| Admin_History | Martin Cyril D'Arcy was born in Bath on 15 June 1888, the fourth and youngest son of a barrister, Martin Valentine D'Arcy and Madoline Mary Keegan. He attended school at Stonyhurst and went from there to the noviceship in Roehampton on 7 September 1906. From there he moved to St Mary's Hall, Stonyhurst, for philosophy in 1909 and in 1912 joined some scholastics at Pope's Hall (later Campion Hall) in Oxford, where he read the classical course Literae Humaniores. He gained a First in his final examination in Ancient History and Philosophy, after having received a Second in Classical Moderations. He also won several prizes: the Charles Oldham Prize (while still at Oxford University), John Locke Scholarship (1918) and the Green Moral Philosophy Prize (1923).
After leaving Oxford in 1916 he went to teach at Stonyhurst.
He began his theological studies with the exiled French Jesuits at Hastings in 1919 and completed the training at St Beuno's, where he was ordained in 1921. From 1923-4 he was teaching at Stonyhurst. Following which he did his tertianship at Tullamore, Ireland 1924-5. In 1925 he was sent to the Gregorian University, Rome, to do doctoral work in philosophy in preparation to teach this subject to Jesuit students at Heythrop. In 1926 he continued his studies at Mount Street, London.
He was solemnly professed on 2 February 1926.
In 1927, he returned to Oxford and began lecturing in philosophy as a member of the Faculty of Literae Humaniores. In the 1930s, he taught 'the Philosophy of Religion' in the Catholic Workers College (later known as Plater College).
In 1933, he succeeded Fr Vignaux as Master of the Hall and persuaded Edwin Lutyens to draw up plans for a new site in Brewer Street, which opened in 1935. He contributed to the artistic beauty of the hall by his collection of works of sacred art (the famous objets D'Arcy).
In 1936, he went on the first of many visits to USA, to which he made almost annual trips subsequently. During these he lectured at various universities there including Fordham, Princeton, Columbia, Georgetown, Boston College and Loyola University, Chicago (where the Art gallery is named after him), and he received several honorary doctorates.
In 1945, he took up the post of Provincial of the English Province and attended the General Congregation of 1946. His Provincial term ended in 1950 and he was succeeded by Fr Edward Helsham on 14 February 1950.
In 1953, he made a trip to Japan.
D'Arcy celebrated his golden jubilee of priesthood on 25 September 1971.
He died in the hospital of SS John and Elizabeth in London on 20 November 1976 having gone in on 20 September for the third time that year. His requiem was celebrated in Farm St Church on 29 November and he was buried at Kensal Green. A second requiem was celebrated later in Oxford at the University Chaplaincy. |