Joseph L. Lilly, C.M. (1893–1952), was an American Vincentian priest and

Scriptural Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

scholar. He was one of the first editors of ''The Vincentian'' in 1923. After his ordination, Lilly pursued

Biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...

. He completed a doctorate in Sacred Theology at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. ''Angelicum'' in Rome. Toward the end of his life, together with James Kleist, S.J., he became involved in a project to provide a more modern translation acceptable for Roman Catholics. This was published in 1956 as the ''Kleist-Lilly'' translation. It never gained widespread acceptance, however, and was later obscured by the translations being produced by

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine Confraternity of Christian Doctrine (CCD) is a catechesis program of the Catholic Church, normally for children. It is also the name of an association that traditionally organises Catholic catechesis, which was established in Rome in 1562. Rel ...

, which culminated in the

New American Bible The New American Bible (NAB) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1970. The 1986 Revised NAB is the basis of the revised Lectionary, and it is the only translation approved for use at Mass in the Latin-rite Catholic dioces ...

in 1970. At the same time, Lilly was teaching Scripture to the high school students at

St. Thomas Seminary St. Thomas Seminary, located in Bloomfield, Connecticut, is a minor seminary for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford. The current rector is the Most Reverend Christie A. Macaluso. History St. Thomas Seminary was founded in 1897 by Bisho ...

, a

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and ...

of the

Archdiocese of Hartford The Archdiocese of Hartford is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven counties in the U.S. State of Connecticut. The archdiocese includes about 470,000 Catholics, more ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. In the final years of his life, Lilly was also involved with the Vincentian Motor Missions. This was an ancient practice of the Vincentians, going back to their founder, St.

Vincent de Paul Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor. In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...

, in which they would form itinerant preaching teams, through which the Vincentians would work to bring the Catholic faith to rural and remote areas, additionally allowing their

seminarian A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

s to hone their preaching skills.

Works

* J. L. Lilly, "The Appearances of the Risen Christ'' - ''Alleged Discrepancies in the Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection'' 1940 p98-111 * The Psalms: a translation and commentary. Author, Joseph L. Lilly. Publisher, St. Thomas seminary, 1941. * J. A. Kleist (Gospels) and J. L. Lilly (Acts and Epistles), The New Testament (Milwaukee, 1956)The American ecclesiastical review p150 Herman Joseph Heuser, Catholic University of America - 1964 "Another version, by James Kleist, SJ, and Joseph Lilly, CM, was admired by some experts. But the general agreement was that these did not eliminate the need for a more representatively American version." * Motor Missions Scripture Questions 1955, posthumous.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lilly, Joseph 1893 births 1952 deaths Vincentians 20th-century American Roman Catholic priests Translators of the Bible into English Roman Catholic biblical scholars 20th-century translators