The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-09-09
YOUNGEST ARCHBISHOP
 IN UNITED STATES Extraordinary Career of the Most Rev. William
 H. O'Connell. SON OF MASSACHUSETTS Succeeds to the Pallium of the Archbishopric
 of Boston.
SON OF MASSACHUSETTS

Boston, Mass, Sept S-With the death of the venerable Mgr. John Jo- seph Williams, metropolitan of New England, dean of the Roman Catholic hierarchy of America, the pallium of the archbishopric of Boston, second only in importance to that of New York, passes to the most Rev. William 1T. O'Connell, who at forty-seven years of age finds himself the youngest arch- bishop in America and head of the archdiocese in which twelve years ago he labored as an assistant priest in a slum parish with little prospect of im- mediate advancement to anything greater than the rectorship of a small parish.
 In the twelve years that have passed he has received many honors and titles from the church and filled many posi- tions of grave importance, but the one which at the time he was called to Rome was the scene of his ambitions has never been his Alone of all the archbishops in America, he has never been a parish priest, becoming instead head of an archdiocese where few younger than he have been honored with important parochial charges.
 Cardinal Gibbons will bestow the pal Hum on its arrival by special envoy from Rome in a few weeks, and it Is interesting to note that 1t was the Car dinal to whom hs appeal for advance ment 12 years ago started the remark able career he has since had. The ap- peal was made for consideration as a possible rector of the American Col- lege
 SUGGESTED OWN APPOINTMENT,
 Dr. O'Connell was an alumnus of the college, the rectorship of which was then vacant by the promotion of the Rev. Dr. Thomas IA. Conaty to be Bish- op of Los Angeles. AS Dr. Conaty had come from this Archdiocese, all things being equal, his successor would nat urally come from some other. But Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Will Hams and. Ryan, after several confer ences found themselves unable to de- eide upon any one for the place.
 Under these conditions Father O'Con- nell obtained leave of absence from his duties at St. Joseph's, and going to Baltimore asked the Cardinal that he be considered for the place. It may have been the assurance of the young man that led the Cardinal to seriously consider his request, but after a long examination the young curate convinc- ed him of his fitness. At the next meet ing of the Archbishops the Cardinal suggested to Archbishop Williams that Boston had young priest well quali- fled for the place.
 Archbishop Williams knew the young priest well, for 1t was through his aid that on his graduation from Boston College with honors in 1881, fourteen years before, he had been sent to Rome to finish his education He was also familiar with the fact that in Rome the young man had made a grand record for scholarship and piety, and on his acquiescence the place, to the great surprise of the many, was rendered the young curate.
 Dr. O'Connell took up the duties of his new position in 1887, thirteen years after his graduation from the institu- ton. Tn that time there had been many changes in Rome. Many of his old old friends had passed away, others had gone to other lands and still oth- CTS had won high places, in the service of the church. Of these latter the most prominent was Mgr satolli, who had