Ignatius Rice
Encyclopedia
William Ignatius Rice known in religion as Dom Ignatius Rice, O.S.B., was an English Benedictine
monk of Douai Abbey
, a headmaster of Douai School
(1915–1952), and a first-class cricket
er. He was reputedly "the only monk whose cricket performances were reported by Wisden
".
In 1917-1918 Dom Ignatius served as a military chaplain on the Western Front
.
During his 37 years as headmaster, he was an important influence on the development of Douai School, re-established in England in 1903, seeing it into the Headmasters' Conference in 1920. In the 1930s David Matthew, later Apostolic Delegate for Africa, congratulated him on the fact that: "no Catholic school has been so free from the influence of Arnold of Rugby
as Douai has been."
He was a close friend of G. K. Chesterton
for over thirty years, being one of four priests mentioned by Chesterton's biographer, Maisie Ward
, as "especially intimate" with him (the other three being Ronald Knox
, Vincent McNabb
, and John O'Connor
).
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk of Douai Abbey
Douai Abbey
Douai Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey at Woolhampton, near Thatcham, in the English county of Berkshire, situated within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth. Monks from the monastery of St. Edmund's, in Douai, France, came to Woolhampton in 1903 when the community left France as a result of...
, a headmaster of Douai School
Douai School
Douai School was the public school that was run by the Douai Abbey Benedictine community at Woolhampton, England, until it closed in 1999.- History :...
(1915–1952), and a first-class cricket
First-class cricket
First-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
er. He was reputedly "the only monk whose cricket performances were reported by Wisden
Wisden
The Wisden Group was a group of companies formed by John Wisden & Co Ltd, publishers of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack. As well as John Wisden & Co, the group included the The Wisden Cricketer magazine, Cricinfo – the world's highest traffic cricket website – and the Hawk-Eye computerised...
".
In 1917-1918 Dom Ignatius served as a military chaplain on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
.
During his 37 years as headmaster, he was an important influence on the development of Douai School, re-established in England in 1903, seeing it into the Headmasters' Conference in 1920. In the 1930s David Matthew, later Apostolic Delegate for Africa, congratulated him on the fact that: "no Catholic school has been so free from the influence of Arnold of Rugby
Thomas Arnold
Dr Thomas Arnold was a British educator and historian. Arnold was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement...
as Douai has been."
He was a close friend of G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton
Gilbert Keith Chesterton, KC*SG was an English writer. His prolific and diverse output included philosophy, ontology, poetry, plays, journalism, public lectures and debates, literary and art criticism, biography, Christian apologetics, and fiction, including fantasy and detective fiction....
for over thirty years, being one of four priests mentioned by Chesterton's biographer, Maisie Ward
Maisie Ward
Maisie Ward , scion of one of Britain's distinguished Catholic families, was a writer, publisher, and speaker.-Life:Famous in her day as one of the names behind the imprint Sheed & Ward and as a forceful public lecturer in the Catholic Evidence Guild, her reputation has dimmed in subsequent decades...
, as "especially intimate" with him (the other three being Ronald Knox
Ronald Knox
Ronald Arbuthnott Knox was an English priest, theologian and writer.-Life:Ronald Knox was born in Kibworth, Leicestershire, England into an Anglican family and was educated at Eton College, where he took the first scholarship in 1900 and Balliol College, Oxford, where again...
, Vincent McNabb
Vincent McNabb
Vincent McNabb, O.P. was an Irish scholar and priest, based in London, active in evangelisation and apologetics.-Early life:...
, and John O'Connor
Father John O'Connor
Father John O'Connor , a Roman Catholic parish priest in Bradford, Yorkshire, was the basis of G. K. Chesterton's fictional detective Father Brown. O'Connor was instrumental in Chesterton's conversion to Roman Catholicism in 1922...
).
External links
- Statistical summary from CricketArchiveCricketArchiveCricketArchive is a website that aims to provide a comprehensive archive of records relating to the sport of cricket. It claims to be the most comprehensive cricket database on the internet, including scorecards for all matches of first-class cricket , List A cricket , Women's Test cricket and...
- Obituary in Wisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' AlmanackWisden Cricketers' Almanack is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom...
(1956)