Bernard O'Brien (Jesuit)
Encyclopedia
Bernard Michael O'Brien (born 9 December 1907) is a New Zealand Jesuit priest, philosopher, musician (cellist) , writer and former seminary professor.
, New Zealand
and was educated by the Dominican sisters at St Thomas's Academy, Oamaru
and at Christ's College
. His father was a surgeon.
at the Loyola Noviciate of the Society of Jesus
in Sydney
. There and at Riverview College he also advanced his study of Greek. O'Brien obtained his BA at the National University of Ireland
where he also studied music. In 1929, O'Brien went to the Jesuit house of Philosophy at Pullach
, a village just ouside Munich
where, after learning German, and with many German, Austrian and other students from many countries, he embarked on three years of laborious philosophic studes. The Philosophy taught was fundamentally medieval scholasticism
, as modified by the sixteenth century Jesuit Suárez
. O'Brien's "best teacher" was Father Alois Maier who promoted Kant
. O'Brien made a special study of Plotinus
in relation to the Psychology of art. Karl Rahner
was two years ahead of O'Brien but amongst his companions were Hans Urs von Balthasar
, Joseph Neuner and Alfred Delp
. In 1932, at the end of his Philosophy couse, O'Brien received minor orders
from Cardinal Faulhaber, Archbishop of Munich. He then returned to Sydney and was given the job of coaching young novices who were beginning their university studes. In 1935, O'Brien went to the Louvain
in Belgium
to study Theology. His most important teacher there was Joseph Maréchal
who combined the "best insights" of Thomas Aquinas
with the transcendental speculations of Kant
. "His teaching set flowing one of the principal streams of present-day Catholic Philosophy and Theology, a stream from which André Marc and Karl Rahner
, J.B. Lotz, Emerich Coreth and Bernard Lonergan
have all drunk". O'Brien read particularly the German theologian and mystic Matthias Scheeben and wrote a theological dissertation on Friedrich von Hügel
. O'Brien was ordained a priest in 1938 at Louvain and after spending the first few years of World War II
in Jesuit establishments in England and in Ireland, he returned to Sydney in 1941.
to teach boys in 1941 and then in 1942 he was appointed to the Jesuit scholasticate at Watsonia
to take care of the university studies of the Jesuit scholastics as he had before. On 2 February 1942 he was admitted to his final vows as a Jesuit. In 1943 he was appointed to Corpus Christi College, Werribee
(a seminary for the training of secular priests) near Melbourne to lecture in theology. He filled this position until 1949. In late 1947 temporarily and then permanently in 1950 O'Brien was appointed to Holy Name Seminary
in his home town of Christchurch
. At that time it was a minor seminary with generally 70-90 secondary school age boys boarding there. By 1959, however, the school aspect had been fazed out and the seminary was teaching Philosophy to men who had finished secondary school and were in training to be ordained as secular priests. The result of the change for O'Brien was that he then became a Philosophy lecturer and set about preparing courses in Logic
and Theory of Knowledge and the Philosophy of Being
. Philosophy hitherto had been taught at Holy Name in programs of a traditional Thomist stamp, whether taught directly from the Catholic textbooks known as "manuals", or from private course notes which represented an updated form of the scholastic system. Even in the 1950s, textbooks were still in Latin, with students expected to know enough of the language to make their way through the three-volume "Summula Philosophiae Scholasticae" of J. S. Hickey, or, if this was beyond them, with the simplified "dog Latin" of the "Manuale Philosophiae ad Usum Seminariorum" of Giovanni di Napoli. O'Brien, with his broad interests and education, and his colleagues initiated great changes and he gave Philosophy studies at Holy Name Seminary some standing and "twenty years of clergy owe, if not an appreciation for scholarship at least an acceptance of it to him."
Early life
He was born in ChristchurchChristchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and was educated by the Dominican sisters at St Thomas's Academy, Oamaru
Oamaru
Oamaru , the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is 80 kilometres south of Timaru and 120 kilometres north of Dunedin, on the Pacific coast, and State Highway 1 and the railway Main South Line connects it to both...
and at Christ's College
Christ's College, Canterbury
Christ's College, Christchurch is an independent, Anglican, secondary, day and boarding school for boys, located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand....
. His father was a surgeon.
Training
In January 1924, O'Brien commenced his studies as a Jesuit noviceNovice
A novice is a person or creature who is new to a field or activity. The term is most commonly applied in religion and sports.-Buddhism:In many Buddhist orders, a man or woman who intends to take ordination must first become a novice, adopting part of the monastic code indicated in the vinaya and...
at the Loyola Noviciate of the Society of Jesus
Society of Jesus
The Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. There and at Riverview College he also advanced his study of Greek. O'Brien obtained his BA at the National University of Ireland
National University of Ireland
The National University of Ireland , , is a federal university system of constituent universities, previously called constituent colleges, and recognised colleges set up under the Irish Universities Act, 1908, and significantly amended by the Universities Act, 1997.The constituent universities are...
where he also studied music. In 1929, O'Brien went to the Jesuit house of Philosophy at Pullach
Pullach
Pullach, officially Pullach i. Isartal, is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria in Germany. It is serviced by the S 7 line of the Munich S-Bahn, at the Großhesselohe Isartalbahnhof, Pullach and Höllriegelskreuth railway stations....
, a village just ouside Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
where, after learning German, and with many German, Austrian and other students from many countries, he embarked on three years of laborious philosophic studes. The Philosophy taught was fundamentally medieval scholasticism
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
, as modified by the sixteenth century Jesuit Suárez
Francisco Suárez
Francisco Suárez was a Spanish Jesuit priest, philosopher and theologian, one of the leading figures of the School of Salamanca movement, and generally regarded among the greatest scholastics after Thomas Aquinas....
. O'Brien's "best teacher" was Father Alois Maier who promoted Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
. O'Brien made a special study of Plotinus
Plotinus
Plotinus was a major philosopher of the ancient world. In his system of theory there are the three principles: the One, the Intellect, and the Soul. His teacher was Ammonius Saccas and he is of the Platonic tradition...
in relation to the Psychology of art. Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner, SJ was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century...
was two years ahead of O'Brien but amongst his companions were Hans Urs von Balthasar
Hans Urs von Balthasar
Hans Urs von Balthasar was a Swiss theologian and priest who was nominated to be a cardinal of the Catholic Church...
, Joseph Neuner and Alfred Delp
Alfred Delp
Alfred Delp was a German Jesuit priest who was executed for his resistance to the Nazi régime in Germany.- Early life and education :...
. In 1932, at the end of his Philosophy couse, O'Brien received minor orders
Minor orders
The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The most recognized minor orders are porter, lector, exorcist, and acolyte. In the Latin rite Catholic Church, the minor orders were in most cases replaced by "instituted" ministries of lector and acolyte, though communities that use...
from Cardinal Faulhaber, Archbishop of Munich. He then returned to Sydney and was given the job of coaching young novices who were beginning their university studes. In 1935, O'Brien went to the Louvain
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to study Theology. His most important teacher there was Joseph Maréchal
Joseph Maréchal
Joseph Maréchal was a Belgian Jesuit priest, philosopher and psychologist at the Higher Institute of Philosophy of the University of Leuven who founded a school of thought called Transcendental Thomism, which attempted to merge the theological and philosophical thought of St...
who combined the "best insights" of Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
with the transcendental speculations of Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
. "His teaching set flowing one of the principal streams of present-day Catholic Philosophy and Theology, a stream from which André Marc and Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner
Karl Rahner, SJ was a German Jesuit and theologian who, alongside Bernard Lonergan and Hans Urs von Balthasar, is considered one of the most influential Roman Catholic theologians of the 20th century...
, J.B. Lotz, Emerich Coreth and Bernard Lonergan
Bernard Lonergan
Fr. Bernard J.F. Lonergan, CC, SJ was a Canadian Jesuit priest, philosopher, and theologian widely regarded as one of the most important Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century....
have all drunk". O'Brien read particularly the German theologian and mystic Matthias Scheeben and wrote a theological dissertation on Friedrich von Hügel
Friedrich von Hügel
Friedrich von Hügel was an influential Austrian Roman Catholic layman, religious writer, Modernist theologian and Christian apologist....
. O'Brien was ordained a priest in 1938 at Louvain and after spending the first few years of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Jesuit establishments in England and in Ireland, he returned to Sydney in 1941.
Academic career and contribution
In Australia, O.Brien was appointed to St Patrick's College, MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
to teach boys in 1941 and then in 1942 he was appointed to the Jesuit scholasticate at Watsonia
Watsonia
Watsonia can refer to:* Watsonia , a genus of flowering plants in the iris family.* Watsonia , a botanical journal .* Watsonia, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia....
to take care of the university studies of the Jesuit scholastics as he had before. On 2 February 1942 he was admitted to his final vows as a Jesuit. In 1943 he was appointed to Corpus Christi College, Werribee
Corpus Christi College, Melbourne
Corpus Christi College is the regional seminary of the Roman Catholic dioceses in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia. The seminary is administered by a board of Episcopal Trustees comprising the Archbishops of Melbourne and Hobart, the Bishops of Ballarat, Sandhurst and Sale, and the Auxiliary...
(a seminary for the training of secular priests) near Melbourne to lecture in theology. He filled this position until 1949. In late 1947 temporarily and then permanently in 1950 O'Brien was appointed to Holy Name Seminary
Holy Name Seminary
Holy Name Seminary was a Roman Catholic seminary staffed by the Society of Jesus established in New Zealand for the training of priests. It was first opened in 1947 in Christchurch and closed at the end of 1978.-Establishment:...
in his home town of Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. At that time it was a minor seminary with generally 70-90 secondary school age boys boarding there. By 1959, however, the school aspect had been fazed out and the seminary was teaching Philosophy to men who had finished secondary school and were in training to be ordained as secular priests. The result of the change for O'Brien was that he then became a Philosophy lecturer and set about preparing courses in Logic
Logic
In philosophy, Logic is the formal systematic study of the principles of valid inference and correct reasoning. Logic is used in most intellectual activities, but is studied primarily in the disciplines of philosophy, mathematics, semantics, and computer science...
and Theory of Knowledge and the Philosophy of Being
Being
Being , is an English word used for conceptualizing subjective and objective aspects of reality, including those fundamental to the self —related to and somewhat interchangeable with terms like "existence" and "living".In its objective usage —as in "a being," or "[a] human being" —it...
. Philosophy hitherto had been taught at Holy Name in programs of a traditional Thomist stamp, whether taught directly from the Catholic textbooks known as "manuals", or from private course notes which represented an updated form of the scholastic system. Even in the 1950s, textbooks were still in Latin, with students expected to know enough of the language to make their way through the three-volume "Summula Philosophiae Scholasticae" of J. S. Hickey, or, if this was beyond them, with the simplified "dog Latin" of the "Manuale Philosophiae ad Usum Seminariorum" of Giovanni di Napoli. O'Brien, with his broad interests and education, and his colleagues initiated great changes and he gave Philosophy studies at Holy Name Seminary some standing and "twenty years of clergy owe, if not an appreciation for scholarship at least an acceptance of it to him."