Happy Birthday, Denis J. O'Connell

It's Catholic Schools Week...and it's a special day for our school. Today we celebrate the 165th birthday of Bishop Denis Joseph O'Connell.

Who was Bishop  O'Connell? He was born on January 28, 1849 in the parish of Donoughmore in Ireland, the third of eight children born to Michael and Bridget O'Connell. His family immigrated to South Carolina, where they joined his brothers who were missionaries there. Denis O'Connell studied at St. Charles College in Ellicott City, Md, before continuing his theology studies in Rome. He was ordained in 1877, and served as a mission priest for the Diocese of Richmond for a period of time. In 1903, he was appointed as the rector of The Catholic University of America, where he is credited with "improving the University's image in Washington, DC." From 1912 through 1926, O'Connell served as the bishop of the Diocese of Richmond.

Happy Birthday, Bishop Denis J. O'Connell!