Seán Patrick O'Malley

Seán Patrick O'Malley (born June 29, 1944) is an American cardinal of the Catholic Church serving as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston in Massachusetts since 2003.

Seán Patrick O'Malley was born as Patrick O'Malley on June 29, 1944, in Lakewood, Ohio, the son of Theodore and Mary Louise (née Reidy) O'Malley.

Both parents were of Irish descent.

O'Malley, his sister, and his older brother grew up in South Hills of Pittsburgh, and Reading, Pennsylvania.

At age 12, he entered St. Fidelis High School Seminary in Herman, Pennsylvania, a boarding school for students who were considering joining the Franciscan order.

While there, in addition to studying the normal high school subjects, he also studied Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, German, and Hebrew, while also being active in theatre.

After graduating from St. Fidelis, he attended Capuchin College and the Catholic University of America, both in Washington, D.C. On July 14, 1965, at age 21, O'Malley professed his vows in the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and took the name Seán in honor of John the Apostle.

After he was ordained a deacon, O'Malley spent a brief period in Easter Island, Chile.

He served as a professor at Catholic University from 1969 to 1973.

O'Malley was ordained a priest for the Order of Friars on August 29, 1970, at age 26, by Auxiliary Bishop John McDowell.

After his ordination, O'Malley graduated from CUA with a master's degree in religious education and a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literature.

In 1973, O'Malley was asked to minister to Latinos at the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, D.C. He opened a Spanish bookstore there and founded El Pregonero, the first Spanish language newspaper in the area.

In 1978, Cardinal William Baum appointed O'Malley as episcopal vicar for the Portuguese, Hispanic, and Haitian communities in the Archdiocese of Washington.

He also became executive director of the archdiocesan Office of Social Ministry.

He says his daily prayers in Spanish.

O'Malley was appointed coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands on May 30, 1984, by Pope John Paul II.

He received his episcopal consecration on August 2, 1984, by Bishop Edward Harper, with Archbishop James Hickey and Bishop Eugene Marino serving as co-consecrators.

In 1985, O'Malley was also named knight commander of the Order of Infante D. Henrique by the Government of Portugal for his service to the Portuguese people in Washington.

O'Malley served as coadjutor bishop for one year and then automatically succeeded Harper as bishop on October 16, 1985, when he resigned.

While in the Virgin Islands, O'Malley worked with the homeless and opened a home for people with HIV/AIDS.

He was made an honorary chaplain of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta in 1991.

On June 16, 1992, John Paul II appointed O'Malley as bishop of the Diocese of Fall River.

He was installed on August 11, 1992.

As bishop, O'Malley first attempted to settle the sexual abuse scandal in the Fall River diocese.

In 1998, John Paul II appointed O'Malley to the Special Assembly for Oceania of the Synod of Bishops.

O'Malley previously served as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach in Florida (2002 to 2003), bishop of the Diocese of Fall River in Massachusetts (1992 to 2002), and bishop of the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands (1984 to 1992).

On September 3, 2002, John Paul II appointed O'Malley as bishop of the Diocese of Palm Beach.

He was installed on October 19, 2002.

O'Malley also tried to overcome the abuse scandal there.

He also worked closely with the Portuguese and Hispanic population there.

Known as a fixer in various Roman Catholic dioceses plagued by sexual abuse scandals, O'Malley was appointed by John Paul II as archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston on July 1, 2003.

He succeeded Cardinal Bernard Law, who had resigned as a consequence of the sexual abuse scandal there.

He is a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and was elevated by the Vatican to the rank of cardinal in 2006.

Pope Benedict XVI elevated O'Malley to the rank of cardinal-priest in the consistory of March 24, 2006.

O'Malley was assigned the titular church of Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome.

Since its creation in 2013, O'Malley has been a member of the Council of Cardinal Advisers, formed by Pope Francis to help him govern the Catholic Church and reform its central administration.

Since March 22, 2014, he has been a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and as its president since December 17, 2014.

On July 3, 2019, the archdiocese released a statement revealing that O'Malley had agreed to accept Pope Francis' request to stay on as Archbishop of Boston "for a few more years," despite the fact that O'Malley, as required, submitted his letter of resignation upon turning 75 years of age.

Archdiocese spokesperson Terry Donilon said O'Malley was "really relieved" about the Vatican's decision and that "He loves being the archbishop of Boston and so we're pleased that that was settled right out of the box."

The archdiocese statement also claimed that "The Cardinal is pleased to have the continued confidence of the Holy Father and looks forward to continuing to serve the people of God in Boston and in support of the Pope’s ministry in leading the universal church."