Hubert Patrick O'Connor was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 Roman Catholic bishop of Prince George

Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Prince George was created as the Vicariate Apostolic of Prince Rupert on January 14, 1944, when the Vicariate Apostolic of Yukon-Prince Rupert was split. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vancouver...

 in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

 who was forced to resign following sex abuse charges being filed against him.

Church career

He was ordained to the priesthood in 1955, and became a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate is a missionary religious congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded on January 25, 1816 by Saint Eugene de Mazenod, a French priest born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782. The congregation was given recognition by Pope...

. He worked mainly with aboriginal

Aboriginal peoples in Canada

Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....

 communities in British Columbia, including being principal of the residential school, St Joseph's Mission at Williams Lake

Williams Lake, British Columbia

Williams Lake, is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo, it is the largest urban centre between Kamloops and Prince George, with a population of 11,150 in city limits....

. He became bishop of Whitehorse in Yukon

Yukon

Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....

 in 1971. In 1986, he was named bishop of Prince George and he resigned in 1991.

Abuse affair

He was convicted in 1996 of committing rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 and indecent assault

Indecent assault

Indecent assault is an offence of aggravated assault in many jurisdictions. It is characterised as a sex crime.Indecent assault was an offence in England and Wales under sections 14 and 15 the Sexual Offences Act 1956...

 on two young aboriginal

Aboriginal peoples in Canada

Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....

 women during the 1960s when he was a priest. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison by Justice Wally Oppal

Wally Oppal

Wallace Oppal, Q.C. is a Canadian lawyer, former judge and provincial politician, who is currently serving as the Chancellor of the Thompson Rivers University...

, who is now British Columbia's Attorney General

Attorney General of British Columbia

The Ministry of the Attorney General of British Columbia is a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system within the province of British Columbia, Canada...

. After serving six months, the disgraced clergyman was released on $1,000 bail.