Person DS/UK/1452 Sharp; William (1894-1975); Jesuit Priest Sharp William 1894-1975 Jesuit Priest Male Born 4 May 1894, Manchester. Entered the English Province of the Society of Jesus 7 September 1912. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest 31 July 1926. Final vows in the Society of Jesus 2 February 1930. Died 4 November 1975, Denbigh.

Fr William Sharp was born in Manchester 4 May 1894, was educated there by the Xaverian Brothers and later went to Mount St Mary’s College. He entered the noviceship at Roehampton 7 September 1912, studied philosophy at St Mary’s Hall, taught as a scholastic at St Francis Xavier’s College, Liverpool, the Mount and St John’s, studied theology at St Beuno’s, and was ordained 31 July 1926. After his fourth year theology at Heythrop, Oxfordshire, and tertianship at St Beuno’s, he taught for a year at Wimbledon, served on the parish staff at Leeds (1930-37), and then at St Helens until 1941 when he joined the RAF as chaplain. From 1944 to 1954 he served as ‘Excurrens’ from Manresa, Bourton Hall and Harborne. He had taken his final vows 2 February 1930. From 1954 to 1955 Fr Sharp was on the parish staff at St Walburge’s, Preston, and then at Accrington, 1955 to 1957. He then became a well-known retreat giver at Sunderland (1957-58) and Harborne (1958-71). Some years before Fr Sharp finally retired, he began to suffer from arthritis which finally made him immobile. When he could no longer go out he was visited by several friends who shared his love of chess. By the time he moved to St Gabriel’s he had become very slow, and gradually had to give up taking on any jobs outside the house. In 1971 Fr Sharp moved to Petworth from where he went to St Beuno’s in 1972. During his three year stay there he gradually became less mobile and in the end could rarely attend Mass and was finally confined to his room. Fr Sharp spent the last four weeks of his life in hospital at Denbigh. He was moved there 1 October, when it became clear that he needed more specialised treatment than could be given at St Beuno’s. He died there 4 November 1975. The Requiem Mass was concelebrated at St Beuno’s 7 November with Fr Francis Sharp presiding, and the burial took place afterwards. Letters and Notices vol. 81, pp. 142-148 International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes CURIA\mallen 07/05/2021 CURIA\mallen 07/05/2021 954fa445-2828-4c59-96d8-368b4938921d