'God bless you for all you’re doing,' he said. 'You’re our best hope — not just for your own communities, but for the church and our society. For America, right now.'"
[Photo Credit: Wally Skalij, LA Times]
LA Times Memorializes Bishop Dave
"Over a 43-year career across Los Angeles County, the Spanish-speaking Irish immigrant stood up for his working class parishioners against federal and local officials and even his own bosses. Even after Pope Francis appointed him as a bishop in 2015, O’Connell never lost his common touch....
'He had a very fierce passion for justice, for the dignity of people,' said [One LA] lead organizer Robert Hoo, who had known him since 2005....Hoo sent me two video clips, [one] from a Zoom meeting last month, where O'Connell greeted IAF members who had recently met with Pope Francis about their organizing efforts. In it, the bishop stood in his office and beamed.
‘He Brought Us In Closer’: The LA Journey of Bishop O'Connell, Los Angeles Times
One LA Prepares 115 Leaders to Rebuild the Church Through Recognizing the Stranger
One LA brought together over 115 parish leaders from across Los Angeles County to learn to heal the worst effects of the pandemic through conversation and broad-based action. The Most Reverend David O'Connell of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles joined One LA's Recognizing the Stranger training and addressed the leaders and encouraged them in the development of a relational culture.
The training was sponsored by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, One-LA, and Organizers Institute.