Charles Joseph O'Reilly

Charles Joseph O'Reilly (January 4, 1860 – February 4, 1923) was a Canadian-born American prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the first bishop of the Diocese of Baker City in Oregon (1903–1918) and the third bishop of the Diocese of Lincoln in Nebraska (1918–1923).

Early life O'Reilly was born on January 4, 1860, in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Peter and Bridget (née Walsh) O'Reilly. His sister Margaret joined the Visitation Sisters in Tacoma, Washington.

O'Reilly received his early education under the Christian Brothers in Saint John. He then attended St. Joseph's College in Memramcook, New Brunswick, graduating with a Master of Arts. He served as principal of St. Michael's College in Portland until 1885, when the Christian Brothers took charge of the school.

Following his ordination, the archdiocese assigned O'Reilly to missions in Lake Oswego and Tigard, Oregon, erecting churches at both locations.

In addition to his pastoral duties, O'Reilly worked as editor of the Catholic Sentinel, the archdiocesan newspaper, in 1900. On O'Reilly's arrival in Baker City, he was greeted by four armed priests. When O'Reilly later tried to reassign Louis P. Desmarais, one of those armed priests, to another parish, he refused. In response, O'Reilly personally ejected him from the church property; Desmarais responded by suing O'Reilly for assault and battery.

O'Reilly laid the cornerstone of Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral in Baker in 1906, dedicating the building in 1908. He traveled to Rome in 1921 to recruit more priests, especially for the large Czech-speaking population in the diocese. During his five years as bishop, he established six new parochial schools and three new parishes.

Already suffering from arteriosclerosis, O'Reilly fell in December 1922, leaving him confined to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln for the final two months of his life. O'Reilly died in Lincoln on February 4, 1923, at age 63.