Father Vincent O’Connell
Diocese of Fresno (Marist)
Ordained: 1939
Died: 1999
Assignment History:
- 1940: Unknown
- 1941-1951: Notre Dame Seminary (New Orleans, LA)
- 1952-1958: Church of St. Louis (St. Paul, MN)
- 1959: Chanel High School (Bedford, OH)
- 1960-1962: The Marist College (Washington, DC)
- 1963-1967: Notre Dame Seminary (New Orleans, LA)
- 1966-1967: St. Joseph Manor (Bettendorf, IA)
- 1968: Holy Innocents (Neptune, NJ)
- 1969: Marist Provincial House (Washington, DC)
- 1970: Immaculata Seminary (Lafayette, LA)
- 1971-1976: 480 Northfield Rd. (Bedford, OH)
- 1977-1981: Holy Name of Mary (New Orleans, LA)
- 1982-1992: Marist Collegiate Community (New Orleans, LA)
- 1993-1994: Unknown
- 1995-1998: Marist Provincial House (Washington DC)
Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Vincent O’Connell:
Fr. Vincent O’Connell, a native of Ireland, was ordained a priest a priest of the Society of Mary in 1939, who served in the Diocese of Fresno. According to media reports, in 2003, after reading a magazine story on priest sexual abuse, a survivor came forward to accuse Fr. O’Connell of child sexual abuse in 1970 while he was working at St. Anthony of Padua in Fresno, California.
The female survivor was 16 years old at the time of the abuse and alleges she reported the rape to a parish deacon and priest in her local diocese. Her father died suddenly, and Fr. O’Connell spent a lot of time with her family before the abuse occurred. In 2012, the same woman filed a separate suit against the Archdiocese of San Francisco for not doing anything when she told of the abuse in 2003.
Fr. O’Connell returned to Dublin Ireland, where he lived until his death in 1999, in a home for retired priests of the Holy Ghost Fathers.
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Diocese of Fresno in California. If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Diocese of Fresno now have legal options due to a temporary change in California law, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.
Contact us toll-free at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.