The Order of Saint Augustine has a new Prior General. On the afternoon of September 9, the 73 capitular brothers with voting rights, gathered at the 188th General Chapter of the Order, elected as their 98th superior Father Joseph Lawrence Farrell, OSA, until now vicar general and general assistant for North America. The American religious succeeds in office Father Alejandro Moral Antón, who has guided the Augustinians in recent years.
With this election, the Augustinian family, present on the five continents and with more than 750 years of history, begins a new stage under the direction of a priest with extensive pastoral, academic, and governance experience.
Origin and Formation of the New Prior General
Joseph Farrell was born on July 11, 1963, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania (United States), and is affiliated with the Augustinian Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. He studied Business Administration at Villanova University (1985) before entering the Order, in which he professed his first vows in 1987 and solemn vows in 1990. He was ordained a priest on June 29, 1991.
He later completed his training in Theology at the Washington Theological Union and subsequently at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he earned a doctorate in Sacred Theology with a specialization in Augustinian spirituality. His doctoral thesis focused on “An Augustinian Spirituality of Responsibility in the Sermons of Saint Augustine.”
Pastoral and Academic Service
After his ordination, he served in parishes and schools in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, combining his pastoral work with teaching. Between 2007 and 2013, he worked in the Office of Mission and Ministry at Villanova University, where he taught courses on the life and thought of Saint Augustine, Christian anthropology, and ancient Christianity.
During those years, he also served as a prenovice formator, preparing young men entering the Order.
Experience in the Governance of the Order
In 2013, Farrell was elected vicar general of the Order of Saint Augustine. Since then, he has collaborated closely with the Prior General on canonical visits, chapters, and the coordination of various international commissions dedicated to education, spirituality, and vocational promotion. His re-election in 2019 confirmed the trust placed in him by his Augustinian brothers.
In addition to his governance work, he expanded his training with a Master’s in Church Entity Management at Villanova University (2019), which strengthened his leadership profile in institutional and pastoral spheres.
A New Beginning for the Augustinian Family
With the election of Joseph Farrell, the Augustinians are preparing to face the challenges of consecrated life in a global context marked by the need for vocations, evangelizing mission in secular environments, and the strengthening of Augustinian identity.
The new Prior General will have the task of guiding the Order in continuity with the charism of Saint Augustine: the search for God in community, service to the Church, and attention to the spiritual and educational needs of the faithful around the world.