Mark O'Connell

Mark O'Connell (born June 25, 1964) is a Canadian-born American Catholic prelate who was appointed Bishop of Albany in October 2025, and was installed on December 5, 2025. He had served as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston. He was the vicar general and moderator of the curia for the archdiocese from 2023 to 2025.

Biography

Early life Mark O'Connell was born in Scarborough, Ontario, on June 25, 1964, Mark O'Connell has two older brothers and one older sister. The family returned to Massachusetts when Mark O'Connell was age 12, when father took a similar position at Boston College. He then entered Boston College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and philosophy in 1986. Having decided to enter the priesthood, O'Connell then studied at Saint John's Seminary in Boston.

Priesthood O'Connell was ordained into the priesthood at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston by Cardinal Bernard Law for the Archdiocese of Boston on June 16, 1990. After returning to Boston, he joined the canonical affairs staff of the archdiocese in 2001

From 2009 to 2012, O'Connell served as a senior consultor to the Canon Law Society of America. He has also served on the faculty of Saint John's Seminary and the Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts.

Auxiliary Bishop of Boston

On June 3, 2016, Pope Francis appointed O'Connell as an auxiliary bishop of Boston and titular bishop of Gigthi in Tripolitana. He was consecrated on August 24, 2016, at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross by Cardinal Seán O'Malley, with Bishops Walter Edyvean and Peter Uglietto serving as co-consecrators. From January 2023, he served as vicar general and moderator of the curia of the archdiocese. For the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, O'Connell is a member of the Committee for the Protection of Children & Young People.

Bishop of Albany

On October 20, 2025, Pope Leo XIV named him the bishop of Albany, as successor to retiring Bishop Edward Scharfenberger. He was installed on December 5, 2025.