On March 30, 1963, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Jefferson City, Missouri. Following his ordination, he was assigned as Director of Students at St. Thomas Aquinas Preparatory Seminary in Hannibal, Missouri. He was named Spiritual Director in 1968 and was appointed Rector in 1970. He served as Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Jefferson City from 1969 to 1988. He was a member of the Diocesan Commission for Personnel and President of the Priests' Senate. He was serving as Rector of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary when he was appointed first Bishop of the newly created Diocese of Knoxville on June 7, 1988. On September 8, 1988, O'Connell was consecrated and installed as the first bishop of Knoxville. Archbishop Pio Laghi served as Principal Consecrator with Bishop James Daniel Niedergeses and Bishop Michael Francis McAuliffe serving as principal co-consecrators. On November 12, 1998, he was appointed the third Bishop of Palm Beach, replacing J. Keith Symons, who after admitting he molested five boys early in his priesthood.
Exposure of misconduct
O'Connell admitted in 2002 that he had molested at least two students of St. Thomas Aquinas Preparatory Seminary during his 25-year career there. Stephen Spalding was the first known O'Connell victim and became one of three alleged victims from the graduating class of 1971. Spalding's mother reported the crime to the Diocese of Jefferson City in 1968. A Jefferson City priest, Fr. Christopher Dixon, an alumnus and faculty member of St. Thomas, revealed O'Connell's crimes in 2002. Four former students, including two identified in media reports as "John C.C. Doe" and "Alexander," stepped forward to make allegations in regard to O'Connell's actions against students in his charge. The extent of O'Connell's transgressions in one student's case was documented by Time magazine. O'Connell offered his resignation as Bishop of Palm Beach on March 8, 2002, and his resignation was accepted by Pope John Paul II on March 13, 2002. Michael Boyd, a Knoxville native, filed against the diocese of Knoxville on July 18, 2019, claiming that when he was an altar boy he was abused by longtime Knoxville priest Xavier Mankel, and also by O'Connell. The suit was out of court for undisclosed terms, and the diocese admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.
Death
O'Connell died on May 4, 2012, six days before his 74th birthday, at Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, South Carolina, where he had been living under supervision since his 2002 resignation, following a long illness. His funeral Mass was May 7, 2012, at Mepkin Abbey.
