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.
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