The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards

Father Kyle O'Connor - 2025 Recipient

Father Kyle O'Connor, Parochial Vicar and Chaplain for Catholic Campus Ministry at William & Mary, has dedicated his life to uplifting others. He strengthens the university’s community by helping students feel safe and supported. Nominators write that Father O’Connor’s “selflessness, compassion and kindness have left an indelible mark on our community.”

Praised for excellence in leadership, organization and planning, Father O’Connor provides prayer, fellowship and service opportunities. He leads Daily Mass, offers 14 hours of weekly Adoration, sits in Confession for one hour daily and leads three Masses on Sunday to ensure that all students can join regardless of their schedule. He walks with about a dozen students each year in their journey to becoming Catholic. He also participates in Catholic Campus Ministry’s intramural sports teams and sits with students at Sunday Supper.

Among other regular events, he helps organize five yearly retreats and one yearly service trip to Appalachia. During one trip, returning students experienced a serious car accident. Father O’Connor rushed to the scene to pray with and comfort the students. He sat with students in the hospital, “tirelessly caring for everyone.” On his day off, he traveled to Tennessee to visit another student.

Father O’Connor is known among students and colleagues for his calming presence and empathy — as well as his talent for floor hockey and table tennis. His efforts to greet students by name and offer support to anyone who needs it have earned him the affection of this community. One nominator writes, “Treating everyone with dignity like Father Kyle does brings light to the community.”

The Sullivan award is given in honor of Father O’Connor’s generous impact on countless members of the William & Mary community. As a student wrote, “Father Kyle is more than just a faith leader; he’s a mentor and source of hope.”