Michael Nolan (30 November 1925 – 14 December 2009) was an Irish

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the Holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in layman's terms ''priest'' refers only ...

and

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how indi ...

Early training as priest

John Robert Michael Nolan was born in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

in 1925. He attended St. Vincent's C.B.S. school in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and then transferred to the

Holy Cross College (Dublin) Holy Cross College (also known as Clonliffe College), located in Clonliffe Road, Drumcondra was founded in 1854 as the Catholic diocesan seminary for Dublin by Paul Cullen (cardinal), Cardinal Paul Cullen. History The College was founded in 18 ...

(1944-1947) to train for the priesthood. He completed his studies in the

Pontifical Irish College The Pontifical Irish College is a Roman Catholic seminary for the training and education of priests, in Rome. The College is located at #1, Via dei Santi Quattro, and serves as a residence for clerical students from all over the world. Designated ...

and was ordained as a priest in the

Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran The Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and of Saints John the Baptist and John the Evangelist in the Lateran ( it, Arcibasilica del Santissimo Salvatore e dei Santi Giovanni Battista ed Evangelista in Laterano), also known as the Papa ...

, Rome by Cardinal Clemente Micara on 10 March 1951. His first appointment was as Chaplain to the Sacred Heart Convent, Mount Anville (1951 – 52). He returned to St. Vincent's C.B.S. school for a short period before being appointed Assistant Priest to Coolock (1952 – 1954). From 1954 – 1956 he undertook further studies in the Teutonic College, Rome. He was an advisor to the

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

and also the exorcist for the diocese. On his retirement in 1990, he was conferred with the title

Monsignor Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...

Work as a psychologist

In 1956, on his return to Ireland he was appointed lecturer in

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

(1956 – 1957) before going to the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

(1957 – 1959) from which he obtained First Class degree in Psychology. He returned to teaching at

. From 1976 to 1980 he was President of the Mater Dei Institute of Education. In 1984, he was appointed Professor of Logic and Psychology at

, succeeding Eamonn O’Doherty. He retired in 1990 and was succeeded by Noel Sheehy. Nolan was a founding member of the Psychological Society of Ireland which was established in 1970. He was elected President of the Society in 1973. After his retirement he was Honorary Secretary of the UCD Retired Staff Association: Maurice Kennedy Research Centre. He died 14 December 2009.

Heritage

The School of Psychology at University College Dublin annually awards the ''Michael Nolan Medal'' for best final year project submitted by a student in the BSc Psychology programme.

Some publications

* Nolan, M. (1993). Church, State and Theology in the European Community. * Nolan, M. (1997). The myth of soulless women. First Things * Nolan, M. (1998). What Aquinas never said about women. First Things. * Nolan, M. (2006). Do women have souls?

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Michael 1925 births 2009 deaths Alumni of Clonliffe College Pontifical Irish College alumni Alumni of the University of Cambridge Academics of University College Dublin 20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish psychologists 20th-century psychologists