Auxiliary bishop of San Bernardino dies at age 63

Published: 2003-10-21

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (CNS) -- Auxiliary Bishop Dennis P. O'Neil of San Bernardino died Oct. 17 of an apparent heart attack. He was 63 years old. A funeral Mass for Bishop O'Neil was scheduled for Oct. 24 at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Chino Hills, the site of his episcopal ordination in 2001. Bishop Gerald R. Barnes of San Bernardino was to be the celebrant. Burial plans were pending. Also expected to be in attendance was Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles; Bishop O'Neil was ordained a priest of the Los Angeles Archdiocese on April 30, 1966. A statement issued by the San Bernardino Diocese Oct. 19 said that Bishop O'Neil "died peacefully kneeling in prayer before retiring." Bishop O'Neil was born in Fremont, Neb., on Jan. 16, 1940. He was the oldest of nine children. His family moved to the Glendale, Calif., area in 1942, and he graduated from Loyola University of Los Angeles. He was ordained a priest after studies at St. John's Seminary College and St. John's Seminary, both in Los Angeles. He served in Los Angeles area parishes from 1966 to 1979, when he undertook a five-year missionary assignment in the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska.

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