A beloved Catholic bishop who was murdered in 2023 was remembered by the faithful across Los Angeles County on the first anniversary of his death.
“I still miss him every day,” LA Archbishop José Gómez said during a Catholic event this week. “I know many of you miss him, too. He was a beautiful man, with a shepherd’s heart.”
The archbishop, who previously said he was “very close” to O’Connell, recalled his colleague and friend’s “warm, friendly smile.”
“I know he is looking down on us this weekend from heaven, and he is smiling. I know he is praying for all of us and the work we do to share the love of Jesus in our world today,” Gómez said.