MALDEN — He has been active on both of America’s coasts in supporting and promoting human rights, including as a marcher in the Aug. 19 Fight Supremacy action in Boston, where he joined more than 40,000 opposing a scheduled “Free Speech Rally.”
On Sept. 10, the Rev. Otto O’Connor will formally become a part of the fabric of the community when he leads worship for the first time as the 36th Settled Minister of one of the oldest churches in New England, the First Parish in Malden, Unitarian Universalist (UUA), located at 2 Elm St. in Malden’s West End.
But before he stands at the pulpit, O’Connor will lead his new congregation on its annual outdoor worship on the sands at Revere Beach on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 10:30 a.m.
O’Connor is the church’s first openly transgender minister, a transgender man, and according to church leaders, one of the first settled transgender ministers of any religious group in the Boston area.
He has actively worked on both coasts in LGBTQ rights movement, including against the passage of Proposition 8 in California in 2008, which was eventually passed in a state vote, making same-sex marriages illegal. The legislation was later ruled unconstitutional in federal court and rescinded in 2013.
First Parish board president Heather Vickery said she and her colleagues showed their support of Rev. O’Connor with their unanimous vote, concluding a two-year search. “We (voted) for (Rev. O’Connor) with excitement and optimism,” Vickery said in a statement. “He is the person to work beside us as we act to live out our faith’s highest values for our ourselves, our community and our world.”
He was named First Parish minister in a unanimous vote of the First Parish board, taking over from interim minister Wendy Bell, who has led the congregation since 2015. The board conducted a two-year search for a settled (permanent) minister and voted Rev. O’Connor to the position on August 1, when he assumed his post.
O’Connor takes the helm of a parish which is known in the region for its active stance offering and promoting its ministry “across the gender and sexuality spectrum.”
“It feels like a fantastic match. I couldn’t be more excited,” O’Connor said, adding, “I look forward to helping this congregation grow and follow its vision of compassion and justice.”
First Parish was one of the churches in the region to embrace the Black Lives Matter movement, displaying a banner of support on its lawn and also one of the only churches in the region certified as an LGBTQ Welcoming Congregation by the Unitarian Universalist Association.
O’Connor is a graduate of Andover Newton Theological School with an master’s degree in Divinity and Global Interreligious Leadership. He was a ministerial intern at the Unitarian Universalist Area Church, First Parish in Sherborn.
He also holds a bachelor’s of science degree in Policy Analysis and Management from Cornell University.
First Parish has a special place in Malden history, dating back to the mid-1600s. It has operated in different locations around the city for many years, including since 1909 at its present church building on Elm Street. O’Connor is the 12th Settled Minister since the Elm Street church opened.
