Donna Farrell named director of the Archdiocese’s Office for Communications
By Christie L. Chicoine
CS&T Staff Writer
Among the distinguished credentials Donna Farrell brings to her new
job as director of the Archdiocese’s Office for Communications is the unofficial title, “secret service agent.”
The broadcast and media specialist for the communications office since 1999, Farrell, 40, was appointed communications director by Cardinal Justin Rigali in December.
She was dubbed “secret service agent” in 2000, when she went to Italy for the canonization of St. Katharine Drexel, Philadelphia’s second — and first native-born — saint. She worked closely there with John and Constance Wall, whose youngest daughter, Amy, received the second miracle credited to St. Katharine’s intercession. “My job was to make sure Amy and her sister, Jeanette, weren’t overwhelmed by the intense media interest,” Farrell said. “I guess I did a good job — because they started calling me their secret service agent.”
As communications director, Farrell acts as the spokesperson for the Cardinal, and her office informs the news media about his work and the work of the archdiocesan agencies. The office also produces a weekly television Mass and a weekly Spanish-language radio program.
“The Archdiocese of Philadelphia is pleased to welcome Mrs. Donna Farrell as its new Director of Communications,” Cardinal Rigali said in a statement regarding the appointment. “She is highly esteemed by those who work with her.
“We ask God’s blessings upon Donna in this important role of serving the Gospel of Christ by communicating the mission and activity of the Church,” the Cardinal said. “Her work will always involve communicating ‘the truth in charity.’ We know that she will strive to be of service to all her colleagues in the media and to our whole community.”
Farrell, a native of Upper Darby who is a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Morton, said: “I am extremely honored by Cardinal Rigali’s appointment, and excited about the opportunity to spread the Good News.
“It’s an extremely busy office,” she said of the communications office. “We handle more than 1,000 media inquiries, and issue more than 100 news releases every year. We work to ensure that the voice of the Cardinal and the message of the Church are heard in today’s increasingly crowded media world.”
A 1978 alumna of St. Francis of Assisi School in Springfield, she graduated from Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield in 1982. She received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School of Communications in 1986.
She has worked as a page and as a researcher, writer and news assistant for the NBC network in New York City; as an anchor, reporter and producer for NBC in Binghamton, N.Y.; as a reporter for WB17 in Philadelphia, and as a reporter, anchor and producer for WBRE-TV in Scranton, Pa.
In 2001, she married Michael T. Farrell, a Philadelphia attorney in private practice who specializes in business law. They have 9-month-old twins, Connor and Christina.
St. John Neumann, Philadelphia’s first saint, also holds a special place in Farrell’s heart. Christina contracted meningitis as a newborn infant, and the couple prayed to St. John Neumann for her recovery, in the face of a poor prognosis. Today Christina crawls, and is ready to talk and walk.
Auxiliary Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, the auxiliary bishop responsible for assisting Cardinal Rigali in overseeing the Office for Communications, said he considered it a “great privilege” to serve as chairman of the search committee that unanimously recommended Farrell for the communications director position. “Donna has an excellent reputation and is greatly appreciated by the archdiocesan staff and her peers,” Bishop Burbidge said. “She brings a wealth of experience with her, as well as many talents, enormous energy, a love for the Church, and great dedication. I look forward to working closely with Donna and supporting her in any way possible.”
Bishop Burbidge said the committee’s work benefited from wisdom and insights of its members. They were Karen K. Becker, director of Family Services for Catholic Social Services; James J. Bock Jr., associate to the vicar for administration; Shannon Breuer, director of corporate human resources and communications for Sunoco, Inc.; Richard A. Doran, chairman of the board of trustees of the Curtis Institute of Music; Sister Maureen Lawrence McDermott, I.H.M., principal of Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown, and Msgr. John J. McIntyre, administrative secretary to the Cardinal.
The Office for Communications may be reached at communof@adphila.org
CS&T Staff Writer Christie L. Chicoine can be reached at (215) 587-2468 or cchicoin@adphila.org
