At the General Chapter which is held every six years a friar is elected to be the Procurator General of the Order for the following six years. The Procurator General acts on behalf of the Prior General in all the affairs of the Order with the Holy See. During the last General Chapter, held during September 2019, Father Michael Farrugia was elected as the Order’s Procurator General.
Father Michael was born on 6th January 1962. In 1984 he made the religious Solemn Profession. Following his studies of philosophy in Malta, he continued with his studies in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, in Rome. In 1986, he was ordained to priesthood by Blessed Pope John Paul II. Fr. Michael continued his studies in Canon Law at the Pontifical Lateran University where he earned his doctorate.
In the Province, Fr. Michael was Provincial Bursar, Provincial Councillor, Prior, Parish Priest and member of the formation team. In the year 2009 he was elected Prior Provincial and re-elected in 2012. He was president of the Italy-Malta Region.
In the Archdiocese of Malta, Fr. Michael was Defender of the Bond and Justice Promoter in the Ecclesiastical Tribunal and Judge of the Regional Tribunal of Second Instance. In 2006, he was elected member of the Presbyterial Council and was member on various diocesan commissions. He was councillor and President of the Conference of Religious Major Superiors.
At the General Chapter in 2013 he was elected Procurator General of the Order to serve for six year term 2013-2019 and at the General Chapter in 2019 he was re-elected to serve for second term 2019-2025.
Father Michael also has responsibility for the Task Force for the Reform of the Institutum Carmelitanum.