Please pray for the repose of the soul of our brother, Fr. John Farren, who died peacefully around 3:00 on October 21, 2025, at Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, New York.

Fr. John Joseph Aquinas Farren died at Rosary Hill Home under the constant prayerful vigil of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. Two of the brethren had visited him earlier in the day. He was preceded in death by his brothers Thomas and Cornelius and his sister Monica. His surviving family includes his sister Sr. Mary Farren, RGS, a member of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Boston, and a regular visitor in the last months of his life. He is also survived by 9 nieces and nephews and 20 grandnieces and nephews.

Fr. Farren was born on April 28, 1938, in Medford, MA, the son of Neil Farren and Mary Bridget (née Cavanagh) Farren. His father was born in Scotland, and his mother in Ireland. He was baptized on May 8, 1938, at Sacred Heart Church, and was educated at Hillside School in Medford (1943-49), and St. John’s Grammar and High Schools (1949-55) in Cambridge, MA. He studied classics at Providence College as a preparatory student for the Dominican Order from 1955-57, and in 1957 entered the novitiate at St. Joseph Priory in Somerset, OH, receiving the religious name Aquinas.

Father Farren made simple profession at St. Joseph Priory in Somerset on August 16, 1958, and went on to St. Stephen Priory in Dover, MA to study Philosophy from 1958-61. In 1959 he received his BA and in 1961 his MA from Providence College. He studied Theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC from 1961-65, receiving his STB in 1963 and his STL and STLr in 1965. He made solemn profession on August 16, 1961, and was ordained to the priesthood at St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, DC on June 11, 1964, by Most Rev. Russell J. McVinney, Bishop of Providence.

Father Farren remained at the Dominican House of Studies from 1965-68 to do research for the STD and to teach. He spent a year of study at Concordia Lutheran Seminary in St. Louis, MO from 1966-7 and was finally awarded his STD in 1975, with a dissertation on “The Lutheran Krypsis-Kenosis Controversy: The Presence of Christ (1619-1627).”

In 1969, Father Farren volunteered to go to Chimbote, Peru, to share in the work of the Province’s mission there. He engaged in parish and rural community ministry as well as serving as Vicar General of the Territorial Prelature of Chimbote and directing its “Centro de Obras Sociales” (Social Works Center). He took part in the extensive recovery effort that followed the devastating earthquake of 1970 that destroyed half of the city of Chimbote, including the Dominican missions.

From 1974-80, Father Farren was in Rome, serving as Assistant to the Master of the Order for Apostolic Life. He traveled throughout the world assisting in the Order’s apostolic work and was praised by the Master of the Order as “a theologian,” and “an apostolic man, with much experience” in the missions.

In 1980, Father Farren returned to the United States for a year of post-doctoral research at Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT, residing at St. Mary’s Priory. In 1981, he was assigned to St. Vincent Ferrer Priory in New York City to work at the National Office of the Society for Propagation of the Faith as Director of Education and National Secretary of the Pontifical Missionary Union. In 1983, he was appointed Director of the Dominican Friars Guild with the mandate to reorganize the provincial fund raising and development programs.

Father Farren was elected Prior at the Dominican House of Studies in 1986 and served two terms. During this time, he initiated planning for additions to the building to accommodate the ever-growing library and the need for classrooms and professors’ offices for the growing number of students who were enrolled for degrees in the Pontifical Faculty.

Father Farren returned to Rome in 1992 for a sabbatical at the Institute for Theological Education of the North American College, and in 1993, the Holy See requested his services in the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. At the same time, he served as Director of the Leonine Commission.

In 1999, Father Farren was chosen by the Knights of Columbus to be director of their Catholic Information Service and coordinator of their extensive vocations promotion program, and was assigned to St. Mary’s Priory in New Haven, CT. In this position, he recruited authors, several Dominicans among them, and saw to the editing and publishing of substantial pamphlets on many aspects of Catholic faith and practice, to be distributed free of charge.

In 2000, he was chosen to be a Trustee of the Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA, and in 2003, he was chosen to be Rector of St. John’s Seminary in Boston, where he served until 2007. At his retirement party, the dean of the seminary, after several humorous observations about Father Farren’s Dominican nickname (“Bulldog”), said “Tenacious, loving, strong, fatherly, humble, generous, prayerful, dedicated, humorous are just a few of the words we would use to describe our rector.”

After a brief sabbatical, Father Farren returned to St. Vincent Ferrer Priory in New York City in the Fall of 2007 to become Director of Advancement for the Province of St. Joseph. During his tenure, the several Dominican Friars Guilds were united to form the Dominican Foundation. In 2010, he was transferred to St. Catherine’s Priory to become Director of the Magnificat Foundation, which in various ways promotes a way of life inspired by the popular personal missalette of the same name.

In 2018, Father Farren was elected prior of St. Gertrude Priory in Cincinnati but resigned in 2019 in view of his age and (as he said) his “lack of the requisite stamina and energy.” He was then assigned to the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC to be a senior friar in residence providing spiritual direction and confession for student brothers. He was assigned in 2022 to the priory of St. Catherine of Siena in New York City. As his health continued to deteriorate, he entered Rosary Hill home in September of 2025, where the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne provided prayerful and attentive care for his final days.

The funeral Mass took place at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 27, 2025, at Holy Innocents Church in Pleasantville, New York. As per Fr. Farren’s request, Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P., preached the homily. Office of the Dead (Matins and Lauds) took place at 8:30 a.m. in the church before the funeral Mass. Interment followed at the nearby All Souls Cemetery.

Eternal rest, grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
Through the mercy of God, may he rest in peace.

Donations in memory of Fr. John Farren, O.P. may be made to the Dominican Friars Foundation to support the formation of Dominican Friars in the Province of St. Joseph. Checks may be mailed to 141 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065. God bless you for your generosity!