Academy Award Best Picture winner Going My Way, the 1944 film in which Father O'Malley (played by Bing Crosby) saved his struggling St. Dominic's in New York, was partly inspired by Msgr.
Nicholas Conneally, former pastor of St. Monica.
 The role of the irascible old Irish priest (for which Barry Fitzgerald won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar) was based on Msgr.
Conneally.
 Msgr.
Conneally was the pastor of St. Monica for 26 years from 1923 to 1949, when he died at St. John's Hospital after a brief illness.
The film's director and writer Leo McCarey was a parishioner and friend of Msgr.
Conneally.
 McCarey recalled that Msgr.
Conneally had approached him seeking funds for a new loudspeaker.
McCarey made the donation and asked the older priest how he got along with his young priests.
 "They're nice fellows," the priest replied, "who are figuring on how they can change things around when I die."
 McCarey recalled, "I didn't know it then, but I was meeting the Barry Fitzgerald character in Going My Way."

When Msgr.
Conneally died in 1949, a newspaper wrote:  "Mr. McCarey said that the monsignor was a frequent visitor at his home.
The priest's many anecdotes about his work in the parish and St. Monica's School gave the director the idea it would make a good film story.
It did."
Going My Way won seven Academy Awards including best picture, director, original story, original screenplay, song ("Swinging on a Star"), actor (Bing Crosby) and supporting actor (Fitzgerald in the role of the older priest).
Academy Award Best Picture winner Going My Way, the 1944 film in which Father O'Malley (played by Bing Crosby) saved his struggling St. Dominic's in New York, was partly inspired by Msgr. Nicholas Conneally, former pastor of St. Monica.  The role of the irascible old Irish priest (for which Barry Fitzgerald won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar) was based on Msgr. Conneally.  Msgr. Conneally was the pastor of St. Monica for 26 years from 1923 to 1949, when he died at St. John's Hospital after a brief illness. The film's director and writer Leo McCarey was a parishioner and friend of Msgr. Conneally.  McCarey recalled that Msgr. Conneally had approached him seeking funds for a new loudspeaker. McCarey made the donation and asked the older priest how he got along with his young priests.  "They're nice fellows," the priest replied, "who are figuring on how they can change things around when I die."  McCarey recalled, "I didn't know it then, but I was meeting the Barry Fitzgerald character in Going My Way."
When Msgr. Conneally died in 1949, a newspaper wrote:  "Mr. McCarey said that the monsignor was a frequent visitor at his home. The priest's many anecdotes about his work in the parish and St. Monica's School gave the director the idea it would make a good film story. It did." Going My Way won seven Academy Awards including best picture, director, original story, original screenplay, song ("Swinging on a Star"), actor (Bing Crosby) and supporting actor (Fitzgerald in the role of the older priest).
St. Monica Catholic Church (Santa Monica, California)