| Admin_History | Fr Leonard Boase SJ was born in Guyana 20 September 1902 and lived in St Lucia and Guyana until the age of 11 when he went to school at Mount St Mary’s (1913-1921). His two older brothers and younger brother (Fr Sydney Boase SJ) also attended the school. After leaving Mount St Mary’s he took a two year course in journalism at University College London before entering the novitiate at Manresa on 7 September 1923 where he made his first vows on 8th September 1925. He spent his second and third year of Philosophy at Heythrop (1926-7) following which he read English language and literature at Campion Hall, Oxford where he was awarded a 1st in 1931 (M.A. Oxon 1935). He then taught at Beaumont (1931-2), studied Theology at Heythrop (1933-5) and was ordained at Heythrop on 9 September 1936. In 1938, after Tertianship, Fr Boase joined the teaching staff at St Ignatius College, Stamford Hill (during the war years the school was evacuated to Welwyn Garden City and then Hemel Hempstead) and made his final vows on 2 February 1941. He spent one year at Manresa as Scriptor (1946-7) and then moved to Wimbledon where he was National Director of Apostleship of Prayer and Editor of the “Messenger of the Sacred Heart” and in 1962 was installed Rector and Parish Priest. From 1969 he devoted his life to giving retreats and spiritual direction and wrote a book entitled “Prayer in Faith”. Fr Boase died at Nazareth House, London on 25 April 1983. |