O’Connor, Father William

1968, October 4

Date of Birth: 1887, April 22

William O’Connor was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on April 22, 1887. In 1893 he entered St. Mary’s Parochial School in Pawtucket. From there in 1901 he went to Pawtucket High School and later to La Salle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island. He went to Worcester, Massachusetts in 1906 to attend Holy Cross College. He left Holy Cross in 1906 to come to Baltimore, Maryland, to enter St. Mary’s Seminary. In 1909 he received his B.A., and in 1910 his M.A. In that same year he began his Theology and attained his S.T.B. in 1913. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 17, 1913.

Father O’Connor made his Solitude in Washington, D.C. under Father Havey, in 1913-1914. From 1914 to 1918 he pursued higher studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. For the last three of those years he was Procurator at Divinity Hall. In 1918 he came to St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland. There he was Treasurer until 1922. He taught History, Greek, Latin, English, and Religion at St. Charles until 1932. In that year Father O’Connor was transferred to St. Joseph’s College in Mountain View, California, where, besides teaching, he filled the office of Librarian and acted as Vestiaire. He died on October 4, 1968.

Adapted from Father O’Connor’s “Personal Data” sheet.