Ralph Bernard O'Donnell

Last updated
His Excellency, The Most Reverend

Ralph Bernard O'Donnell
Bishop of Jefferson City
See Jefferson City
AppointedAugust 19, 2025
InstalledOctober 28, 2025
Predecessor William Shawn McKnight
Orders
OrdinationJune 7, 1997
by  Elden Francis Curtiss
ConsecrationOctober 28, 2025
by  Mitchell T. Rozanski, William Shawn McKnight, and Michael George McGovern
Personal details
Born (1969-08-31) August 31, 1969 (age 56)
Omaha, Nebraska, US
MottoServite Domino In Laetitia
Coat of arms Coat of arms of Ralph Bernard O'Donnell.svg
Styles of
Ralph Bernard O'Donnell
Coat of arms of Ralph Bernard O'Donnell.svg
Reference style
Spoken style Your Excellency
Religious style Bishop


Ralph Bernard O'Donnell (born August 31, 1969) is an American priest of the Catholic Church who serves as bishop for the Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri. [1]

Contents

Biography

Early life

Ralph O'Donnell was born on August 31, 1969, in Omaha, Nebraska. He entered Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri, in 1989. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in religion in 1993, he continued his studies at the Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. O'Donnell was awarded a Master of Divinity degree in 1997.

Priesthood

On June 7, 1997, O'Donnell was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Omaha at Saint Cecilia Cathedral in Omaha by Archbishop Elden Francis Curtiss. [2] After his ordination, the archdiocese assigned O'Donnell as associate pastor at Mary Our Queen Parish in Omaha. He was transferred in 2001 to St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Omaha. [1]

O'Donnell left St. Vincent in 2003 to serve as director of vocations for the archdiocese. he was named pastor of St. Brigid and St. Rose Parishes in Omaha in 2008, along with director of the permanent diaconate program. The archdiocese named O'Donnell as vice rector and dean or formation at Conception Seminary College in 2011. He left Conception in 2015 to serve in Washington, D.C. as executive director for the Secretariat for Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). O'Donnell returned to Omaha in 2019 with his appointment as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Parish. [1]

Bishop of Jefferson City

Pope Leo XIV appointed O'Donnell as bishop of Jefferson City on August 19, 2025. [3] [4] [5] On October 28, 2025, O'Donnell was consecrated as a bishop. [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Pope Leo XIV Appoints Reverend Ralph O'Donnell as Bishop of Jefferson City | USCCB". www.usccb.org. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
  2. ↑ "Father Ralph Bernard O'Donnell [Catholic-Hierarchy]". www.catholic-hierarchy.org. Retrieved 2025-08-30.
  3. ↑ "Resignations and Appointments, 19.08.2025" . Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Pope Leo XIV Appoints Reverend Ralph O'Donnell as Bishop of Jefferson City" . Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Pope appoints new bishop for Diocese of Jefferson City" . Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Bishop-Elect | Diocese of Jefferson City". diojeffcity.org. 2025-08-19. Retrieved 2025-08-27.

Episcopal succession

Catholic Church titles
Preceded by Bishop of Jefferson City
2025-Present		Succeeded by
Incumbent
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.