Leslie Audoen Rumble (1892–1975), usually known as "Dr Rumble", an Australian Catholic priest and religious controversialist, was born in Enmore, New South Wales in 1892. His family was mostly

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

but he converted to Catholicism. He was ordained as a priest in the order of the

Missionaries of the Sacred Heart The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC; la, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis; french: Missionnaires du Sacré-Coeur) are a missionary congregation in the Catholic Church. It was founded in 1854 by Servant of God Jules Chevalier (182 ...

in 1924. After gaining a doctorate at the Angelicum University in Rome studying with such teachers as Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, he returned to Australia in 1927 and for many years taught theology at the order's seminary in Kensington, New South Wales. He worked closely with his colleague, philosophy lecturer Dr P. J. Ryan.

Work in radio and print

In 1928 Dr Rumble began a Sunday evening programme on radio-station

2UE 2UE is an all-music radio station in Sydney owned by Nine Entertainment Co and run under a lease agreement by Ace Radio. It currently broadcasts from its studios in Pyrmont, New South Wales. History 1920s 2EU Electrical Utilities applied to the ...

, answering queries about Catholicism. Dr Rumble's 'Question Box' was transferred to the Catholic station 2SM and continued until 1968. It became "the most famous religious program on Australian radio." It answered questions sent in by listeners, often hostile ones from

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. He treated inquirers as honest seekers for the truth and answered in a very logical style "in a voice like worn sandpaper". He criticised the "puritan element" as well as the "Godless secularism" of Australian society. Written versions of his ''Question Box'' program were popular in the United States (where he toured successfully in 1940-41) as well as Australia and were said to have sold seven million copies. During the federal election campaign of 1949 Rumble suggested that the Labor Party was too committed to socialisation for Catholics to vote for. Rumble's views were attacked by Arthur Calwell and

Archbishop Mannix Daniel Patrick Mannix (4 March 1864 – 6 November 1963) was an Irish-born Catholic bishop. Mannix was the Archbishop of Melbourne for 46 years and one of the most influential public figures in 20th-century Australia. Early years and Maynoo ...

. Rumble was unhappy about many of the changes in the Church following the Second Vatican Council. He died in 1975.

Bibliography

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References

External links

''Australian Dictionary of Biography'' article on Rumble

Archive of 6,863 of Dr Rumble's Radio Replies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rumble, Leslie 1892 births 1975 deaths 20th-century Australian Roman Catholic priests Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Australian radio personalities Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas alumni