Fr Owen Farrell

Early life and education

Owen Nicholas Farrell was born on April 6, 1918 at Parkside where he grew up. The family lived on Glen Osmond Road, and Owen would have often seen Archbishop Spence going between his home at the top of Glen Osmond Road and the church office in the city. This may well have influenced his later vocation. Owen was educated at Christian Brothers College, Wakefield Street, Adelaide.

When Owen expressed an interest in studying for the priesthood he was fortunate to be chosen by Archbishop Beovich and consultors, as at that time they were concerned there was a risk of having more priests than the Archdiocese could afford (a number of his contemporaries were however accepted for dioceses in Victoria and Tasmania).

Owen undertook his theological studies at St Patrick’s College, Manly, NSW. As was the custom at the time he was ordained to the priesthood halfway through his final year. He was ordained in Adelaide on July 25, 1944.

First appointments

Returning to Adelaide at the end of that year he was first appointed assistant priest at the Cathedral. Six months later he went to Glenelg as Assistant, where he stayed for 10 years. Then on February 1, 1956 he was made parish priest of Pinnaroo, where he remained for four years. Owen had a deep interest in liturgy, and one of his remaining legacies being the sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pinnaroo.

His next appointment was to the relatively new parish of Marion, later to be called Seacombe Gardens. This was a rather unexpected as he was asked to take over after Fr John O’Donohue, who had been appointed as first parish priest, died suddenly.

His many gifts

Owen was a great gift to priesthood and the Archdiocese of Adelaide. Fr Brian Angus, who was his assistant priest for a short time in 1966-67 and again for two years between 1972-73, has many memories of Owen and his many talents. He recalls how, with his housekeeper Bea Baker, Owen developed a skill at vestment making and was able to celebrate Mass wearing probably the most beautiful and artistically dramatic vestments in all the diocese.

Gifted with a voice more powerful than tuneful Owen sang all his Sunday Masses, to the consternation of many of his parishioners. A story is told of how Owen had started celebrating Mass ‘facing the people’ long before it was legalised, and having set things back to the old way preceding a visit from the archbishop, left a tell-tale cross still hanging over where the altar usually stood.

His love of the arts

Owen mixed in all circles of Adelaide society. Fr Brian recalls that on his first Saturday morning in the parish the phone rang at about 9.30am. On answering it he got a puzzled voice saying ‘Its Lady Bonython here. Can I speak to Owen, please?’  She had got as far as she could in the Crossquiz (a Saturday institution in Adelaide among the intellectually minded) and needed to pick his brain for more of the answers, for Owen had a wide range of general knowledge. 

There was another occasion when the Australian Opera was performing in Adelaide (they used to come each year before the Festival Theatre was built) and Owen had invited chief conductor William Reid and his assistant, cadet conductor Mark Elder (now Sir Mark and a significant figure in English music, including music director of the Hallé Orchestra, England’s oldest orchestra). When Mark spoke of his time at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he studied music, Owen could tell him aspects of the music course and its famous alumni that Mark was not aware of.

Entertaining was another of Owen’s gifts. Hospitality came second nature to Owen. He was friends with the wine maker Cyril Henschke, who died tragically, also in 1979, and hence a regular supply of ‘Hill of Grace’ wine found its way to the presbytery. Long lunches in the garden (Owen was also a keen native garden enthusiast, and had cultivated a beautiful shaded garden behind the presbytery) were usual, often just Owen and his assistant. Sometimes friends of Owen would come.

One such friend was Lady Lindsay, who lived in India, and came laden with gold jewellery, including a golden ‘third eye’. Owen had heard she was partial to rose water, and so had made a special supply. On another occasion the Kirov Ballet (including minders) came for morning tea – just as well it was a big backyard as there were about 100 of them. The minders were not amused, and refused to take any food or drink. Owen had a special knack of inviting groups that gelled well at dinner parties, be they clerical, parishioner, artistic or lay.

His ministry to the artistic world was remarkable. On April 1, 1969 he was appointed a member of the Art Gallery of SA. It was not unusual for the phone to ring in the middle of the night and it could be a singer, actor, dancer, painter ringing from London, New York, or anywhere in the world wanting Owen’s help or advice. They had usually met in Adelaide, maybe been to Owen’s for a meal, and formed a bond of trust. One night a famous English Shakespearian actor rang depressed and desperate to speak with Owen.

He had a skill of recognising emerging artists, and in his collection was an early Fred Williams (now on display in the Art Gallery of South Australia) which he had purchased for 11 guineas, as well as paintings given him by Justin O’Brien, Arthur Boyd, Barbara Hanrahan and Sidney Nolan. The presbytery walls were full of Australian artists. Relegated to the assistant’s office walls were Pro Harts, an artist Owen didn’t rate highly.

After 14 years at Seacombe Gardens Owen was appointed Parish Priest at Colonel Light Gardens. This was to be his last parish and where he died in his sleep on September 11, 1979. His Requiem Mass was celebrated there on September 13 and he was buried at the Centennial Park Cemetery, where he had conducted many funeral ceremonies as it was within the Col Light Gardens parish.

May he rest in peace.