Edwin Frederick O'Brien

Edwin Frederick O'Brien (born April 8, 1939) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church.

Edwin O'Brien was born on April 8, 1939, in the Bronx, New York, to Edwin Frederick, Sr. and Mary Winifred O'Brien.

One of three children, he had two brothers, Ken and Tom O'Brien, now deceased.

O'Brien graduated from Our Lady of Solace Parish School in the Bronx in 1953 and attended St. Mary's High School in Katonah, New York from 1953 to 1957.

O'Brien entered St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, New York in 1959, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts (1961), Master of Divinity (1964), and Master of Arts (1965) degrees.

in O'Brien was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of New York by Cardinal Francis Spellman on May 29, 1965.

O'Brien served as a civilian chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point until 1970, when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps with the rank of Captain.

He took Army flight training with parachute jumping.

In 1970, O'Brien began serving as a chaplain at Fort Bragg in North Carolina with the US Army 82nd Division.

O'Brien was sent to South Vietnam in 1971 during the Vietnam War with the US Army 173rd Airborne Brigade and the 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

While in South Vietnam, O'Brien was based in the countryside and flew with a Protestant minister by helicopter to minister to soldiers.

In 1972, O'Brien was transferred to Georgia, serving as post chaplain at Fort Gordon until his discharge from the service in 1973.

In 1973, O'Brien was sent by Cardinal Terence Cooke to study in Rome at the Pontifical North American College in Rome O'Brien graduated from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas Angelicum in Romewith a Doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1976.

His dissertation was titled The Origin and Development of Moral Principles in the Theology of Paul Ramsey.

Returning to New York, O'Brien served as both the vice-chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York and associate pastor at St. Patrick Cathedral Parish in Manhattan from 1976 to 1981.

He coordinated Pope John Paul II's visit to New York in 1979 and was the archdiocesan director of communications from 1981 to 1983.

Between 1983 and 1985, O'Brien served as priest-secretary to Cardinal Cooke and then to his successor, Cardinal John O'Connor.

He served as rector of St. Joseph's Seminary from 1985 to 1989, and of the Pontifical North American College from 1990 to 1994.

O'Brien was elevated by the Vatican to honorary prelate of his holiness in 1986.

In 1993, he initiated the cause of canonization for Emil Kapaun, a US Army chaplain killed while in captivity during the Korean War.

Returning to New York, O'Brien served another term as rector of St. Joseph's from 1994 to 1997.

He was an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York from 1996 to 1997.

On February 6, 1996, John Paul II appointed O'Brien as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New York and titular bishop of ThizicaI.

He received his episcopal consecration on March 25, 1996, by Cardinal O'Connor, with bishops Patrick Sheridan and John Nolan serving as co-consecrators, at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

O'Brien selected as his episcopal motto: Pastores Dabo Vobis, meaning, "I will give you shepherds" Jeremiah 3:15.

During this time, O’Brien continued to serve as rector of St. Joseph's Seminary.

While serving there, he ordained (with Vatican permission) Reverend Eugene Hamilton, a 24-year old seminarian who was suffering from terminal cancer. O'Connor had petitioned the Vatican for Hamilton's early ordination, which O'Brien officiated a few hours before Hamilton died.

On April 7, 1997, John Paul II appointed O'Brien as coadjutor archbishop for the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA.

He succeeded Archbishop Joseph Dimino when he retired on August 12, 1997.

During his 10 years as archbishop of the Military Services, O'Brien divided his time between visiting American troops and working with the Pontifical North American College.

From September 2005 to June 2006, O'Brien served in the additional role of the Vatican's coordinator for the papal visitation of Seminaries and Houses of Priestly Formation.

He expressed his personal opposition to admitting gay men to seminaries, a position he said was "based on 12 years' experience as rector of two U.S. seminaries".

His report also called for a stronger focus on moral theology, increased oversight of seminarians, and greater involvement of diocesan bishops in the formation process.

He was recognized as being "instrumental in Catholic seminary reform in the wake of clergy sex abuse disclosures."

In 2006, O'Brien noted that declining public support for the Iraq War was leading to a decrease in morale among the troops, adding, "The news only shows cars being blown up, but the soldiers see hospitals being built and schools opening."

O'Brien served as archbishop of the Latin Church Archdiocese of Baltimore from 2007 to 2011 and as archbishop of the Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA, from 1997 to 2007.

By 2007, he believed that the status of US operations in Iraq "compels an assessment of our current circumstances and the continuing obligation of the Church to provide a moral framework for public discussion."

O'Brien refused to "question the moral integrity of our military personnel," but added, "[O]ur nation must honestly assess what is achievable in Iraq using the traditional just war principles of 'probability of success' ... Our troops should remain in Iraq only as long as their presence contributes to a responsible transition."

O'Brien opposed the National Defense Authorization Act of 2007, saying it "would seek to impose a legislative mandate for military chaplains without considering the religious needs of all military members ... [and] may well result in less public prayer and marginalization of military chaplains."

He has been a cardinal since 2012 and headed the Order of the Holy Sepulchre from 2011 to 2019.