Putting his flags down

Father John O'Neill is officially an American citizen following Nashville naturalization ceremony

By Katie Peterson Tennessee Register

After 30 years in the United States, Father John O’Neill is officially an American citizen after taking his Oath of Allegiance during his naturalization ceremony on Jan. 18 at the Fred D. Thompson Federal Building and Courthouse in downtown Nashville.

“It’s a homecoming,” Father O’Neill said. “Not unlike the day of my ordination, I’m in a complete daze this morning. It’s super overwhelming, but maybe that’s a good thing because it’s so serious and so important.”

Father O’Neill, who serves the Diocese of Nashville as pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Hohenwald, Christ the Redeemer Church in Centerville, and St. Cecilia Church in Waynesboro, is a native of Dublin, Ireland, who came to the United States in 1993.

Before immigrating, he was working as a vascular surgery resident in Ireland, England, and even Pakistan, but all the while pondering the idea of becoming a priest. Both the attending surgeon he was working under at the time and the Sister in charge of the emergency room gave him the same advice when he made his thoughts known.

“The surgeon said to me that being a Catholic priest was far more important than anything I could do with them,” Father O’Neill recalled. “The Sister said, ‘There are plenty of surgical residents, but not enough priests.’”

Once he finally made his choice, through the Sister’s connections with the bishop of the Diocese of Knoxville at the time, Father O’Neill began his seminarian studies. Initially coming to the United States on a work visa, he studied at Conception Abbey in Missouri for

“I had permission from the seminary and from several bishops to return to Ireland to look after my mother. She would have none of it. She said, ‘You must stay in America. Don't look after me. The Americans have been too good to you.’” two years and another four years in St. Louis before being ordained as a priest for the Diocese of Knoxville on July 3, 1999.

He served as an associate pastor for several parishes throughout the Diocese of Knoxville for the next five years, particularly Holy Ghost Church, where he founded its Legion of Mary chapter.

In East Tennessee, he also served at St. Jude Parish in Chattanooga, St. Francis of Assisi in Townsend, Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa, and St. Francis of Assisi in Fairfield Glade.

He switched his service to the Diocese of Nashville in 2005 when he became chaplain for Overbrook School and St. Cecilia Academy, both owned and operated by the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation. Additionally, he served as a pastoral-care chaplain for Ascension St. Thomas Midtown and St. Thomas West hospitals for several years.

But he still was quite content remaining in America on his work visas and green cards. Things only began to change when he was assigned as pastor of Holy Trinity, Christ the Redeemer, and St. Cecilia on Aug. 1, 2018, his first pastoral assignment in the Diocese of Nashville.

It was around that time that his mother passed away, and he began to deeply ponder what she once said to him while he was caring for her in Ireland.

“I had permission from the seminary and from several bishops to