Cardinal O'Connor's mother was born Jewish, family tree reveals
April 30, 2014
The mother of the late Cardinal John O'Connor, the Archbishop of New York, was born Jewish, the Religion News Service reports.
Mary O'Connor Ward, the sister of the late cardinal, was doing research into the family genealogy when she noticed that her maternal grandparents were buried in a Jewish cemetery. Further investigation revealed that her mother had entered the Catholic Church at the age of 19, before her marriage.
Cardinal O'Connor was noted for his warm relations with New York's Jewish community. His sister says that the cardinal was probably unaware of his own mother's Jewish roots.
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