rev. timothy o’neill

rev. timothy o’neill

Background

The Rev. Timothy O’Neill, raised on Youngstown’s West Side, will offer his retirement Mass at 11 a.m. Sunday at St. Patrick Church, 367 N. Main St., Hubbard. A celebration will follow.

Education: He graduated from Ursuline High School in Youngs-town then from St. Gregory and Mount St. Mary of the West seminaries in Cincinnati. He also earned a master’s in education in guidance counseling from Xavier University and did graduate work at St. Louis University. He also did graduate work in religious studies at San Francisco University, earning a master of divinity degree.

As a priest: He was ordained May 27, 1967, by Bishop James W. Malone in St. Columba Cathedral in Youngstown. He was named associate pastor of St. Michael Parish in Canton and Stark County director of Catholic Youth Organization. He joined the Cardinal Mooney High School faculty in 1970, teaching religion and serving as chaplain for athletic teams. He served there until being named pastor of St. Paul Parish in New Middletown in 1987. Father O’Neill was appointed to St. Patrick in Hubbard in 1992.

Of note: In 1993, he met with Pat Sebastiano, an attorney; Dennis Pascarella, a certified public accountant; and Harry Wollet, a stockbroker, to found Difference Makers Inc., a nonprofit organization that operates a food pantry at St. Lucy/Sts. Rosa de Lima church of Christ the Good Shepherd Parish in Campbell and helps underprivileged youths in a variety of ways. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2009, which is awarded to those who build connections among people of different ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds. He is a board member at Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic and has done counseling there. He received the 2009 Great Communicator Award from Youngstown Hearing and Speech Center.