in earlier days, with an edge, by grace became levity and joyous humor, and (an) ability to affirm,” the priest added. “He was always affirming, he found the good in people and praised it. He spoke it into them.”

Msgr. Cunnane thanked Bishop O’Connell’s family members present, several who came from Ireland, “for giving us the blessing of him for all these years and all this wonderful ministry here in Los Angeles.”

Archbishop Gomez read a message from Pope Francis that concluded: “To those gathered for the Mass of Christian Burial and to all who mourn Bishop O’Connell’s loss in the sure hope of the Resurrection, the Holy Father cordially imparts his blessing as a pledge of peace and consolation in the Lord.

The archbishop added: “As we know, Bishop Dave loved and served Jesus with all his heart and all his strength, and like Jesus, he loved his brothers and sisters ‘to the end,’ with a special love for those who are often forgotten and those who live on society’s margins. … We continue to pray for his eternal repose and especially we know that he has received the eternal reward. He’s in heaven. So, let’s keep praying for him, for his family, and for all of us. And let’s start going to his intercession for our needs.”

An ensemble choir with musicians from the cathedral, several parishes and Bishop Amat High School in La Puente provided music for many still in shock about Bishop O’Connell’s death at his home in Hacienda Heights on Feb. 18 at age 69.

One of the songs sung before the Mass was the traditional Irish ballad, “Danny Boy.”

After Communion, the choir sang the Irish hymn “Lady of Knock,” to whom Bishop O’Connell had a lifelong devotion. Among the lyrics: “Golden Rose, Queen of Ireland, all my cares and troubles cease. As we kneel with love before you, Lady of Knock, my Queen of Peace.”

Various religious leaders also were present – from the Armenian Apostolic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Episcopal Church, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ, Baptist Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as well as from the American Jewish Committee, the Hindu Vedanta Society, the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation, the California Sikh Council and the Baha’i faith.

David O’Connell, a nephew from Ireland who shared a name with his uncle, said in a reflection at the end of Mass that “for me and my family and everyone listening here, we all have an opportunity to pick up where he left off and carry on the example that he set. Help those that you can help. Lend an ear and listen to people. Respect each other. Be considerate and give others the benefit of the doubt. Have patience and give everyone a chance.”

He added that his uncle “liked being a comedian, but he had a day job that seemed to be going better for him. … Uncle Dave was an inspiration for our whole lives. He taught us if we have the capacity to help someone, you should do it. All he wanted to do was make things easier for everyone else, and never asked for a single thing in return.

“He never ended a phone call without telling me how proud he was of me. And I hope he knows how proud we are of him. Let those close to you know that you love them and that you are proud of them.”

Bishop O’Connell was interred in the cathedral’s mausoleum following his funeral Mass.

Formal remembrances of Bishop O'Connell begin in Los Angeles

 ‘Bishop Dave’ remembered for his ‘special love’ for the poor, as LA County Catholics begin three days of goodbyes

Services for David O'Connell began tonight with a memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights.

Inside a packed Hacienda Heights church on Wednesday night, March 1, Bishop David O’Connell was remembered as a zealous advocate for those who have nothing, and who left behind many of the comforts of life to follow his faith and build bridges between people.

The memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church was the first of three back-to-back funeral services for O’Connell, 69, the culmination of several days of mourning since the L.A. Archdiocese’s top priest in the San Gabriel Valley was found shot to death Feb. 18 in his Hacienda Heights home.

And between the sounds of “Amazing Grace” and “Ave Maria,” it was his fellow priests, from his closest confidants to the Pope himself, who painted a portrait of a man fiercely devoted to the communities he served but who also could not be pigeonholed by ideology.

In a message read by L.A. Archbishop Jose Gomez, a “deeply saddened” Pope Francis praised O’Connell’s 45 years of ministry as being “marked especially by his profound concern for the poor, immigrants, and those in need, his efforts to uphold the sanctity and dignity of God’s gift of life, and his zeal for fostering solidarity, cooperation, and peace within the local community.”

It was the opening message to a solemn Mass with moments of levity that echoed not just the prelate’s advocacy but his lightheartedness.

O’Connell was known for the great love he held for others, a love that was reflected back at him by parishioners across the region.

“As we know Bishop Dave loved and served Jesus with all his heart and all his strength and like Jesus he loved his brothers and sisters to the end with a special love for those who are often forgotten and those who live on society’s margins,” said Gomez.

Members of O’Connell’s family — including his brother Kieran, Kieran’s wife and children, and cousins — flew in from his homeland of Ireland to attend the first memorial mass. Also in attendance were many high ranking clergy members, including Cardinal Roger Mahony, Auxiliary Bishop Marc V. Trudeau and Bishop Kevin W. Vann.

O’Connell was adored by the school children he read to, the hungry he fed, the young immigrants he helped find a foothold, the residents living in gang-ravaged areas where he fought for peace, and above all the parishioners he blessed at dozens of congregations across the region.

A theme running through the Mass was the biblical story of Christ’s disciples, who left their work as fisherman to follow Christ. It was a theme Monsignor Timothy Dyer quickly affixed to O’Connell, who left his life in Ireland to serve in Los Angeles, and who left his pastorship in South Central L.A. to become the archdiocese’s top administrator in the San Gabriel Valley.

Despite O’Connell’s role as a top administrator in the diocese, it was simply connecting on the street and neighborhood level that made O’Connell happiest, Dyer said.

“All the stories that are coming out now about his life and his ministry are in great part because he threw out a very wide net,” Dyer told the congregation during his homily, analogizing to the disciples’ story from the gospels. “I thought I knew most of his favorite fishing holes but there were so many I didn’t know about and am discovering now.”

O’Connell’s brother, Kieran, reflected on the priest’s early years, and the pride his family took when he presided over his first mass. But decades later, Kieran said, it was L.A. where his brother would find a home, a point well-emphasized when the pastor would tell his brother back in Ireland over phone conversations that it was a “bone-chilling 80 degrees” in L.A.

“I know he was happiest here among his people,” his brother said.

Indeed, O’Connell had friends from all walks of life — social workers, probation officers, City Council members, L.A. County Supervisors, journalists, teachers, and the list goes on and on, Dyer said.

“Dave had no anxiety about going to anyone who is in need,” Dyer continued. “He liked to be out on the street and he would go and find people who are in trouble and find the people who had something to do about the trouble and he built relationships on both sides.”

For example, O’Connell would build relationships with police officers and with people sitting in jails, taking time to listen to and pray with both parties equally. He could be found marching down Los Angeles streets carrying the Blessed Sacrament one day and marching in front of the border wall, rosary in hand, speaking out on behalf of immigrants the next, Dyer added.

“We need more young men and young women who will go into religious life and will imitate this man,” Dyer said. “And I think it would be wise for the seminary to hold an annual seminar and study his spirituality and his ministry.”

Dyer’s homily was met with a resounding applauses and many a tear from the members of the audience, estimated at more than 800.

“That man took this wonderful man out of our community who helped so many people,” said Hacienda Heights resident Roxanne Martinez, referring to the suspect charged with O’Connell’s murder. “He didn’t just take a bishop, he took a lot of our hearts with him, and it’s really hard. But look at all the people that showed up. It hit the community very hard.”

While the Mass drew many St. John Vianney parishioners such as Martinez, it also drew Catholics from many other church communities.

“We’re here to pray for him tonight,” said Charles Pacheco, who came from West Covina with his family. “And it’s one of those things when a person of that magnitude get taken we want to come here and show our support to the community.”

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind for L.A.-area Catholics marked first by shock that such a violent act could be committed against a bishop, then by anguish at his untimely passing, following by confusion and frustration as the DA charged the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper with murder, a motive yet to be known. Now, the community prays that funeral services will bring a sense of peace.

Dyer suggested it was a powerful moment for L.A.

“I believe the power of the Spirit is moving among use here in Los Angeles in ways I’ve never experienced before,” said Dyer. “That’s how I interpret this response of the people around us and ourselves in the church.”

Services will continue on Thursday with a public viewing at Our Lady Cathedral of the Angels from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., followed by a vigil Mass at 7 p.m. They will conclude on Friday with an 11 a.m. funeral Mass also at Our Lady Cathedral of the Angels.

They will be livestreamed at lacatholics.org/bishop-connell/.

Pope Francis sends condolences to Los Angeles ahead of funeral for Bishop O'Connell

 

Bishop David O'Connell  (© Angelus News)

POPE

• POPE FRANCIS
• DEATH
• UNITED STATES
• TELEGRAM

Pope mourns and prays for late LA Bishop David O'Connell

Pope Francis sends condolences for the death of Late Bishop David O'Connell of Los Angeles, sending prayers and praising his witness as a priest close to the people.

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Pope Francis has expressed his sorrow for the death of Los Angeles Bishop David O'Connell.

In a telegram sent on the Pope's behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to the Archbishop of Los Angeles, José H. Gómez, the Holy Father mourned the much-loved bishop known for being close to the people, and praised his witness as a priest.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the untimely and tragic death of Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, His Holiness Pope Francis sends heartfelt condolences and the assurance of his spiritual closeness to you, the clergy, religious, and lay faithful of the Archdiocese.”

Gratitude for Bishop O'Connell's ministry

The Pope said he joined in giving thanks for the Bishop's years of devoted priestly and episcopal ministry to the Church in Los Angeles, "marked especially by his profound concern for the poor, immigrants and those in need, his efforts to uphold the sanctity and dignity of God’s gift of life and his zeal for fostering solidarity, cooperation and peace within the local community."  

"In commending the late Bishop’s soul to the love and mercy of Christ the Good Shepherd," the message continued, "His Holiness prays that all who honor his memory will be confirmed in the resolve to reject the ways of violence and overcome evil with good."  

The Holy Father concluded by imparting his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of peace and consolation in the lord.

The Bishop's funeral Mass will take place tomorrow, 3 March.

Murder of a loved Bishop

Carlos Medina, the husband of Bishop David O'Connell's housekeeper, was charged with the murder of the late Irish-born Auxiliary Bishop.

Bishop O’Connell, 69, was found dead on Saturday, 18 Feb., with a gunshot wound to the chest in the bedroom of his home in Hacienda Heights, about 30 kilometers east of downtown Los Angeles.

The late Bishop O’Connell was a native of County Cork, Ireland, and ordained to serve in the Los Angeles Archdiocese in 1979, where for many years he focused on gang intervention, according to Angelus News, a local diocesan news platform.  

He later sought to broker peace between residents and law enforcement following the violent 1992 uprising after a jury acquitted four white LA police officers in the brutal beating of Rodney King.

In recent years, he also spearheaded Catholic efforts in the region to work with immigrant children and families from Central America.

Always close to the people

Pope Francis appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles on 21 June 2015.

His violent death has caused shock and sadness in the Catholic community of Los Angeles, but also in his native Cork.

Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez on Monday described him as “a good priest and a good bishop and a man of peace” who showed “compassion to the poor, to the homeless, immigrants, and to all those living on society’s margins.”

“We’re very sad to lose him”, he added, expressing his gratitude to the investigative team “for their hard work in bringing the suspect into custody.”

Bishop Fintan Gavin, of Cork and Ross in Ireland, said in a statement that the late bishop “had always maintained his connection with family and friends in Cork” through frequent visits back to Ireland.

Funeral services and outpouring of prayers for Bishop David O'Connell

 

David O'Connell: Funeral services announced for slain LA Bishop

LOS ANGELES - Funeral services were announced Thursday for Los Angeles Catholic Auxiliary Bishop David O'Connell, who was gunned down at his home in Hacienda Heights.

Funeral services will take place over a three-day period, beginning at 7 p.m. Wednesday with a memorial Mass at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Hacienda Heights.

A public viewing will be held March 2 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m., followed by a vigil Mass at 7:00 p.m. The funeral Mass is scheduled for 11 a.m. March 3, also at the cathedral.

In a statement following O'Connell's death, Archbishop José H. Gomez described the 69-year-old O'Connell as a "peacemaker with a heart for the poor and the immigrant."

O'Connell was a native of Ireland and had been a priest and later a bishop in Los Angeles for 45 years.

O'Connell was found shot just before 1 p.m. Saturday at his home in the 1500 block of Janlu Avenue, near Turnbull Canyon Road. The bishop's body was discovered when a deacon went to the home to check on him, because O'Connell was apparently late for a meeting, Sheriff Robert Luna said earlier this week.

Carlos Medina, 61, was arrested around 8:15 a.m. Monday following an hours-long standoff at his home in the 2400 block of Kenwood Avenue in Torrance. Luna said two firearms were recovered at Medina's home, and they were being tested to determine if either weapon was involved in the Saturday shooting.

Medina is the husband of O'Connell's housekeeper, and he also performed handyman work at the bishop's home, authorities said. He was charged Wednesday with murder, and District Attorney George Gascón said at a news conference that Medina had confessed to the crime, although a motive remains unknown.

The murder charge against Medina includes an allegation of the personal use of a firearm, meaning he faces up to 35 years to life in state prison if he is convicted as charged.

Murderer of L.A. Bishop officially charged; has since confessed to the crime

 

Housekeeper’s husband officially charged in murder of LA Auxiliary Bishop O’Connell

By Joe Bukuras

Boston, Mass., Feb 22, 2023 / 16:40 pm

Carlos Medina, the suspect in the murder of Los Angeles Auxiliary Bishop David O’Connell, was arraigned in state court Wednesday and formally charged with one count of murder and a special allegation that he personally used a firearm.

“This was a brutal act of violence against a person who dedicated his life to making our neighborhoods safer, healthier, and [who always served] with love and compassion,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a Wednesday press release.

“As Catholics around Los Angeles and the nation start the holy season of Lent, let us reflect on Bishop O’Connell’s life of service and dedication to those in greatest need of our care,” Gascón said. “Charging Mr. Medina will never repair the tremendous harm that was caused by this callous act, but it does take us one step closer to accountability.”

News of O’Connell’s death shocked the nation and rocked the local and international Catholic community.

O’Connell was found dead with “at least” one gunshot wound to his upper body on Feb. 18 in his bedroom at his Hacienda Heights home, Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said in a Monday press conference.

After an around-the-clock manhunt for the killer, sheriff’s deputies were tipped about a person of interest in the city of Torrance, which is about a 45-minute drive southwest from Hacienda Heights, where O’Connell was found dead.

Detectives had identified the person of interest as Medina, the husband of O’Connell’s housekeeper, on Sunday evening after the tipster told them that Medina was exhibiting “strange” and “irrational” behavior and had “made comments about the bishop owing him money.”

Police had also discovered video evidence of a “dark-colored, compact SUV” that had pulled into the bishop’s driveway, stayed for a short time, and then left, the sheriff said.

Medina drove a similar type of vehicle, Luna said.

On Monday morning at about 2 a.m. local time, sheriff’s deputies arrived at Medina’s home after being tipped off that he arrived at his residence.

With a warrant in hand for his arrest, sheriff’s deputies called for Medina, 61, to surrender, but he refused to come out of his residence.

The sheriff department’s Special Enforcement Bureau personnel arrived at the scene with an amended warrant to search Medina’s home and arrest him. Medina exited his home and surrendered to authorities at about 8:15 a.m. local time, “without further incident,” Luna said.

Two firearms “and other evidence” possibly incriminating Medina were found at his residence in Torrance during his arrest at approximately 8:15 a.m. Monday, the sheriff said.

Those firearms will be examined and tested in a crime lab to determine if they were used in the murder.

Offering remarks at Monday’s press conference, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez broke into tears and struggled to complete his brief comments on Bishop O’Connell.

“Out of his love for God, he served this city for more than 40 years,” Gomez said.

“Every day he worked to show compassion to the poor, to the homeless, to the immigrant, and to all those living on society’s margins. He was a good priest and a good bishop and a man of peace, and we are very sad to lose him,” Gomez said.