Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare

Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare
Name	Joseph A. O'Hare
Honorific prefix	Rev.
Birth date	1931-02-12
Birth place	The Bronx, New York City
Death date	2020-03-29
Death place	The Bronx, New York City
Occupation	Jesuit priest, editor, academic administrator
Known for	President of Fordham University, editor of The Catholic Worker, public service

Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare

Rev. Joseph A. O'Hare served as a Jesuit priest, editor, and academic leader whose career connected The Bronx, Fordham University, The Catholic Worker movement, and New York City public life. He moved between institutions such as Gonzaga College High School, Georgetown University, Columbia University, and the University of Oxford while engaging with civic bodies including the New York City Campaign Finance Board, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and the Knights of Columbus. His work intersected with figures and organizations like Pope John Paul II, Cardinal John O'Connor, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and media outlets such as The New York Times, National Catholic Reporter, and Commonweal (magazine).

Early life and education

O'Hare was born in The Bronx and raised amid neighborhoods shaped by institutions like Fordham Preparatory School, Bronx High School of Science, and parish communities linked to St. Angela Merici Church. He attended Gonzaga College High School before entering Fordham University for undergraduate studies, later pursuing graduate work at Columbia University and theological formation at Saint Joseph's Seminary (Dunwoodie), with postgraduate research associated with the University of Oxford and contact with colleges such as Campion Hall and academic figures from Trinity College, Oxford.

Jesuit vocation and priesthood

He entered the Society of Jesus and was ordained a priest in ceremonies connected to Jesuit houses like Regis High School (New York City) and formation programs at Bellarmine Hall (Fordham). His priestly ministry linked him to ecclesiastical leaders including Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and American prelates such as Cardinal John O'Connor and Cardinal Terence Cooke. O'Hare participated in Jesuit networks alongside colleagues from Boston College, Georgetown University, and Loyola University Chicago.

Academic and editorial career

O'Hare served as editor of several Catholic publications and was deeply involved with media outlets like The Catholic Worker, Commonweal (magazine), America (magazine), National Catholic Reporter, and the Catholic News Service. He taught and administered in higher education at Fordham University, engaged with faculty from Columbia University, Harvard University, and Yale University, and contributed to scholarship circulated through libraries like the New York Public Library and archives associated with The Archdiocese of New York. His editorial work brought him into dialogue with writers and intellectuals such as Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Daniel Berrigan, Fr. Richard McSorley, and commentators at The New Yorker, Time (magazine), and The Wall Street Journal.

Presidency of Fordham University

As President of Fordham University, O'Hare oversaw initiatives involving the Rose Hill (Fordham University) campus, administration offices in Lincoln Center (Manhattan), and expansion projects linked to institutions like New York University and city planning bodies such as the New York City Planning Commission. His tenure engaged trustees, alumni, and donors including foundations like the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, and benefactors connected to The Rockefeller Foundation. He worked with academic counterparts at Columbia University, City University of New York, and private institutions including Yeshiva University and Pace University to navigate fiscal, curricular, and campus safety issues often discussed alongside leaders like Chancellor Gordon Gee and presidents including Rev. Theodore Hesburgh.

Public service and civic engagement

O'Hare chaired and served on civic bodies such as the New York City Campaign Finance Board, the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct, and advisory panels linked to Governor Mario Cuomo and Governor George Pataki. He advised municipal leaders including Mayor Ed Koch, Mayor David Dinkins, and Mayor Rudy Giuliani on ethics, finance, and civic participation, collaborating with nonprofit entities like Common Cause, The Fund for Modern Courts, and the Municipal Art Society of New York. His public positions intersected with legal and political figures such as Charles Rangel, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Earl Warren in debates over electoral reform, judicial ethics, and urban policy.

Personal life and legacy

O'Hare's legacy is memorialized by academic awards, lectureships, and named spaces at institutions including Fordham University, Regis High School (New York City), and libraries within the New York Public Library system. He is remembered in writings by journalists at The New York Times, commentators at National Review, and historians affiliated with Columbia University and Fordham Law School. His interactions with figures like Curtis S. Gans, Sister Helen Prejean, and activists from The Catholic Worker movement reflect a life linking religious commitment, civic reform, and higher education, with archival collections held by repositories such as the Jesuit Archives & Research Center and the Fordham University Archives.

Category:1931 births Category:2020 deaths Category:American Roman Catholic priests Category:Fordham University presidents