Monsignor Martin Francis Farrell

Monsignor Martin Francis Farrell, died peacefully on August 12 in Biloxi.
Martin Francis Farrell was born in Co. Mayo, Ireland on September 23, 1930 and studied for the priesthood in St. Patrick College, Carlow.
He was ordained on June 5, 1955 for the Diocese of Natchez, in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Carlow, Ireland. As a priest he served in the following parishes as associate pastor: Jackson St. Richard, Vicksburg St. Paul, Natchez St. Mary, which was then the cathedral. As pastor he served at Natchez Assumption, Sacred Heart in D’Iberville, Our Lady of the Gulf, Bay St. Louis and his final assignment as pastor was at Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Biloxi until his retirement on December 31, 2000.
Father Farrell was elevated to Monsignor on July 9, 1989. Since his retirement he has resided at Our Lady of Fatima and assisted there as long as his health permitted.
Monsignor Farrell was predeceased by his parents John and Margaret Roche Farrell of Westport, Ireland, His sisters Anne and Theresa Farrell of Galway, Ireland and Kathleen McLoughlin of London, England.
He is survived by his brother Patrick ‘Paddy’ Farrell of Lecanvey, Ireland, his nieces Margaret Bentaleb, Catherine Hunt and Mary Bennebri and their families, of London, England, and numerous cousins around the world.
A Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated Friday, August 18, in Our Lady of Fatima Church, followed by burial at the Biloxi City Cemetery at the priests’ plots on Caldwell Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, Monsignor Farrell requested that donations be made to any of the following charities: Fatima St. Vincent de Paul Society, P.O. Box 4098, Biloxi, MS 39535; Catholic Extension Society, 150 South Wacker Drive, Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60606 or; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-1942.