RENEW's Annual Gala

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap, was the ninth bishop and sixth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston. Ordained to the priesthood in 1970, he earned a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese literature from The Catholic University of America, where he taught from 1969 to 1973. Upon leaving Catholic University, Cardinal O’Malley founded Centro Catolico Hispano (Hispanic Catholic Center), an organization that provides educational, medical, and legal help to immigrants. He was ordained a bishop in 1984 and served as Bishop of the Dioceses of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Fall River, Mass. and Palm Beach, Fla.

In 2003, Bishop O’Malley was named Archbishop of Boston. He was created a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI on March 24, 2006. Cardinal O’Malley has served on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops committees for Pro-Life Activities, the Church in Latin America, and the Church in Africa and served as a Trustee of The Catholic University of America. In 2013, Pope Francis appointed Cardinal O’Malley to the Council of Cardinals, in 2014 as president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and in 2017 to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. On November 1, 2024, Cardinal O’Malley assumed the role of Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Boston.