He completed his education at St. Patrick's College, Silverstream in 1953 and in 1954 entered Mount St Mary’s Seminary.
[1] O'Connell was ordained to the deaconate in February 1960 and to the priesthood at Saints Peter and Paul Church, Lower Hutt, on 27 July 1960.
[1] After five years of teaching in New Zealand he was sent to Chanel College, Moamoa, Samoa, in 1966 as a teacher and spiritual director.
After another period teaching and studying in New Zealand, he returned, in 1975, to Chanel College as Rector and remained there until 1982.
[2] He oversaw a growing Roman Catholic population (by 2011 in excess of 3,000 in a total population of about 20,000 – mainly due to immigration from the Philippines and Fiji) with a complement of only seven priests (five on Rarotonga at Avarua, Matavera, Titikaveka and Arorangi and one each on Aitutaki, Atiu, and Mauke (islands).