Mark William O'Connell (born June 25, 1964) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

-born

American Catholic The Catholic Church in the United States is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in communion with the pope, who as of 2025 is Chicago, Illinois-born Leo XIV. With 23 percent of the United States' population , the Catholic Church is the cou ...

prelate who has served as an

auxiliary bishop An auxiliary bishop is a bishop assigned to assist the diocesan bishop in meeting the pastoral and administrative needs of the diocese. Auxiliary bishops can also be titular bishops of sees that no longer exist as territorial jurisdictions. ...

for the

Archdiocese of Boston The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Boston () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. Its mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston), Cathedral o ...

since 2016. He has been the

vicar general A vicar general (previously, archdeacon) is the principal deputy of the bishop or archbishop of a diocese or an archdiocese for the exercise of administrative authority and possesses the title of local ordinary. As vicar of the bishop, the vica ...

and

moderator of the curia Moderator of the curia is a top administrative position held by a Catholic priest in a diocese under the supervision of the bishop. The moderator coordinates the exercise of the administrative duties and oversees the office holders, or curia, in ...

for the archdiocese since 2023.

Biography

Early life

Mark O'Connell was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, on June 25, 1964, to Thomas F. and Margaret M. (Delaney) O'Connell, both American citizens. His father Thomas was the head librarian at

York University York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...

in Toronto. Mark O'Connell has two brothers and one sister. The family returned to

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

when Mark O'Connell was age 12, his father taking a job at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

. Mark O'Connell graduated from Dover-Sherborn High School in Dover, Massachusetts, in 1982. He then entered Boston College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and philosophy in 1986. Having decided to enter the priesthood, O'Connell then studied at Saint John's Seminary in Boston.

Priesthood

O'Connell was ordained into the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by Cardinal

Bernard Law Bernard Francis Cardinal Law (November 4, 1931 – December 20, 2017) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church who, among other offices, served as Archbishop of Boston from 1984 to 2002. Originally considered an influential voice a ...

for the Archdiocese of Boston on June 16, 1990. After his ordination, O'Connell served in parishes in Woburn and Danvers and as a college chaplain at

Salem State College Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore and is p ...

, all in Massachusetts. O'Connell undertook studies in

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

starting in 1997 at the Pontifical Athenaeum of the Holy Cross in Rome, completing his licentiate degree in 1999 and his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 2002. O'Connell's dissertation was titled ''The Mobility of Secular Clerics and Incardination''. After returning to Boston, he joined the canonical affairs staff of the archdiocese in 2001 and was appointed

judicial vicar In the Roman Catholic Church, a judicial vicar or episcopal official () is an officer of the diocese who has ordinary power to judge cases in the diocesan ecclesiastical court. Although the diocesan bishop can reserve certain cases to himself, ...

in 2007, a position he held until 2018. From 2009 to 2012, O'Connell served as a senior consultor to the

Canon Law Society of America Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

. He has also served on the faculty of Saint John's Seminary and the

Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary (formerly Blessed John XXIII National Seminary) is a Roman Catholic seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. It offers a graduate-level program designed for priesthood candidates aged 30 and above, often called "s ...

in Weston, Massachusetts. From 2011 to 2014, O'Connell was a co-host on the daily radio program ''The Good Catholic Life'', broadcast on radio station WQOM in Boston.

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

On June 3, 2016,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

appointed O'Connell as an

of Boston and titular bishop of

Gigthi Gigthi was a town in the late Roman province of Tripolitania, which became a residential episcopal see. It corresponded to present-day Djorf-Bou-Ghara.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 902 Githis Forum Gigthi is ...

Tripolitana Tripolitania (), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province of Libya. The region had been settled since antiquity, first coming to prominence as part of the Carthaginian empire. Following the defeat ...

. He was consecrated on August 24, 2016, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by Cardinal Seán O'Malley, with Bishops Walter Edyvean and Peter Uglietto serving as co-consecrators. As auxiliary bishop, O'Connell was assigned the north region of the archdiocese and appointed pastor of St. Theresa Parish in

North Reading, Massachusetts North Reading (pronounced, as is with Reading, Massachusetts, Reading as ()) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,554 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area was first settled ...

, until December 2022. Since January 2023, he has served as

and

of the archdiocese. For the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, O'Connell is a member of the Committee for the Protection of Children & Young People.

References

External links