William Patrick O'Connor

William O'Connor was born on October 18, 1886, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, one of five children of Patrick and Ellen (née McCarthy) O'Connor.{{cite book|last=Curtis|first=Georgina Pell|title=The American Catholic Who's Who|volume=VII|year=1947|publisher=Walter Romig|location=Grosse Pointe, Michigan}} He received his early education at St. John Cathedral grade school in Milwaukee, and then entered St. Francis Seminary in St. Francis, Wisconsin in 1901.

O'Connor was ordained to the priesthood on March 10, 1912, by Bishop Joseph Koudelka.{{cite news|work=Catholic-Hierarchy.org|title=Bishop William Patrick O'Connor|url=http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/boconwp.html}} His first assignment was as assistant pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Milwaukee, where he remained for four years.{{cite news|work=Diocese of Superior|title=Bishop O'Connor (1942-1946)|url=http://catholicdos.org/bishop-oconnor}} During this time, he also studied at Marquette University and earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1916. O'Connor then entered the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., but his studies were interrupted by World War I.

In 1917, O'Connor was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Wisconsin National Guard and served as a chaplain with the 32nd Infantry Division in France He was awarded the French Croix de Guerre medal for bravery in action.{{cite news|title=Bishop O'Connor: 'A Rare Talent'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37518737/william_patrick_oconnor_18861973/ |newspaper=Wisconsin State Journal |date=July 19, 1973 |page=4 |via = Newspapers.com |access-date=October 20, 2019}} {{Open access}}

After the war, O'Connor resumed his studies at Catholic University and earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1921. He returned to Milwaukee, where he taught philosophy at St. Francis Seminary for 20 years. He was named president of the American Catholic Philosophical Association in 1939, and became pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Milwaukee in 1941.

On December 27, 1941, O'Connor was appointed the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Superior by Pope Pius XII. He received his episcopal consecration on March 7, 1942, from Archbishop Moses E. Kiley, with Bishops Aloisius Muench and Vincent Ryan serving as co-consecrators.

During his tenure as bishop, O'Connor founded three new parishes, opened two new schools, and erected ten units of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine with a total enrollment of 12,000 children. A former military chaplain, he also oversaw the diocese's war efforts during World War II, including local blood drives.

O'Connor was appointed by Pius XII as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of Madison on February 22, 1946. O'Connor was installed at Saint Raphael's Cathedral on the following March 12.

During his tenure, the diocese went from having 135 priests serving 82,000 Catholics to having 290 priests serving a Catholic population of 180,640.{{cite news|work=Catholic Herald|title=A look back: Diocese of Madison experiences growth under Bishop O'Connor|url=http://madisoncatholicherald.org/diocese-experiences-growth-under-oconnor}} In his first year as bishop, O'Connor established the Blessed Martin Guild to promote racial understanding and convert more minorities to Catholicism.{{cite news|work=Catholic Herald|title=A timeline of key events in the Diocese of Madison's 75-year history|url=http://madisoncatholicherald.org/diocese-75th5/}} He also founded Holy Name Seminary in Madison in 1965, and participated in the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965). As part of the council's reforms, he established a diocesan Priest Senate in 1966.{{cite news|work=Catholic Herald|title=Second Vatican Council had a profound impact on Bishop O'Donnell|url=http://madisoncatholicherald.org/75th-anniversary-16}}

On February 18, 1967, Pope Paul VI accepted O'Connor's resignation as bishop of the Diocese of Madison after 21 years of service. William O'Connor died of a heart attack in Madison on July 13, 1973, at age 86.

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• Catholic Church hierarchy
• Catholic Church in the United States
• Historical list of the Catholic bishops of the United States
• List of Catholic bishops of the United States
• Lists of patriarchs, archbishops, and bishops

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• [http://www.archmil.org/ Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee]
• [http://www.madisondiocese.org/ Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122064200/http://www.madisondiocese.org/ |date=November 22, 2011 }}
• [http://www.catholicdos.org/ Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior]

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{{succession box | title=Bishop of Madison | before=None | after=Cletus F. O'Donnell | years=1946–1967}}

{{succession box | title=Bishop of Superior | before=Theodore H. Reverman | after=Albert Gregory Meyer | years=1942–1946}}

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{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison}}

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior}}

{{Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee}}

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Category:1886 births

Category:1973 deaths

Category:Marquette University alumni

Category:St. Francis Seminary (Wisconsin) alumni

Category:American Roman Catholic clergy of Irish descent

Category:Catholic University of America alumni

Category:World War I chaplains

Category:United States Army chaplains

Category:Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Category:Religious leaders from Milwaukee

Category:Participants in the Second Vatican Council

Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Superior

Category:Roman Catholic bishops of Madison

Category:20th-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States