Brother Patrick Joseph Mary Darnell, OFM

Patrick James Darnell was born in Flint, Michigan on the 21st day of September in 1948. He was the second of nine children of John Bernard and Catherine Elizabeth Jean (nee Lascelle) Darnell. Patrick was baptized at St. Mary's Church in Flint. He attended St. Luke's Elementary School and was confirmed there at the age of ten by Bishop Joseph H. Albers. he then attended St. Michael's High School, graduating in 1967.

As a young man, Patrick began his training as a sheet metal worker, living and working in the industrial sector of Flint, Michigan. He was accepted as a Tertiary Brother in the Franciscan Custody of St. John Capistran in DeWitt, Michigan on June 6, 1974. He was received into the First Order at St. Bonaventure's in New York along with the novices of the Sacred Heart Province under Fr. Andrew Buvala, OFM on June 24, 1976. "Bro. Patrick Joseph Mary" made his simple vows at Holy Assumption Church in Roebling, New Jersey and later professed his Solemn Vows at the Dewitt, Michigan retreat house Portiuncula Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels with Fr. Serenus Szabo, OFM on August 10, 1980.

In his early years as a friar, Bro. Patrick assisted with fraternal service at the friary and was the parish school bus driver in New Jersey. For a brief time, he ventured into Tanzania, Africa to serve as a missionary for a small native village. In 1992, with the closing of the Hungarian Custody of St. John Capistran, Bro. Patrick transferred to the Sacred Heart Province and took up residency at St. Anthony of Padua Friary in St. Louis, MIssouri.

Over the years, Bro. Patrick assisted in a variety of internal ministries around the friary - porter and receptionist at the front desk, counting money down in the Franciscan Missionary Union, helping with mailings at the Provincial offices, dishes, housekeeping and more. Along the way, he also served as a spiritual assistant for a local Secular Franciscan Fraternity and for the Legion of Mary.

In 2019, Bro. Patrick moved to Blessed Giles Friary in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Due to health concerns, in 2020, he retired to Robertsville, Missouri where he enjoyed walks in the woods, plating chess, writing letters, and praying for his family and friends. Brother Patrick always had a cheerful heart and a deep devotion to our Blessed Mother.

He is preceded in death by his mother, Catherine, and father, John, his sister, Linda, and his brothers, Michael and Jerry. He is survived by his brothers, Joseph and John, and his sisters, Nancy, Anita, and Tyler Jean. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Franciscan Friars of St. Anthony of Padua Friary, St. Louis, Missouri.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 3 at 11am at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 3140 Meramec Street, St. Louis Missouri 63118. A visitation from 10-11am will precede Mass. Interment will be later that afternoon at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, Saint Louis, Missouri.