Michael O'Farrell

Michael O'Farrell (7 April 1865 in Milhow, Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland – 4 April 1928 in Orange, New South Wales), an Australian suffragan bishop, was the fourth Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, New South Wales. O'Farrell was consecrated by the Apostolic Delegate, Archbishop Cattaneo in 1920 and served until his death in 1928. O'Farrell was the first Vincentian bishop in Australia.

Early years and background Educated at St. Finian's College, Navan, O'Farrell came from a devout religious family that included two sisters who became Sisters of Mercy, and three of his brothers became priests, two of whom migrated to Australia and worked as priests in the Archdiocese of Sydney. O'Farrell studied for the priesthood at St Patrick's Seminary, Maynooth, and he was ordained priest on 23 March 1887. He joined the Vincentians following Ordination. While at Maynooth, he studied with Daniel Mannix, who later became Archbishop of Melbourne. O'Farrell initially served as a missionary in Sheffield, England, before returning to Ireland where he became the Professor of Ecclesiastical History and of Higher Mathematics and Physics at All Hallows College in Dublin; subsequently taking up a post as Professor of Moral Theology at the Irish College in Paris. O'Farrell returned to Ireland in 1903 and for the next ten years conducted missions and retreats based from the Vincentian Parish at Phibsboro, in Dublin.

Arriving in Sydney in 1913, O'Farrell took up residence at St Vincent's, Ashfield with the intention of conducting mission work. However, he was asked to act as the Spiritual Director of the two diocesan seminaries, firstly at St Columba's College, Springwood, and later at St Patrick's College, Manly. By 1915, O'Farrell had become the Vice Rector at St John's College within The University of Sydney. He also presided over extensions to St Joseph's Orphanage in Bathurst, a new church at Kandos, improvements to other churches, and new convents in Borenore, Forest Reefs, Millthorpe and Portland. O'Farrell is also credited with the growth of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul in the diocese, with congregations at Bathurst, Portland, Orange, Wellington, Cowra, Mudgee, Canowindra, Gulgong, Coonamble and Dubbo. O'Farrell also supported the university education, board and lodging of several of the Sisters of St Joseph to gain degrees in education and arts at The University of Sydney. Under his bishopship, he was able to recruit postulants for the two communities of religious sisters whose work was predominantly in education: the Sisters of St Joseph and the Sisters of Mercy.

As bishop, O'Farrell led a relatively private life, with the exception of a public battle with the Anglican Bishop of Bathurst, Dr George Long. The battle became known as the Ne Temere debate, taking its name from the 1908 decree that imposed the obligation that a Catholic marry before a priest, even when not marrying another Catholic. Failure to do so rendered that marriage invalid in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The consequence was that the Catholic Church regarded any children born of the marriage to be illegitimate.