| Description | This collection contains the personal papers of Fr William Peers Smith SJ. The bulk of the collection consists of his spiritual notes including sermons, retreats, and other general notes, alongside his published work, poems and prologues, apostolic certificates, and more. |
| Admin_History | William Peers Smith was born on 3 June 1980 in Wigan, England. He was educated at Mount St Mary’s, and entered the Society on 7 September 1899. He completed his Juniorate at Roehampton, before moving to St Mary’s Hall to study Philosophy in 1903, followed by two years of private study until 1907. He then taught at Mount St Mary’s for three years, before studying Theology at Milltown Park, and was ordained on 3 August 1913.
He undertook his Tertianship at Tullabeg in 1914, and then again taught at Mount St Mary’s from 1915 until 1917, when he was appointed military chaplain and served in France during the First World War. He was demobilised in 1919 and appointed Master of Novices at Manresa and remained in this office until August 1934. He was then a member of parish staff at Bournemouth for 5 years, before becoming Rector at St Wilfred’s, Preston, in 1939. He remained here until 1947 when he joined the church staff at Farm Street, but then returned back to St Wilfred’s as church staff for light duties when his health failed in 1956. He retired to St Beuno’s, Tremeirchion, Wales, the following year, and he died there on Christmas Eve 1968. |