It is with great sadness that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany shares news of the passing of Fr. Leo O’Brien. He passed to new life on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at Teresian House in Albany. He was 94 years old.
Fr. O’Brien was born on April 22, 1931, in Troy. He is a 1947 graduate of Catholic Central High School and started studying for the priesthood the following year. His formation began at St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland, continued at St. Bernard’s Seminary in Rochester, NY. He completed his studies in 1956 at the Theological College of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. and was ordained in the spring of 1956.
Fr. O’Brien’s first parish assignment was at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Schenectady. He spent 8 years there, while also helping to develop a youth program, serving as chaplain of the Christian Family Movement, and promoting the opening of two Catholic high schools, Notre Dame and Bishop Gibbons.
In 1964, he became Vice-Chancellor for the Diocese. In 1966, he became Chancellor, and in 1970 he was elevated to the role of Vicar General of the Diocese, a position he continued in when he was named pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Albany in 1972.
Fr. O’Brien also served as spiritual director of the Cursillo Movement, he was a leader in Residents Encounter Christ, a prison ministry program, was an active member in the International Renew Program, and worked with Sister Joan Byrne to establish DePaul Housing Management, a senior housing program in the Diocese.
“Fr. Leo O’Brien was my Pastor before he was my brother priest and how blessed am I in that,” said Fr. Bob Longobucco, Vicar General for the Diocese. “He took such delight in sharing the love of Christ. When you saw Jesus reflected in the twinkle of his Irish eyes, you knew you were blessed indeed. He dedicated his life to sharing the good news and he did so by living the Gospel joyfully. I am a better priest and a better man for having Fr. Leo O’Brien in my life."
A wake service for Fr. O’Brien will be held at St. Vincent’s Church, 900 Madison Avenue, Albany on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at St. Vincent’s at 11 a.m.
The family asks that any memorial contributions be made to St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 900 Madison Avenue, Albany, or the Diocesan Appeal to support Bishop Mark O’Connell’s vision for the future of the Diocese.
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