UD President Comments on Bishop Farrell’s Appointment

Date Published: Aug. 17, 2016

After serving Dallas Catholics for the past decade, Bishop Kevin J. Farrell (also chancellor of the University of Dallas) has been appointed by Pope Francis as the highest-ranking American clergyman in the Vatican. Farrell will oversee the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, a new department in which he will focus on the lives of ordinary Catholics around the world.

University of Dallas President Thomas W. Keefe shared his remarks from the papal announcement:

“This morning’s announcement of Bishop Kevin J. Farrell’s appointment as prefect of the new Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life is bittersweet news for me personally and the greater University of Dallas community. While we are thankful that the church will have such a forgiving leader at this post, we will miss his ardent dedication to our institution and our mission.

“Not only has Bishop Farrell provided me with invaluable counsel, loyalty and friendship, but his unwavering support has been an integral part of the university’s transformation into one of the country’s elite Catholic universities. For this, we are eternally grateful.”

The Diocese of Dallas also shared Bishop Farrell’s remarks on his new appointment as prefect of the new Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life.

A flurry of headlines resulted from the news of Bishop Farrell’s appointment, which becomes effective Sept. 1.