Brother Donatus was elected Provincial of the Province of the Immaculate Conception, Ireland in 1992 and in 1994 was elected General Councillor. He was re-elected General Councillor on the 18th of November 2000 and served as the First General Councillor for the last six years. Among his responsibilities as General Councillor, Brother Donatus was co-ordination of the Missions of The Order. He chaired the Hospitaller Youth Conference (Granada, November 2005) and the 2006 General Chapter Preparatory Committee.
He was elected Prior General of the Order at the General Chapter of 2006 and completed his term of office in 2012 where he returned to Ireland for a brief period before going to Malawi until elected Provincial of the West European Province of Saint John of God in January 2014.