Searing grief troubles the Province of St. Albert the Great in the United States, and brothers of the whole of Dominican Family, as well as English-speaking Catholics, at the irreparable loss but a few months ago, the unexpected demise, on November 23, 1951, of our most kind and dearest Very Rev. Father, Master Walter Farrell, true son of Our Holy Father Dominic.

It is with a sad and grieving spirit to his companions, and to his readers we publicly announce his death; it pleases us to pay fitting praise to such a man, the light of truth standing in the face of error, and by works and examples still illuminating intellects and nourishing hearts.

Father Farrell first saw the light of day in Chicago in middle of the year, 1902. From his earliest years, forsaking mundane things, and called to the service of God, he cast his lot with the Order of Preachers, the habit of which he put on with an exultant heart in 1920.

Having completed his novitiate, he earnestly devoted himself to the study of philosophy and theology in the convents in Springfield, Kentucky, and Washington, until he was ordained to the priesthood in1927.

Then, at the University of Fribourg he earned the doctorate in Theology. From 1931 to 1942 he taught as Lector, first in Somerset, Ohio, and then at Washington; during the year 1939 becoming the Regent of the General Studium of the Province of St. Joseph, and from 1940 obtaining the reward of all his labors, promoted by the Most Rev. Father Master General at Santa Sabina to the highest grade of the Order to the applause of all. In the same year he was appointed as the first President of the Pontifical Theological Faculty in the General Studium at Washington, an office which he exercised for five years.

At the start of the war, which raged at that time almost everywhere throughout the world, urged by the love of this country, he served as Navy chaplain on the U.S.S. Yorktown. He then taught in the military chaplain school established at William and Mary University, an undeterred advocate of peace, showing great solicitude for souls, with the greatest praise in all he did. With the end of the war he returned to his former teaching, first in Washington, and then in River Forest.

Father Farrell, by his approach to philosophical and theological writings had gained a widespread name for himself, among which, it seems to us, the first, entitled: The Essence of Natural Law, published in 1930. He was especially praised for his work, A Companion to the Summa, in four volumes, which provides, even to this day for thousands of readers, a marvelous key to understanding the subtle Summa of Theology, of the Divine Teacher, St. Thomas Aquinas. His last work, published in May 1951, was The Looking Glass. In addition to the usual writings on theology, he produced four other works, which he had begun prior to the war, which remain unfinished, cut off by his death, of which a Life of Christ is considered of the greatest value.

P. Farrell from many other of his accomplishments this at least should be singled out: he was the co-founder and director of the periodical The Thomist, devoted to explaining the doctrine of St Thomas; co-editor and publisher of the periodical on modern spiritual theology, Cross and Crown. With a tireless pen he contributed to leading Catholic newspapers.

With great merit he made a name for himself by his intense promotion and propagation of Thomistic Theology, which as in catholic universities and academies, in colleges and institutions for educating youth, and in religious convents whether by himself or by others he vigorously pursued. In preaching and conferences he wholeheartedly devoted himself to popularizing this understanding of God.

As a Lector in the Houses of Studies of the Order in the U.S. by his wisdom for study and by the example of virtue he encouraged 500 and more Dominican priests. For this reason, his perpetual memory will remain, kindling forever the eternal flame of his life and teaching. R.I.P.

At his funeral at St. Pius Church, Chicago, Samuel Cardinal Stritch presided, accompanied by his Excellency Leo Binz, Coadjutor Archbishop of Dubuque, and Auxiliary Bishop G. Cousins, as well as the Mothers General of Congregations of Religious women, whether of the Order or outside - grateful for the solicitude of Fr. Farrell for sisters-, laity and countless Chicago archdiocesan priests, and with about 200 Dominican friends.

This is the obituary published by Dominicana Vol. 37, no. 1: 56-58.

In Chicago, on the morning of November 23, 1951, Father Walter Farrell was found to have died peacefully during the night in his sleep. Although he had been in weak health throughout a great part of his life, his sudden death came as a profound shock to all. Thus, in his untimely and unexpected death at the age of forty-nine, Church in America has lost a renowned priest, the Dominican Order a glorious scholar, and the Province of St. Albert its most illustrious son. Father Farrell was born in Chicago, Illinois, on July 21, 1902.He acquired his elementary education at the parochial schools of Notre Dame and St. Columbanus in Chicago, and prior to his entrance into the Dominican Order, he completed his high school and college courses at Chicago's Quigley Preparatory Seminary. Father Farrell was clothed in the habit of St. Dominic at St. Joseph's Priory in Somerset, Ohio, on September 14, 1920, and after a year of novitiate, he made his profession in the Order of Preachers. He pursued the prescribed philosophical and theological studies at St. Rose Priory in Springfield, Kentucky, and at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D. C. On June 9, 1927, the Most Rev. Michael J. Curley, Archbishop of Baltimore, ordained him to the priesthood in St. Dominic’s Church in Washington. Upon finishing the regular course in theology during the year after ordination, he was awarded the degree of Lector of Sacred Theology. Father Farrell then spent two years at the University of Fribourg, in Fribourg, Switzerland, where he did graduate work in the field of theology. In 1930, the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology was conferred upon him at Fribourg.

Returning to the United States, Father Farrell began a brilliant career as teacher, writer, and lecturer which made him one of the best-known priests in America. From 1930 until 1933, Father Farrell was professor of dogmatic theology and Assistant to the Master of Students at St. Joseph's Priory, Somerset, Ohio, and during the last of these three years he filled the office of subprior at Somerset. In 1933, he began teaching theology at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington; with this house his memory is distinctively associated, for it was at Washington that he passed the longest span of his years as · a priest-the years which saw the undertaking of his most conspicuous achievements. He was named Pro-Regent of Studies for the Province of St. Joseph in 1938, and Regent of Studies in 1939, a post which he retained until 1945. From 1940 until 1945, Father Farrell was President of the Dominican Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Washington. In Rome, at the Convent of Santa Sabina, on May 23, 1940, the Master General of the Order of Preachers elevated Father Farrell to the dignity of Master of Sacred Theology, the most eminent degree in the Dominican Order, in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments and extraordinary erudition in the sphere of theology. When the Province of St. Joseph was divided territorially in 1939, Father Farrell became affiliated with the newly established Province of St. Albert, but he continued his work in St. Joseph's Province until his term as Regent of Studies came to a close in 1945. From 1942 until 1945, Father Farrell served as a chaplain with the United States Navy, and for more than a year he was engaged inactive duty aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown. In poor health for many years, at first he could not meet the physical requirements for induction into the chaplains' corps. At his request, President Roosevelt personally intervened in Father Farrell's favor. His noble character never failed to make a deep impression upon all the servicemen who knew him, and his courage and high devotion to duty won for him unstinted acclaim. Father Farrell was nationally known as a preacher of retreats, and as a lecturer in philosophy and theology, but it is his literary work which stands as his immortal monument. Pre-eminent among all the writings which flowed from his gifted pen is his towering four volume masterpiece The Companion to the Summa, published from1939 to 1941. It was at once acknowledged a classic in the realm of English theological literature. With this work, Father Farrell, perhaps more than any other, helped to popularize the Summa, he was a pioneer in the teaching of theology to the laity. Essence of the Natural Law, his first book, was published in 1930, and his latest book, The Looking Glass, came from the presses just a few months before his death. Father Farrell was a frequent contributor to theological journals and Catholic magazines, his articles appearing in such publications as Th e Thomist, Cross and Crown, Homiletic and Pastoral Review, New Scholasticism, The Sign, and other religious periodicals. He was a founder of the theological quarterly, The Thomist, edited by the Dominican Fathers of St. Joseph's Province, and he was associate editor of Cross and Crown, the Thomistic quarterly of spiritual theology. In 1942 he was the recipient of the annual Catholic Literary Award of the Gallery of Living Catholic Authors. Despite the fact that he was never a man of robust health, his untiring industry and his unswerving zeal for carrying out the Dominican ideal made him a constant source of inspiration and wonder to all who were privileged to live with him. At the time of his death, he was at work on several projects, among which was the first draft of a life of Christ he had planned to publish. Father Farrell's funeral was held on November 27, 1951, at St. Pius' Church in Chicago. The Solemn Requiem Mass was offered by the Very Rev. J. E. Marr, O.P., Prior of the Dominican House of Studies in River Forest, Illinois, where Father Farrell was assigned at the time he died. The deacon was the Very Rev. W. H. Kane, O.P., S.T.M., also of the House at River Forest, and the subdeacon was the Rev. E. S. Carlson, O.P., Regent of Studies for St. Albert’s Province. The eulogy was preached by the Very Rev. L. E. Hughes, O.P., Provincial of St. Albert's Province. Father Hughes characterized the deceased as "the brightest ornament in American Dominican history… one of those rare geniuses God grants to His Church for special needs and works," and he foretold that "his name and influence will live for generations." His Eminence, Samuel Cardinal Stritch, Archbishop of Chicago, presided at the funeral Mass and imparted the final absolution. Present in the sanctuary were the Most Rev. Leo Binz, D.D., Coadjutor to the Archbishop of Dubuque, and the Most Rev. William E. Cousins, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago, and Pastor of Father Farrell's boyhood parish of St. Columbanus. The church was filled with a vast number of Dominicans, representing both Father Farrell's own Province, and the Province of St. Joseph where he lived and labored for most of his life. Also in attendance were many Monsignori and members of the secular clergy as well as representatives of a great number of religious orders, giving evidence of the esteem and prominence Father Farrell's rich endowments commanded even outside of his own Order. Burial took place in the Dominican Fathers' plot in All Saints Cemetery. To Father Farrell's brother and sister, and to all his relatives and friends, Dominicana offers a sincere expression of sympathy. May his valiant soul rest in peace!