James Louis O'Donel
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The Right Reverend James Louis O'Donel |
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| Archdiocese | Archdiocese of St. John's |
| Successor | Patrick Lambert |
| Personal details | |
| Birth name | James Louis O'Donel |
| Born | 1737 Knocklofty, County Tipperary, Ireland |
| Died | 1 April 1811 Waterford, Ireland |
| Buried | St Mary’s Church, Irishtown, Clonmel |
| Nationality |
 Ireland
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| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
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Styles of James Louis O'Donel |
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| Reference style | The Right Reverend |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
| Religious style | Monsignor |
| Posthumous style | none |
James Louis O'Donel (1737, Knocklofty, County Tipperary, Ireland – April 1, 1811, Waterford, Ireland) was the first Roman Catholic bishop of St. John's, Newfoundland.
O'Donel was born into a prosperous family and received a classical education before entering the Franciscan order. After the Penal Laws ceased to be rigorously enforced, he travelled to Rome to study for the priesthood, becoming ordained in 1770. He later taught philosophy and theology in Prague, and in 1777 became the Franciscan Prior in Waterford.
Following developments in England, Catholics in Newfoundland gradually gained religious liberty, made explicit by a public declaration by the Governor in 1784. After a request from Irish merchants there to Bishop William Egan, O'Donel was sent to St. John's as Prefect Apostolic the same year, largely to deal with the presence of "unlicensed" and "unruly" priests on the island. In addition to his personal popularity, one of his qualifications for the position was an ability to preach in Gaelic.
O'Donel found that insubordinate priests were fighting Irish battles, and set about reorganizing the Catholic Church in Newfoundland. He built a chapel in St. John's, established parishes outside the capital, and gradually brought priests under his authority. During his first few years in post, O'Donel also found that Catholic liberty was less than absolute, and was involved in an infamous incident in 1786 in which he was assaulted by Prince William Henry, later King William IV. In 1796, O'Donel became a bishop, consecrated as titular bishop of Thyatira at Quebec on 21 September.
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Wikipedia