John Joseph O'Hara

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His Excellency, The Most Reverend

John Joseph O'Hara
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of New York
Titular Bishop of Ath Truim
ChurchRoman Catholic
ArchdioceseNew York
AppointedJune 14, 2014
InstalledAugust 4, 2014
Term endedApril 7, 2021
Other post(s)Titular Bishop of Ath Truim
Orders
OrdinationDecember 1, 1984
by John Joseph O'Connor
ConsecrationAugust 4, 2014
by Timothy M. Dolan, Gerald Thomas Walsh, and Dominick John Lagonegro
Personal details
Born (1946-02-07) February 7, 1946 (age 75)
Jersey City, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
ResidenceSt. Agnes' Church (Manhattan), St. Charles' Church (Staten Is.)
MottoJESUS I TRUST IN YOU
Styles of
John Joseph O'Hara
Coat of arms of John Joseph O'Hara.svg
Reference style
Spoken styleYour Excellency
Religious styleBishop

John Joseph O'Hara (born February 7, 1946) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church, who served as an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York.

Biography[]

Early life[]

O'Hara was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, and was educated in a Catholic elementary school in Ridgewood. New Jersey, and at Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of English degree from Seton Hall University.[1] O'Hara worked in broadcast journalism for 13 years before entering St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie, New York.[2]

Priesthood[]

O'Hara was ordained into the priesthood by Archbishop John O'Connor on December 1, 1984.[3] His pastoral assignments, both parishes in Staten Island, included St. Charles' from 1984 to 1992, and St. Teresa's from 1992 to 2012 as both parochial vicar and pastor.[4] O'Hara served as the director of strategic pastoral planning for the archdiocese from 2012 to 2014, where he led the "Making All Things New" parish planning process.

Auxiliary Bishop of New York[]

O'Hara was named the Titular Bishop of Ath Truim and Auxiliary Bishop of New York by Pope Francis on June 14, 2014. He was consecrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan in St. Patrick's Cathedral on August 4, 2014. Auxiliary bishops Gerald Thomas Walsh and Dominick Lagonegro were the co-consecrators. O'Hara's crosier was used by the late Cardinal Terence Cooke who had served as New York's archbishop.[4]

In October 2017, O'Hara intervened to force out the International Human Rights Art Festival from performing at one of the churches in his diocese, because of its gay and transgender content. The church offered to host the event if these specific acts were rejected, but the director of the festival declined.[5][6] In contrast, after Staten Island's 2020 Saint Patrick's Parade was heavily criticized for excluding supporters of gay rights, O'Hara planned to meet with the "hard line" parade organizer to urge "change in the future".[7][8]

Retirement[]

On February 7, 2021, O'Hara reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 and submitted his letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York to Pope Francis, as required by Canon Law. On April 7, 2021, the Pope accepted O'Hara's resignation.[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Bishop John O'Hara. Archdiocese of New York. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  2. ^ Chicoine, Christie L. (August 6, 2014). "Bishop O'Hara: His Broadcaster's Voice is Paired With a Pastor's Heart". Catholic New York. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  3. ^ Cheney, David M. "Bishop John Joseph O'Hara". Catholic-Hierarchy. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Woods, John (July 24, 2014). "Ordination of Three Auxiliary Bishops". Catholic New York. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  5. ^ Avery, Dan (October 15, 2017). "Human Rights Performance Forced To Move After Catholic Church Complains About Gay Content". NewNowNext.com. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Otterman, Sharon (October 13, 2017). "Festival Moves Event After Church Objects to Gay-Themed Content". The New York Times. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  7. ^ Kashiwagi, Sydney (February 19, 2020). "'Don't try to keep asking a million friggin' questions, OK?' says Island St. Patrick's Parade organizer on Pride Center's role". Staten Island Advance. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  8. ^ Farinacci, Amanda (March 3, 2020). "After a Heavily Boycotted Staten Island St. Patrick's Day Parade, Will Anything Change?". Spectrum News NY1. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Woods, John (April 7, 2021). "His Canonical Appointment Completed, Bishop John O'Hara Plans to Continue Serving". Catholic New York. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
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