New York Times features late cardinal's Jewish ancestry

by Tom Gallagher

View Author Profile

Join the Conversation

Send your thoughts to Letters to the Editor. Learn more

The New York Times has an interesting story about the late Cardinal John O'Connor's Jewish heritage:

In his 16 years as the Catholic Church's top official in New York, Cardinal John Joseph O'Connor was a staunch friend and defender of the Jewish people.

He spoke often about what he had seen at Dachau as a Navy chaplain. He used his platform as head of the Archdiocese of New York to support Soviet Jewry, and played a role in the Vatican's recognition of the state of Israel. Mayor Edward I. Koch, a Bronx-born Jew who worked closely with the cardinal, proclaimed that he loved him "like a brother."

Yet there was something Cardinal O'Connor apparently never knew: His mother was born a Jew, the daughter of a rabbi.

"The basic fact is, my mother was Jewish," said Mary O'Connor Ward-Donegan, the cardinal's 87-year-old sister. Observing the Jewish matrilineal tradition, she added, "That means my two brothers were Jewish, my sister was Jewish and I am Jewish. Of that I am very proud."

Read the full story.

Latest News

Advertisement

1x per dayDaily Newsletters
1x per weekWeekly Newsletters
2x WeeklyBiweekly Newsletters