A grateful farewell

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Cardinal O'Brien, Grand Master, and the Governor General Borromeo

Fittingly, on the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, this June 29, our Governor General, Professor Agostino Borromeo, will officially complete his second mandate, stepping down from the office which he has served with such distinction these last 8 years.

It has been my privilege to have served with him since my arrival in Rome in 2011. He has been a good personal friend. A man of solid Catholic Faith, of singular integrity and selfless generosity, his prudent counsel has offered sure guidance to me and to leadership throughout the Order. His service to the universal Church has added to his fulltime duties as our Governor General, both in his collaboration with diverse offices of the Holy See, and in his leadership role in UNITALSI, coordinating pilgrimages to Lourdes for people with special needs throughout Italy.

At last, he can now devote appropriate time to Beatrice and the Borromeo family. In addition, he will undoubtedly immerse himself in the scholarly research and writing which he has sacrificed for our benefit over all these years.

Prayerfully, we wish him well, as we are happily reassured that his generous expertise will still be “on call” when needed.


Edwin Cardinal O’Brien


(May 2017)