Rev. Anthony Gorham Farrell

March 31, 1938 - Jan. 10, 2008
SOUTH BEND - The Reverend Doctor and Sir Anthony Gorham Farrell, Knight of the Holy Sepulcher, a priest, pastor and professor of the Diocese of Davenport, was Born to Eternity on the 10th day of January, Anno Domini 2008 at 1400 Farrell Lane, in his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, surrounded by his surviving brothers and sisters: Mary Jo Keller, William Hugh Farrell, Maureen Frances Farrell, Patrick Michael Farrell, Kathryn Anne Miller, Christine Carol Mattasitis and Timothy Thomas Farrell, all of South Bend, Indiana. Anthony was Born to This Life on the 31st day of March, Anno Domini 1938, the eldest child of Thomas Francis and Grace Kathryn (Brugger) Farrell in the shadow of the dome of Notre Dame University in South Bend. He was a graduate of Saint Joseph Catholic High School in South Bend. Father Anthony's University training was as varied as his friends. He attended the University of Saint Michael in Toronto, Canada; Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa; Saint Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota; Saint Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa (Bachelors of Arts in Theology and Classical Languages), Mount Saint Bernard's Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa; Aquinas Institute of Theology in Dubuque (Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy in Theology) and the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana (Master of Arts in Classical Languages). For 27 years after his ordination to the priesthood, he was a professor at Saint Ambrose College in Davenport, Iowa and was the Chair of both the Theology and Classical Language Departments. Here he taught thousands of students to love learning as much as he did, encouraging them always to be who they were, whether, priest, academic, truck driver or statesman. His final gift to Saint Ambrose College came in the form of its history, Bees and Burr Oaks: 100 Years of Saint Ambrose College, (1982, Saint Ambrose College Press) Father Anthony held numerous pastorates and positions in the Diocese of Davenport inclusive of: Pastor, The Church of Saint Peter, Buffalo; Censor Librorum, The Diocese of Davenport; Vicar Administrator of the Churches of Saint Mary, Nichols, Saint Joseph, Columbus Junction and Saint Malachy, Ardon; Pastor, The Church of Saint Mary, Grinnell and he died while remaining the Pastor of Saint Mary's in Davenport. Outside of the Diocese, he was the President of Cardinal Newman College in Saint Louis, Missouri; The Theologian in Residence for the Diocese of Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands; Pastoral Associate of the Church of Saint Mary of the Lake in Eustis, Florida and the National Shrine of Our Lady, Queen of the Universe in Orlando, Florida. For many years he was the visiting theologian of the Diocese of Baker in Oregon. He also was a visiting Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. Twenty-Five years ago he was inducted into the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, a Papal Knighthood conferred by Pope John Paul the Second of Blessed Memory. His friends were as varied as his academic achievements and included Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Academics, Ambassadors, Researchers, Educators, Statesmen, Judges and Lawyers, Musicians, Military and Workers of Every Description. He was egalitarian in his friends. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer on the 10th of August, 2007, and came to live with a former student, Commander Theodore R. Borger, Chaplain Corps, United States Navy, Retired, in Verona, Wisconsin, where he held court with all of his friends and family, teaching them how to go to be with God. He took ill on Christmas Day and began his decline while visiting family in South Bend and went to God quietly, as any gentleman ought. His Father, Thomas and Mother, Grace preceded him in death. When I first met him 35 years ago while a student at Saint Ambrose College, I thought, "What an odd little man?" Here was a fellow who was a Liturgical Conservative, a Theological Progressive, who preferred things in the original language, in a seersucker suit and bow tie. I came to realize over the years, that in spite of all of his eccentricities, he believed in the motto of the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, "Deus Lo Vult" that is, "God Wills It!" May God, who gave him life, receive him to himself. The Rosary will be recited for Father Anthony at 4 p.m. and a Christian Wake at 7 p.m. on Wednesday the 16th of January at Saint Mary's in Grinnell. The Mass of Resurrection will follow on Thursday at 10 a.m. in the Church of Saint Mary, Grinnell, with the Most Reverend Martin J. Amos, DD, Eighth Bishop of Davenport, presiding and the Reverend Doctor David Lee Chatford Clark of London, England as the Celebrant of the Liturgy. Smith's Funeral Home in Grinnell is charge of arrangements. Father Anthony's request is that all memorials be made to the Deacons Fund in Grinnell, Iowa and be shared between the fund there and the Deacons Fund at Saint Mary's in Davenport, Iowa. Commander Theodore R. Borger, Chaplain Corps, United States Navy (Retired) The HICKEY Funeral Homes, South Bend is assisting with arrangements.