Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Ordination of new priests – One of the great joys of a bishop

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pPiest ordination

On May 31 at the Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe in downtown Dallas, four deacons will be ordained to the priesthood. They are: The Rev. Mr. Kevin Charles Wilwert of Allen, TX, Rev. Mr. Martin Mbugua Mwangi, a native of Kenya, Rev. Mr. Juan Carlos Marín Cortés, a native of Colombia and Rev. Mr. Luca Simbula a native of Sardinia. Deacons Wilwert and Mwangi received their theological formation at St. Mary’s Seminary, Houston. Deacons Marín and Simbula received their theological formation at Redemptoris Mater Seminary, Dallas.

Ordination of new priests is one of the great joys of a bishop and that will be my happy duty when I ordain these four men as priests for the Diocese of Dallas. These young men will, in the words of Pope Francis, “bring the healing power of God’s grace to everyone in need.” The watchwords of their ministry will be mercy and service.

Our Holy Father recently charged newly ordained priests to be merciful and to not grow weary of people’s requests and needs no matter how inconvenient adding that, “the good shepherd enters by the door, and the wounds of the Lord are the door of mercy: if you do not enter into your ministry through the Lord’s wounds, you will not be good priests”.

Post ordination assignments for the ordinands are: Father Marín, parochial vicar, St. Joseph Parish, Richardson; Father Simbula, parochial vicar, St. Rita Parish, Dallas; Father Mwangi, parochial vicar, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Plano; Father Wilwert, parochial vicar, St. Ann Parish, Coppell.

As I recall the words of the Psalmist who wrote “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord (Ps 118:26), I know that the parishioners in each of these parishes will welcome these new priests and support their ministries through prayer and encouragement.

As always, I salute the parents of the ordinands and express the gratitude of Christ and His Church for the precious gift of their sons. I ask all of you to pray for these men as they begin their priestly ministries. May the Holy Spirit forever guide them, and may God bless them with success and happiness.

Appointment of Archbishop Gomez to Los Angeles

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The Holy Father has made a wise and timely decision in his appointment of Archbishop José Gomez of San Antonio to be co-adjutor Archbishop of Los Angeles and the successor of Cardinal Roger Mahony upon his retirement.

Archbishop Gomez is the first Latino to be named to a major archdiocese. Los Angeles is the largest archdiocese in the United States and is 80% Latino. A native of Monterrey, Mexico and an immigrant himself, he has served in the United States for many years as a priest, auxiliary bishop, and Archbishop of San Antonio. [Read more…]

Bishop Farrell responds to Haitian earthquake

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The death and devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti has saddened the world.  The Vatican has confirmed that the Archbishop of Port-au-Prince, the Most Reverend Joseph Serge Miot, was killed in the offices of the archdiocese when the earthquake struck.   That building, along with the cathedral, archbishop’s residence and the seminary in Port-au-Prince were all reduced to rubble. [Read more…]

A Community Remembrance of 9/11/01

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“Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and say why not.”

These words of George Bernard Shaw, the Irish Nobel Prize winner for Literature have been quoted on many occasions. I believe that there is no more appropriate occasion to remember these immortal words than today as we commemorate the tragic events of 9/11. [Read more…]

The legacy of 9/11

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As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11 we remember with great sadness the thousands who died and suffered in the horrendous events of that morning and their families whose lives have been scarred by the tragedy. [Read more…]

A banner year for Holy Trinity Seminary

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During the Second Vatican Council Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, Fourth Bishop of Dallas, announced the establishment of Holy Trinity Seminary to be located on the campus of the University of Dallas. The first classes began in September 1965 with seminarians living in Augustine Hall at the University. During the Second Vatican Council Bishop Thomas K. Gorman, Fourth Bishop of Dallas, announced the establishment of Holy Trinity Seminary to be located on the campus of the University of Dallas. The first classes began in September 1965 with seminarians living in Augustine Hall at the University. [Read more…]

A record number of new seminarians

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It is great to have some good news to report these days and a record number of 19 new seminarians is certainly good news. Not only is the number of new seminarians up from the 11 we had last year, but it is also a record year for the diocese.

Fifteen of the men come from our own parishes. Indeed the Holy Spirit has been working through parents, priests and our vocations staff to bring about this blessing for our diocese. The prayers of many have been answered.

Twelve of the new seminarians will be attending Holy Trinity Seminary, two will be going to St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston, two to Assumption Seminary in San Antonio and two will be attending a seminary in Mexico City and one to Pope John XXIII Seminary.

Returning seminarians plus the new men bring our total number of seminarians for the diocese to 70, a significant increase over the 56 in 2010.

Finally, there is even more good news. Next year we will be ordaining five new priests to serve the Diocese of Dallas.

Please continue to pray and to work for vocations to the priesthood.