Rev. Marvin R. O'Connell
Rev. Marvin R. O'Connell
Obituary
Guest Book
Marvin O'Connell Obituary
R. O'Connell
July 9, 1930 - Aug. 19, 2016
NOTRE DAME - Rev. Marvin R. O'Connell, professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame, died early Friday morning at Dujarie House in Holy Cross Village. He was 86. Born July 9, 1930, Fr. O'Connell was the only child of Richard and Anna Mae (Kelly) O'Connell.
A native of St. Paul, Father O'Connell studied at the St. Paul Seminary of the University of St. Thomas, earning a master's degree in history before being ordained a priest for the archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 1956. He earned a doctoral degree in history from Notre Dame in 1959, returned to St. Thomas and served on its history faculty until 1972, when he came to Notre Dame.
His vocations as a priest and historian flourished mutually at Notre Dame, where he soon became one of the University's most popular, challenging and affectionately regarded graduate and undergraduate teachers. “However often and egregiously I have failed to live up to it,” he once wrote, “my ideal has always been to see the past, and to reconstruct it, as an integral whole, with all the interrelationships and complexities that that involves.” He chaired Notre Dame's history department from 1974 to 1980 and also directed the University's undergraduate program in London from 1993 to 1995.
In addition to his teaching, Father O'Connell published numerous articles and essays in scholarly and popular journals and several major books, including the definitive biography of Notre Dame's founder, “Edward Sorin”; “Pilgrims to the Northland: The Archdiocese of St. Paul, 1840-1962”; “John Ireland and the American Catholic Church”; “Blaise Pascal: Reasons of the Heart”; “Thomas Stapleton and the Counter Reformation”; “The Oxford Conspirators: A History of the Oxford Movement, 1833-1845”; “The Counter Reformation, 1559-1610”; and “Critics on Trial: An Introduction to the Catholic Modernist Crisis.”
A wake service will be held Tuesday (August 23) at Kaniewski Funeral Home, 3545 N. Bendix Dr., South Bend, from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m., with Rosary at 5:00 p.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday (August 24) in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Burial will follow immediately in the Holy Cross Community Cemetery at Notre Dame. Memorial contributions may be made to the O'Connell Prize Fund, History Department, University of Notre Dame. To send online condolences, please visit www.kaniewski.com.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
5 Entries
William Blum
August 23, 2016
I only came to know Fr. O'Connell after he and I both retired and found ourselves playing bridge together. I also came to know his historical work especially about Father Sorin. I am glad he is being buried in the same cemetery as Father Sorin and in the midst of many priests and brothers whom he knew.
May he rest in peace and enjoy eternal glory!
R.I.P>
Amy Hurt
August 22, 2016
It was my pleasure to care for Fr O'Connell in our office for many years. He will be greatly missed.
Rick Janet
August 22, 2016
Fr. O'Connell was a true gentleman-scholar, who set high standards for himself and his students. May God grant him peace.
Michael Eby
August 22, 2016
I had the pleasure of having Fr. O'Connell as a professor during my undergraduate years. He was one of the best teachers that I have ever had. His knowledge and passion for history were boundless. Notre Dame has truly lost one if its best and brightest.
How you can show support
Send flowers
Consider sending flowers.
Add photos
Share their life with photo memories.
Plant trees
Honor them by planting trees in their memory.
Follow this page
Get email updates whenever changes are made.
Donate in Memory
Make a donation in memory of your loved one.
Share this page
Invite other friends and family to visit the page.
Mike Faricy
August 21, 2016
Dear Father O'Connell. Thank you so very much for the kindness and friendship you gave to my parents and to us, their children. Always a welcome addition to our home and family. Whenever you arrived we were cleared out of the way for a bridge game or discussion which we could listen to as long as we remained quiet. You were there for my father's passing, out marriages, baptisims and just life. I remember sitting in St Therese church as a child and your sermon which began. 'There are those here who answered the call in 1917', and I was sitting next to my grandfather who at that point sat up just a bit more straight. We were blessed to have you in out lives, for the immediate moment the world is a little less bright, but we'll all catch up soon enough. God bless, and thank you.
Showing 1 - 5 of 5 results
3545 N. Bendix Dr., South Bend, IN 46628
Make a Donation
in Marvin O'Connell's name
How to support Marvin's loved ones
Should I Send Sympathy Flowers?
What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read more
What Should I Write in a Sympathy Card?
We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read more
Resources to help you cope with loss
How to Cope With Grief
Information and advice to help you cope with the death of someone important to you.
Read more
Estate Settlement Guide
If you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read more
Obituaries, grief & privacy: Legacy’s news editor on NPR podcast
Legacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read moreWays to honor Marvin O'Connell's life and legacy
Obituary Examples
You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
Read more
Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples
These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
Read more
How Do I Write a Eulogy?
Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
Read more
