Very Reverend Monsignor Cornelius O'Mahony, EV
Cornelius (Con) O’Mahony grew up in County Cork, Ireland and immigrated to Canada in 1982 as a newly ordained priest. He has served in parishes in Georgetown, Hamilton, Oakville and Kitchener before his appointment to St. Michael’s Parish, Waterloo in 2008. In November 2010, he was appointed Vicar for Education for the Diocese of Hamilton by Bishop Douglas Crosby.
Con completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Patrick’s College Carlow, Ireland and while completing his Masters in Theology, had the opportunity to study with some of the major figures in Catholic education after the Second Vatican Council. He has taught courses in Religious Education at St. Michael’s College, Brock University and for twenty five years, with the OECTA Religious Education formation program for teachers in many parts of Ontario.
He has served on the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Commission on Religious Education and was a resource person for the Born in the Spirit Series of Catechetical Resources that are used in Catholic Schools and parishes throughout Canada. In September 2007 he participated in a research and study project on faith formation for teachers with participants from New Zealand, England, Australia and Canada at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia.
Con has written extensively on faith and culture and is an editorial advisor and regular book reviewer for Celebrate, a Canadian magazine for persons involved in liturgy and pastoral ministry. His essay 'The Parish in a Culture of Change' won awards in Canada and the United States in the spring of 2010. He is the co-author of 'Life is Changed Not Ended' which was published by Novalis in Canada in 2005. He is a member of the Board of Governors for St. Jerome’s University.
In his spare time, Con likes to travel and has journeyed across the Himalayas from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu Nepal and down the Mekong River through Laos and Cambodia in South East Asia. He is an avid reader, likes to cook and is interested in new music and theatre.
In March 2023, Pope Francis appointed Father Cornelius O’Mahony, Pastor of St. Andrew Parish, Oakville, and Episcopal Vicar for Catholic Education for the Diocese of Hamilton, as Chaplain of His Holiness (C.S.S.) with the title of Monsignor. The Papal Honour will be conferred on a date yet to be determined during a celebration at the parish.