1905 History of Crawford County Kansas

Rev. J. J. O'Brien has been watching over the spiritual affairs of the Catholic church at Walnut since the fall of 1901. He is one of the younger members of the priesthood, but his zeal and devotion to his noble work have borne much fruit since he took his ordination degrees and came to America some four years ago. He has found many ways in which to exert his influence for good and to build up and strengthen the limits of his demesne, and his parishioners at Walnut and the vicinity esteem and revere him for his own sweetness and beauty of character and the work he is accomplishing among them.

The Rev. Father O'Brien was born in county Kerry, Ireland, June 18, 1875. At the age of sixteen he began the study of the classics in preparation for the ministry, and in 1894 entered St. Patrick's College, Carlow, where, after six years of study, he was ordained to the priesthood in June, 1900. In the following October he came to America for his future field of labor, and after a short sojourn at the pro-cathedral at Wichita, Kansas, was appointed assistant to Dr. Joseph A. Pompeney, at Hutchinson. In the fall of 1901 he was assigned to Walnut.