December 2, 2022 - Most Reverend Mark O’Connell appointed Vicar General & Moderator of the Curia

My Dear Friends in Christ,

Allow me this opportunity to thank you for all you do every day on behalf of the parishes, schools, and ministries of the Archdiocese. In recent years, we have faced unprecedented challenges. During that time, we saw great acts of mercy and love. Your dedication and commitment to the work of the Church is a blessing for the people we serve. 

Today I wish to share with you that I am appointing the Most Reverend Mark O’Connell, JCD, as Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Boston. Bishop Mark will officially assume his new position on January 1, 2023. He succeeds the Most Rev. Peter J. Uglietto, S.T.D., who has served as Vicar General for the past nine years. 

Prior to being ordained an Auxiliary Bishop of Boston and assigned to the North Region, for twenty years Bishop Uglietto served at Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, including five years as Rector and President. He has faithfully carried out the many responsibilities of the Vicar General’s Office with distinction and will assist us as we begin this transition. I am extremely grateful for Bishop Uglietto’s wise counsel, his commitment to the Archdiocese, and the fellowship of his priesthood. 

In Bishop Mark, we are welcoming an established and accomplished leader to this important position. He was ordained Auxiliary Bishop of Boston in August 2016 and has served as Episcopal Vicar for the North Region and Pastor of St. Theresa of Lisieux in North Reading. Previously, he served as Assistant to the Moderator of the Curia for Canonical Affairs and was the Judicial Vicar from 2007 to 2016. He has also served on the faculty at both St. John Seminary and Pope St. John XXIII Seminary. 

We will soon announce the appointment of the Episcopal Vicar for the North Region, who will also serve as Pastor for St. Theresa of Lisieux in North Reading.

Please join me in thanking Bishop Uglietto for his leadership and pastoral care. We welcome Bishop Mark, with the assurance of our prayers and support, as he undertakes this important responsibility in the Archdiocese. 

Asking God’s blessings upon you and all your loved ones during Advent and at Christmas, I remain devotedly yours in Christ,

Cardinal Seán