Timothy Radcliffe
Encyclopedia
Timothy Radcliffe, OP is a Catholic
priest
and Dominican
friar
of the English
Province, and former Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001. He is the only member of the English Province of the Dominicans to have held the office since the Order's foundation in 1216.
He entered the Dominican order in 1965, was ordained priest in 1971, and taught Holy Scripture at Oxford University, in the Dominican centre there known as Blackfriars
. He was elected provincial
of England in 1988, then Master of the Dominican Order in 1992. From there he gained an international reputation thanks to his analyses of contemporary society, Christian life, religious life, and the situation of the Catholic Church. Several of his books became best-sellers. The subtlety of his thinking, together with the simplicity and depth of his language, and his strong sense of humor, made him a force to be reckoned with in the Catholic Church.
In 2001, after the expiration of his nine-year mandate as master of the Dominican order, Timothy Radcliffe took a sabbatical year. Starting in 2002 he became again a simple member of the Dominican community of Oxford, and he is now highly sought after speaker, teaching and preaching in many countries. In 2003, Radcliffe was made an honorary Doctor of Divinity in the University of Oxford, the University's highest honorary degree.
He was the 2007 winner of the The Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing, for his book What Is the Point of Being A Christian?
Radcliffe is patron of the International Young Leaders Network and helped to launch the Las Casas Institute on ethics, governance and social justice. These are both projects of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Province, and former Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992-2001. He is the only member of the English Province of the Dominicans to have held the office since the Order's foundation in 1216.
He entered the Dominican order in 1965, was ordained priest in 1971, and taught Holy Scripture at Oxford University, in the Dominican centre there known as Blackfriars
Blackfriars, Oxford
Blackfriars, Oxford houses three distinct institutions: the Priory of the Holy Spirit, the religious house of the friars, whose current prior is John O'Connor OP; Blackfriars Studium, the centre of Theological studies of the English Province of the Dominican Friars ; and Blackfriars...
. He was elected provincial
Provincial
Provincial may refer to:* Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country.* Provincial examinations, a school-leaving exam in British Columbia, Canada* A provincial superior of a religious order...
of England in 1988, then Master of the Dominican Order in 1992. From there he gained an international reputation thanks to his analyses of contemporary society, Christian life, religious life, and the situation of the Catholic Church. Several of his books became best-sellers. The subtlety of his thinking, together with the simplicity and depth of his language, and his strong sense of humor, made him a force to be reckoned with in the Catholic Church.
In 2001, after the expiration of his nine-year mandate as master of the Dominican order, Timothy Radcliffe took a sabbatical year. Starting in 2002 he became again a simple member of the Dominican community of Oxford, and he is now highly sought after speaker, teaching and preaching in many countries. In 2003, Radcliffe was made an honorary Doctor of Divinity in the University of Oxford, the University's highest honorary degree.
He was the 2007 winner of the The Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing, for his book What Is the Point of Being A Christian?
Radcliffe is patron of the International Young Leaders Network and helped to launch the Las Casas Institute on ethics, governance and social justice. These are both projects of Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.
Books
- Sing a New Song. The Christian Vocation. Dublin: Dominican Publications, 1999. ISBN 1871552702
- I Call You Friends. London: Continuum, 2001. ISBN 0826472621
- Seven Last Words. London: Burns & Oates, 2004. ISBN 0860123650
- What Is the Point of Being A Christian?. London and New York: Burns & Oates, 2005. ISBN 0860123693
- Just One Year: Prayer and Worship through the Christian Year, edited by Timothy Radcliffe with Jean Harrison. London: Darton, Longman and Todd for CAFOD and Christian Aid, 2006. ISBN 0232526699
- Why Go to Church? The Drama of the Eucharist London: Continuum, 2008. ISBN 978-0826499561. Archbishop of CanterburyArchbishop of CanterburyThe Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
’s LentLentIn the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
book 2009.