Brother O’Donnell, a lawyer and former educator, remembered as ‘proponent of peace and justice’

Brother Francis J. (Frank) O’Donnell, a tireless advocate for the downtrodden who served on numerous local boards, died July 22. Brother O’Donnell, who would have turned 80 next month, had been a member of the Marianist community for 62 years and a practicing lawyer for the past three decades.

A viewing will be held Aug. 3 from 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. at the Church of the Annunciation in Rosedale, followed by a funeral Aug. 4, 10:30 a.m., at the same site. There will be a storytelling session on Aug. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and burial will be at Sacred Heart of Jesus Cemetery in Dundalk following the Mass and a lunch.

“Brother Frank made friendships over a broad spectrum of the community,” said M. Teresa Garland, an administrative law judge in Maryland’s Office of Administrative Hearings where Brother O’Donnell worked. “He sat on a number of boards focused on promoting equity for historically disadvantaged members of society and those who were discriminated against because of race, gender identity, sexual preference and the like. He fought for the underdog.”

Philip Forte, a teacher at Archbishop Curley, first met Brother O’Donnell as a student at Cardinal Gibbons School and later became a co-worker at the now-closed Southwest Baltimore school. Forte said Brother O’Donnell, a proud native of Philadelphia, was a “great proponent of peace and justice.”

“The archdiocese built schools like Cardinal Gibbons and Archbishop Curley to make Catholic education affordable to the middle class,” Forte said. “He was a great advocate for that. I remember him as someone always willing to take risks. The early 1970s were some tumultuous times, and he was always on the cutting edge, willing to do things like relaxing the dress code for students.

“He always tried to be a role model, and he certainly did that. Later, he worked feverishly in Annapolis to make sure the impoverished were represented.”

Brother O’Donnell spent the first two decades of his professional career in education, teaching French and theology at Cardinal Gibbons School before serving as principal. He then served as the vocations director for the Marianists before attending law school at the University of Maryland.

He practiced public interest law and worked in the Department of Juvenile Services and the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families. At the time of his death, he was serving as a staff attorney at the Office of Administrative Hearings in Hunt Valley. 

He was interested in social justice causes, particularly working to abolish the death penalty. He volunteered as a prison minister at Jessup Correctional Institution, ministering to those serving life sentences.

He told The Catholic Review in a 2020 interview that he switched careers from education to legal advocacy because he wanted “to create change from the inside.”

As the director of the Tenant Advocacy Project at the Public Justice Center, he helped people avoid eviction and navigate court proceedings.

“I met Brother Frank in 2003 when he came to work with me at the [now defunct] Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families,” Garland said. “He was highly recommended by a mutual friend because of his educational background and his strong work ethic. He was affectionately called a “middle linebacker” not due to his physical stature, but because of his many talents. An educator, librarian, lawyer, legislative expert, civil rights champion and Marianist brother, he brought much to the table and I will always cherish his wisdom and serenity.”

Garland said Brother O’Donnell brought more to the table than just his professional skills, noting that he treated the office to a spread of Panera Bread goodies once a month.

“Brother Frank was generous to a fault,” she said. “He always remembered birthdays, anniversaries and other milestones and he loved to send cards just to let you know he was thinking of you. My office has many of the thoughtful gifts Brother Frank bestowed upon me over many years and two careers together.”

Alice B. Johnson, an attorney and co-worker in the Maryland Office of Administrative Hearings, said: “Brother Frank was a thoughtful and generous friend who could always be counted on in your time of need. He also had a great sense of humor and ‘assisted’ my cat in delivering special notes of thanks to me. I will certainly miss him.”

He served on a number of local boards, including at Mother Seton Academy and Bon Secours Community Works.

In a 2020 profile, Brother O’Donnell told The Marianists, “I often say to people that I have been blessed during my 60 years of ministry to do ministry that I enjoyed doing. Whether it was teaching in the classroom (and 60 years later, I am still in touch with former students and their parents); helping to create the first Marianist Sharing Fund in the New York Province; working in the Maryland legislature; or being active on several boards that serve legal services groups, religious communities, Marianist schools and social justice organizations, I have been happy and fulfilled in that ministry.”

Email Gerry Jackson at gjackson@CatholicReview.org

Also see:

After 60 years, a religious brother who practices law has no thoughts of slowing down

Marianist brother works to change attitudes on the death penalty

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