Mark O’Farrell appointed Assistant Director of the Secretariat of Laity
The Superior General, Br. Ernesto Sánchez, and the General Council have appointed, on 2 November 2022, Mark O’Farrell (Australia) as assistant director of the Secretariat of Laity for a period of three years. He begins this assignment on 1st January 2023, and will replace Agnes Reyes (East Asia), who has been Assistant Director since 2017.
Mark O’Farrell will work in conjunction with Raul Amaya (Santa Maria de los Andes), director of the Secretariat, and Manu Gomez, assistant director, (Mediterranea) together with the Extended Secretariat of Laity.
Mark O’Farrell
Mark was born in Canberra and grew up in a large Catholic family being educated by the Brothers first at Marist College, Pearce for primary years and then high school at St Joseph’s College, Hunters Hill.
He is from the Province of Australia and lives in Sydney with his wife Fiona, also a teacher and teenage daughter Samantha. He is 54 years old and currently works in adult formation for Marist Schools Australia. Prior to this appointment, Mark worked for over twenty years as a Religious Education teacher, Assistant Principal and Principal in Marist schools.
He has a great love of learning and has completed a post graduate study in Religious Education, Educational Leadership and Theology.
His formation journey has been blessed with many encounters which have helped shape and nurture his Marist vocation since school. This has included a joint formation experience, solidarity immersions, a pilgrimage to Notre Dame de l’Hermitage, Rome and the Holy Land, spiritual accompaniment program and International Lay Animators course to name a few.
Mark has been a member of the Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat for four years, part of the spiritual family of St Marcellin in Australia with members who seek to live out their vocation in ways that are inspired by Marist spirituality and values.
His current ministry work with the Marist Mission and Life Formation Team has engaged his love of history and spirituality writing online formation programs in scripture and Marist spirituality to share with Marists worldwide to help foster and deepen their spiritual formation journey.