Vincent McNabb, O.P. (8 July 1868 – 17 June 1943) was an

Irish Catholic Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...

scholar and Dominican priest based in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, active in evangelisation and

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

Early life

McNabb was born in

Portaferry Portaferry () is a small town in County Down, Northern Ireland, at the southern end of the Ards Peninsula, near the Narrows at the entrance to Strangford Lough. It is home to the Exploris aquarium and is well known for the annual Gala Week Flo ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the tenth of eleven children. He was educated during his schooldays at the

diocesan In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

seminary 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, ...

St. Malachy's College St Malachy's College, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is the oldest Catholic diocesan college in Ulster. The college's alumni and students are known as Malachians. History The college, founded by Bishop William Crolly, opened on the feast of Sa ...

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

. On 10 November 1885 he joined the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

of the English Dominicans at

Woodchester Woodchester is a Gloucestershire village in the Nailsworth (or Woodchester) Valley, a valley in the South Cotswolds in England, running southwards from Stroud along the A46 road to Nailsworth. The parish population taken at the 2011 census was ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and was ordained in 1891. After studies at the

University of Louvain A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, where he obtained in 1894 the degree of

Licentiate of Sacred Theology Licentiate in Sacred Theology ( la, Sacrae Theologiae Licentiatus; abbreviated STL) is the second of three ecclesiastical degrees in theology (the first being the Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology and the third being the Doctorate in Sacred Theol ...

, he was sent to England where he served for the remainder of his life.

Career

Fr. McNabb was a member of the Dominican order for 58 years and served as professor of philosophy at

Hawkesyard Priory Hawkesyard Priory was a Dominican priory off Armitage Lane Brereton, Rugeley, Staffordshire, England, built between 1896 and 1914 which included the Roman Catholic Priory Church of St Thomas. History Spode House Originally named "Hawksyard", in ...

, prior at Woodchester, parish priest at St. Dominic's Priory, and prior and librarian at Holy Cross Priory, Leicester, as well as in various other official capacities for his Dominican province. In 1913 he visited the United States, to preach and lecture in New York. McNabb was a frequent contributor to ''

Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to: England * Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol * Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent * Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...

'', the Dominican literary monthly published in Oxford. In 1919

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

awarded McNabb with a medal of the Order of the Crown for his efforts on behalf of Belgium war relief. Between 1929 and 1934, he lectured on the ''

Summa Theologica The ''Summa Theologiae'' or ''Summa Theologica'' (), often referred to simply as the ''Summa'', is the best-known work of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), a scholasticism, scholastic theologian and Doctor of the Church. It is a compendium of all ...

'' of

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest who was an influential philosopher, theologian and jurist in the tradition of scholasticism; he is known ...

under the auspices of the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

External Lectures scheme. Tens of thousands of people heard him preach in

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

for the

Catholic Evidence Guild The Catholic Evidence Guild is a loose international association of Roman Catholic lay volunteers which seeks to research and present clear and compelling explanations of the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. Their objective is to address inco ...

, where he took on challengers—Protestants, atheists, and freethinkers—before vast crowds every Sunday, or heard him debate intellectuals including

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

in the city's theaters and conference halls on the social issues of the day. Fr. McNabb was described as a 13th-century monk living in 20th-century London, pursuing such tasks as reading the

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

(and taking notes on it) in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, reading the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...

(and quoting from it) in

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

, and reading the works of St. Thomas Aquinas (and writing his reflections on them) in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

. Throughout his life, Fr. McNabb had little to call his own, except his

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

, his

breviary A breviary (Latin: ''breviarium'') is a liturgical book used in Christianity for praying the canonical hours, usually recited at seven fixed prayer times. Historically, different breviaries were used in the various parts of Christendom, such a ...

, and his copy of the ''Summa Theologica''. FrMcNabbGrave

Fr. McNabb was among the early Catholic ecumenists, seeking in particular to promote reunion between the Catholic Church and the

Anglicans 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 the l ...

. Towards the end of his life, he wrote, "God knows how much I have striven and prayed to mend the shattered unity of Christendom." As a young priest, he came under the influence of the convert-bishop William Robert Brownlow, who, after his reception into the Catholic Church by

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English theologian, academic, intellectual, philosopher, polymath, historian, writer, scholar and poet, first as an Anglican ministry, Anglican priest and later as a Catholi ...

, not only kept many Anglican friendships but made others among Nonconformists. Brownlow was the author of a work breathing a strong ecumenical spirit titled ''Catholics and Nonconformists: or Dialogues on Conversion'' (1898). McNabb regarded him as one of his "masters and heroes" and wrote his biography. While prior at Woodchester, McNabb was in correspondence with Anglicans on both sides of the Atlantic. He was host to his

Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...

neighbour, the Rev. Spencer Jones, rector of

Moreton-in-Marsh Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town in the Evenlode Valley, within the Cotswolds district and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England. The town stands at the crossroads of the Fosse Way Roman road (now the A429) and the ...

, leading

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...

and author of ''England and the Holy See: An Essay Towards Reunion'' (1902). He also contributed to the early issues of ''The Lamp'', a paper edited by Fr.

Paul Wattson Lewis Thomas Wattson, SA, better known as Father Paul Wattson (January 16, 1863 - February 8, 1940), was an American priest who co-founded the Society of the Atonement and the Christian Unity Octave in The Episcopal Church. He was later receiv ...

, who, after becoming a Catholic, was to promote the Unity Octave through it for almost half a century. McNabb's lifelong interest in ecumenism culminated in his book ''The Church and Reunion'' (1937), published six years before his death. McNabb sought also to promote a vision of social justice inspired by St. Thomas and by

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-old ...

's ''

Rerum novarum ''Rerum novarum'' (from its incipit, with the direct translation of the Latin meaning "of revolutionary change"), or ''Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor'', is an encyclical issued by Pope Leo XIII on 15 May 1891. It is an open letter, pass ...

'', which called upon ''"every minister of holy religion... to bring to the struggle broad_distribution_of_property.html" ;"title="distributism">broad distribution of property">distributism">broad distribution of propertythe full energy of his mind and all his powers of endurance"'', as well as to shore up both faith and reason against the threat of

modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

Death

He died at St. Dominic's Parish,

and was buried in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery,

Kensal Green Kensal Green is an area in north-west London. It lies mainly in the London Borough of Brent, with a small part to the south within Kensington and Chelsea. Kensal Green is located on the Harrow Road, about miles from Charing Cross. To the w ...

, London.

Quotes about Fr. McNabb

Works

*''Bishop Brownlow (1830–1901)''. Catholic Truth Society (1902) *''Where Believers May Doubt: or Studies in Biblical Inspiration and Other Problems of Faith''. Burns and Oates (1903) *''Oxford Conferences on Prayer''. Kegan Paul (1903) *''Oxford Conferences on Faith''. Kegan Paul (1905) *''Infallibility''. Longmans Green (1905) *''Our Reasonable Service: An Essay on the Understanding of the Deep Things of God''. Burns and Oates (1912) *''The Children's Hour of Heaven on Earth''. P.J. Kenedy (1914) *''Europe's Ewe-Lamb and Other Essays on the Great War''. R & T Washbourne (1916) *''The Doctrinal Witness of the Fourth Gospel''. Catholic Truth Society pamphlet (1922) *''From a Friar's Cell''. P.J. Kenedy (1923) *''The Mysticism of St. Thomas''. Basil Blackwell (1924) *''The Church and the Land''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1926) *''The Catholic Church and Philosophy'' (with an introduction by

Hilaire Belloc Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc (, ; 27 July 187016 July 1953) was a Franco-English writer and historian of the early twentieth century. Belloc was also an orator, poet, sailor, satirist, writer of letters, soldier, and political activist. H ...

). Burns Oates and Washbourne (1927) *''The New Testament Witness to St. Peter''.

Sheed and Ward Sheed and Ward was a publishing house founded in London in 1926 by Catholic activists Frank Sheed and Maisie Ward. The head office was moved to New York in 1933. The United States assets of Sheed and Ward have been owned by Rowman & Littlefield ...

(1928) *''St. Thomas Aquinas and Law'' (pamphlet). Blackfriars (1929) *''Thoughts Twice-Dyed''. Sheed and Ward (1930) *''The New Testament Witness to Our Blessed Lady''. Sheed and Ward (1930) *''God's Book and Other Poems''. St. Dominic's Press (1931) *''Nazareth or Social Chaos''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1933) *''Geoffrey Chaucer: A Study in His Genius and Ethics''. St. Dominic's Press (1934) *''The Wayside: A Priest's Gleanings''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1934) *''The Craft of Prayer''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1935) *''St. John Fisher''. Sheed and Ward (1935) *''Francis Thompson and Other Essays'' (with an introduction by G. K. Chesterton). St. Dominic's Press (1935) *''The Science of Prayer'' (A Revised Edition of ''Oxford Conferences on Prayer''). St. Dominic's Press (1936) *''The Craft of Suffering: Verbatim Notes of Instruction on Suffering Given During Retreats at the

Cenacle The Cenacle (from the Latin , "dining room"), also known as the Upper Room (from the Koine Greek and , both meaning "upper room"), is a room in Mount Zion in Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls, traditionally held to be the site of th ...

Convents 1930–1935''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1936) *''God's Way of Mercy: Verbatim Notes of Retreat Instructions''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1936) *''Frontiers of Faith and Reason''. Sheed and Ward (1937) *''God's Good Cheer''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1937) *''St. Elizabeth of Portugal''. Sheed and Ward (1937) *''The Church and Reunion: Some Thoughts on Christian Reunion''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1937) *''In Our Valley: Notes of Retreat Instructions''. Burns Oates and Washbourne. (1938) *''A Life of Jesus Christ Our Lord''. Sheed and Ward (1938) *''Joy in Believing''. Burnes Oates and Washbourne (1939) *''Mary of Nazareth''. P.J. Kenedy (1939) *''St. Mary Magdalen''. Burnes Oates and Washbourne (1940) *''Eleven, Thank God! Memories of a Catholic Mother''. Sheed and Ward (1940) *''Confession to a Priest''. Catholic Truth Society pamphlet (1941) *''Some Mysteries of Jesus Christ''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1941) *''Catholics and Nonconformists''. Catholic Truth Society pamphlet (1942) *''Old Principles and the New Order''. Sheed and Ward (1942) *''Did Jesus Christ Rise from the Dead?'' Catholic Truth Society pamphlet (1943) *''An Old Apostle Speaks'' (with a memoir by Fr.

Gerald Vann Gerald Vann, O.P. (24 August 1906 - 14 July 1963) was a British Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher. He was born in St Mary Cray, Kent. He joined the Dominican Order in 1923 and was ordained a priest in 1929. Vann obtained a doctorate in ...

, O.P.). Blackfriars (1946) *''Faith and Prayer''. Blackfriars (1953) *''A Father McNabb Reader''. P.J. Kenedy (1954) *''The Prayers of Fr. McNabb'' (pamphlet). Newman Press (1955) *''A Vincent McNabb Anthology: Selections from the Writings of Vincent McNabb, O.P.'' Blackfriars (1955) *''Stars of Comfort: Retreat Conferences''. Burns Oates and Washbourne (1957) *''Meditations on St. John''. Aquin Press (1962)

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * * * *

External links

The Vincent McNabb Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:McNabb, Vincent 1868 births 1943 deaths People from Portaferry Academics of the University of London 20th-century English Roman Catholic priests 19th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests Irish Dominicans Roman Catholic writers Burials at St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green Distributism People educated at St Malachy's College English Dominicans Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) alumni