John Joseph O'Hara | |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of New York Titular Bishop ofAth Truim | |
| Church | Roman Catholic |
| Archdiocese | New York |
| Appointed | June 14, 2014 |
| Installed | August 4, 2014 |
| Retired | April 7, 2021 |
| Other post(s) | Titular Bishop ofAth Truim |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | December 1, 1984 by John Joseph O'Connor |
| Consecration | August 4, 2014 by Timothy M. Dolan,Gerald Thomas Walsh, andDominick John Lagonegro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1946-02-07)February 7, 1946 (age 79) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Residence | St. Agnes' Church (Manhattan),St. Charles' Church (Staten Is.) |
| Motto | Jesus, I trust in you |
| Styles of John Joseph O'Hara | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Bishop |
John Joseph O'Hara (born February 7, 1946) is an Americanprelate of theCatholic Church, who served as anauxiliary bishop of theArchdiocese of New York from 2014 to 2021.
O'Hara was born on February 7, 1946, inJersey City, New Jersey, and was educated in a Catholic elementary school inRidgewood, New Jersey, and atDon Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. He earned a Bachelor of English degree fromSeton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey.[1] While a student, O'Hara was active in the school's radio station,WSOU, serving as news director during the 1966-67 academic year.[2] O'Hara worked inbroadcast journalism for 13 years before enteringSt. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York.[3]
O'Hara was ordained into the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York by ArchbishopJohn O'Connor on December 1, 1984.[4] His assignments, both inStaten Island, includedSt. Charles Parish' asparochial vicar from 1984 to 1992, andSt. Teresa's Parish from 1992 to 2012 as both parochial vicar andpastor.[5] O'Hara served as the director of strategic pastoral planning for the archdiocese from 2012 to 2022, where he led the "Making All Things New" planning process for parish mergers.[6]
O'Hara was namedtitular bishop of Ath Truim and an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York byPope Francis on June 14, 2014. He was consecrated by CardinalTimothy Dolan inSt. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on August 4, 2014. Auxiliary bishopsGerald Walsh andDominick Lagonegro were the co-consecrators.[4] O'Hara'scrosier had been used by CardinalTerence Cooke, a former archbishop of New York.[5]
In October 2017, O'Hara intervened to prevent the International Human Rights Art Festival from performing at one of the churches in the archdiocese due to some gay andtransgender content. The archdiocese offered to host the event if these specific acts were rejected, but the festival director declined.[7][8] In contrast, after Staten Island's 2020 Saint Patrick's Parade was heavily criticized for excluding supporters ofLBGTQ+ rights, O'Hara planned to meet with the "hard line" parade organizer to urge "change in the future".[9][10]
On February 7, 2021, O'Hara reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 and submitted his letter of resignation as auxiliary bishop of New York to Pope Francis, as required bycanon law. On April 7, 2021, the pope accepted O'Hara's resignation.[11] He has continued to serve as episcopal vicar of Staten Island and as vicar of planning for the archdiocese.[6]
