Assignment Record – Rev. Paul Cornelius O'Connor, s.j. Summary of Case: Paul C. O'Connor was ordained a priest of the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus in August 1929. He went on to spend the better part of 50 years living and working in Alaska, mostly in remote villages. From 1959-65 he was Oregon and then Seattle- based, traveling the lower 48 states lecturing and fundraising as Procurator for Alaska Missions. He lived in Gonzaga University's Jesuit community from 1977 until his death in March 1979. O'Connor's name appeared on the Fairbanks diocese's list in 2009 of "individuals against whom one person has brought a complaint of sexual abuse." Ordained: August 25, 1929 Died: March 8, 1979 |
Start | Stop | Parish/Assignment | Town/Accusations | State | Position | Notes |
1929 | 1930 | St. Augustin College | Enghein | Belgium | theology student | |
1930 Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska was Joseph Raphael John Crimont, s.j. (1904-1945). |
1931 | Holy Cross Mission | Holy Cross | AK | 2/4 | |
1931 | 1933 | St. Lawrence | Mountain Village | AK | 1/1 | St. Lawrence had a school with 23 students. |
1931 | 1933 | Chukartuli, Annok, Pitka's Point, FIsh Village. Mountain Village Andreafsky | AK | These were stations of St. Lawrence in Mountain Village. | ||
1931 | 1933 | St. Charles' Mission | AK | This was a mission of St. Lawrence in Mountain Village. | ||
1933 Seattle bishop was Gerlad Shaughnessy, s.j. (1933-1950). |
1934 | Manresa Hall | Port Townsend | WA | Jesuit tertianship | |
1934 Vicariate Apostolic of Alaska |
1941 | St. Mary's | Akulurak | AK | 2.2, 1/3, 1/2 Superior 1935-1941 |
St. Mary's had a boarding school for boys with 43-30 students, and St. Mary's Industrial Training School and Orphanage for Eskimo girls, with 85-60 students. |
1934 | 1941 | Alaranak, Panreuvik, Kwiguk and others. | AK | These were missions of St. Mary's in Akulurak. | ||
1934 | 1941 | over 50 villages or hamlets of Ykon Delta | AK | These were stations of St. Mary's in Akulurak. | ||
1941 Crimont was succeeded by Watler James Fitzgerald, s.j. (1945-1947). |
1946 | St. Francis Xavier's | Kotzebue | AK | 1/1 | |
1941 | 1946 | Candle, Deering, Kewalik | AK | These were missions of St. Francis Xavier's in Kotzbue. | ||
1946 Francis Doyle Gleeson, s.j. replaced Fitzgerald (1948-1968). The Fairbanks diocese was established Aug. 8, 1962. |
1949 | St. Theresa of the Child Jesus | Hooper Bay • O'Connor's name appeared on the Fairbanks diocese's list in 2009 of "individuals against whom one person has brought a complaint of sexual abuse." |
AK | 1/2, 1/1 | |
1946 | 1949 | Scammon Bay | AK | This was a station of St. Theresa's in Hooper Bay. | ||
1947 1965 |
1963 1966 |
Bishop's Council |
Fairbanks | AK | ||
1949 | 1953 | Little Flower of Jesus | Hooper Bay | AK | 1/2, 1/1 | Per Louis Renner, s.j. in his book, Alaskana Catholica: A History of the Catholic Church in Alaska, O'Connor took an interest in the youngsters..." |
1949 | 1953 | Scammon Bay, Chevak, Kashunak, Keyaluvik | These were stations of Little Flower of Jesus in Hooper Bay. | |||
1950 | National Guard | AK | chaplain | |||
1953 | 1959 | St. Mary's Mission | St. Mary's (Andreafski) | AK | 1/1, 1/2 ; Superior |
St. Mary's is shown to have had a day and boarding elementary school with 126-167 students (mostly boarders), and a day and boarding high school beginning in 1955 with 12-20 students (mostly boarders). |
1959 | 1965 | Procurator for Alaska Missions | Per Renner, O'Conner traveled across the U.S. on "lecturing and begging tours." | |||
1959 Seattle archbishop was Thomas Arthur Connolly (1950-1975). |
1960 | Seattle University | Seattle | WA | ||
1960 Portland in Oregon archbishop was Edward Daniel Howard (1926-1966). |
1965 | Jesuit Provincial Residence | Portland | OR | Alaska Missions treasurer | |
1959 | 1965 | Procurator for Alaska Missions | ||||
1965 The Anchorage archdiocese was established Feb. 9, 1966. Its bishop was John Joseph Thomas Ryan (1966-1975). |
1966 | Holy Family | Glennallen | AK | 1/3; Superior |
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1965 | 1966 | Chitina, Tok | AK | These were stations of Holy Family in Glennallen. | ||
1966 Ryan was succeeded as Anchorage archbishop by Francis Thomas Hurley (1976-2001). |
1976 | Providence Hospital | Anchorage | AK | chaplain | O'Connor was said to have "Found a particular satisfaction in delighting the children in pediatrics." |
1976 Baker bishop was Thomas Joseph Connolly (1971-1999). |
St. Elizabeth Hospital | Baker | OR | chaplain | O'Connor spent "some months" at St. Elizabeth's. | |
1977 Spokane bisho pwas Bernard Joseph Topel (1955-1978). |
1978 | Ecumenical Center | Spokane | WA | ||
1978 Topel was succeeded by Lawrence Harold Welsh (1978-1990). |
1979 | Gonzaga University Jesuit Community | Spokane | WA | O'Connor died March 8, 1979. |
Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1930-1980) • Alaskana Catholica: A History of the Catholic Church in Alaska, by Louis L. Renner, s.j., pp. 480-485.
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