Person DS/UK/1468 Johnson; Donald (1917-1981); Jesuit Priest Johnson Donald 1917-1981 Jesuit Priest Male Born 18 July 1917 Hornsey, Middlesex. Entered the English Province of the Society of Jesus 7 September 1933. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest 29July 1951. Final vows in the Society of Jesus 2 February 1954. Died 13 December 1981 Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

Donald Johnson SJ was born in Hornsey on 18 July 1917, was brought up in the parish of St Ignatius, South Tottenham, and attended St Ignatius’ College in Stamford Hill. He left when he was 16 and went straight to the Noviciate at Manresa. Johnson then did a two-year Juniorate at Roehampton and 1937 started Philosophy, initially at Heythrop then to the Irish scholasticate at Tullamore from 1938-1940. In 1940 he went to Milltown Park and started a university course at University College, Dublin, but after a year was posted to teach at Mungret College, a Jesuit-run school which prepared boys of modest means for seminaries. From 1943-1948 he taught at Mount St Mary’s. Johnson started his theology in 1948, initially at Heythrop and then at Enghein in Belgium,was ordained in 1951 and went on to his tertianship at Paray-le-Monial in France. In 1953 Johnson was appointed to the seminary staff at Chishawasha. He taught mathematics and scripture and was appointed the first Rector at Chishawasha in March 1958. Later that same year he moved to Grahamstown in South Africa and after a short break for the sake of his health was appointed to the staff of St Aidan’s College, where he was soon recognised as an excellent teacher. From 1960 he was Prefect of Studies. In the mid-1960s it was announced that St Aidan’s was to close, and Fr Johnson became religious Superior and Headmaster in the difficult final years of the college. He was relieved of this position before St Aidan’s finally closed in 1973. For a short time Johnson was in Johannesburg directing the activities of the Christian Life Movement, then went to Port Elizabeth to work for the Bishop and was for a brief time the Parish Priest of Bedford. He then moved to be Rector of the African Seminary at Hammanskraal, near Pretoria, but relinquished this position when an African priest was appointed Rector. He returned to Port Elizabeth, was in great demand as a preacher, and was Chaplain for a Catholic boarding school about 20 miles from Port Elizabeth. Johnson’s health had been failing for a few years and suffered a heart attack a few months before he died on 13 December 1981 after a short stay at St Joseph’s hospital in Port Elizabeth. Letters & Notices vol. 85, pp. 77-84 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 12/05/2021 CURIA\mallen 12/05/2021 206887a7-6b0a-4e49-9dcc-99f1f0e0632c