Wednesday, August 17, 2016

For Laity, Family and Life

Today, the Holy Father officially established the new Dicastery (Vatican office) for Laity, Family and Life.


Apostolic Letter of His Holiness, Pope Francis
Motu Proprio
establishing the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life

The Church, a caring mother, has always, throughout the centuries, taken care of and looked out for laity, family and life, demonstrating the love of the merciful Lord for all humanity.  We ourselves, bearing this in mind, because of Our office as Pastor of the Lord's flock, are committed to promptly arranging every necessary thing so that the riches of Christ Jesus may properly and profusely flow among the faithful.

To this end, we find that the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia should conform to the realities of our time and adapt to the needs of the universal Church.  In particular, Our thoughts turn to the laity, to families and to life, to whom we wish to offer support and assistance, that they may be active witnesses of the gospel in our times and an expression of the goodness of the Redeemer.

Therefore, after having carefully assessed the situation, with our Apostolic authority, we create the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, which will be governed by special Statutes.  Duties and functions hitherto belonging to the Pontifical Council for the Laity and to the Pontifical Council for the Family will be transferred to this Dicastery as of the 1st day of September of this year, with definitive termination of the aforementioned Pontifical Dicasteries as of that date.

As determined, this desire holds value now and into the future, notwithstanding anything to the contrary.

In Rome, at Saint Peter, under the Fisherman's ring, 15 August 2016, on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jubilee of Mercy, the fourth year of Our Pontificate.

Franciscus
(Original text in Latin)


Appointment of the Prefect
of the newly-established
Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life

The Holy Fahter, Pope Francis appoints, as of 15 August 2016, as Prefect of the newly-established Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, His Excellency, Kevin Joseph Farrell, until now Bishop of Dallas (USA).

His Excellency, Kevin Joseph Farrell was born on 2 September 1947 in Dublin (Ireland).  After having completed primary and secondary school, he attended the University of Salamanca in Spain, and then the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.  He obtained a Licence in Philosophy and in Theology from the University of Saint Thomas in Rome. He then completed a Master's degree in Business Administration at the University of Notre Dame (Washington, USA).  He entered the Legionaries of Christ in 1966 and was ordained a priest on 24 December 1978.

Following his priestly ordination, he served as Chaplain at the University of Monterrey in Mexico, Professor of Economics, Administrator General with responsibility for seminarians and schools run by the Legionaries of Christ in Italy, Spain and Ireland.  Beginning in 1983, he exercised his pastoral ministry in the parish of Saint Bartholomew in Bethesda, Washington (USA).

In 1984, he was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Washington (USA), where he was entrusted with the following responsibilities: Associate Pastor of the parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle (1984-1985); Director of the Spanish Catholic Centre (1986); Executive Director of the Regent Catholic Charitable Organizations (1987-1988); Secretary for Financial Affairs (1989-2001); Pastor of Annunciation Parish (2000-2002).

Appointed as Titular Bishop of Rusuccuru and Auxiliary Bishop of Washington (USA) on 28 December 2001, he received Episcopal consecration on 11 February of the following year.  Beginning in 2001, he served as Vicar General for Administration and as Moderator of the Curia for that Archdiocese.

On 6 March 2007, he was promoted to the Office of Bishop of Dallas.

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