Gerald P. O'Hara

Gerald P. O'Hara (1895-1963), American Roman Catholic priest and archbishop, was appointed by Pope Pius XII to be Papal Nuncio in Romania, and Apostolic Delegate to Ireland, England and Wales. He was bishop in Savannah until his resignation in 1959.

A native of Green Ridge, Pennsylvania, O’Hara came to Savannah from Philadelphia. Father Gerald P. O'Hara, was a talented cartoonist. In 1929, Pope Pius XI appointed Gerald O’Hara Bishop of Philadelphia at the age of 34. After WWII, Pope Pius XII appointed him as nuncio to Romania, representing the Church during the Stalinist persecutions. He continued as the ninth bishop of the diocese of Savannah, serving from 1935 to 1959. Expelled by the Communist regime in Bucharest, Archbishop O'Hara was named by Pope Pius XII to be papal nuncio to Ireland. ["Time", Monday, December 10, 1951] and Apostolic Delegate to Great Britain in 1954. In 1956, Georgia was divided into two dioceses. Bishop Hyland became the first Bishop of Atlanta with Archbishop O'Hara remaining as Bishop of Savannah. Archbishop O'Hara resigned as Bishop of Savannah on November 11, 1959. He was appointed Titular Archbishop of Pessinus that same year and died on July 16, 1963. [ [http://diosav.org/gallery/bishops-of-savannah/O_Hara The Diocese of Savannah - Photo Gallery :: Bishops of Savannah Diocese :: O_Hara ] ]

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