Mary Twibill Clark (October 23, 1913 – September 1, 2014) was an American Roman Catholic nun,

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

, and civil rights advocate. She was best known as a scholar of the

history of philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

, and was associated especially with

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Af ...

Life

Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, to Francis S. and Regina Holland (née Twibill) Clark, Mary Clark entered the

Society of the Sacred Heart , image = RSCJnuevo.jpg, , image_size = 150px , caption = , abbreviation = Post-nominal letters: RSCJ , formation = , founder = Saint Sr. Madeleine Sophie Barat, R.S.C.J. ...

on June 5, 1939 after graduating

Manhattanville College Manhattanville College is a private university in Purchase, New York. Founded in 1841 at 412 Houston Street in lower Manhattan, it was initially known as Academy of the Sacred Heart, then after 1847 as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart ...

. Much of her life was subsequently spent at the college where she taught philosophy. A

Chair A chair is a type of seat, typically designed for one person and consisting of one or more legs, a flat or slightly angled seat and a back-rest. They may be made of wood, metal, or synthetic materials, and may be padded or upholstered in vario ...

Christian Philosophy Christian philosophy includes all philosophy carried out by Christians, or in relation to the religion of Christianity. Christian philosophy emerged with the aim of reconciling science and faith, starting from natural rational explanations wit ...

at the College, from which she retired in 2011, bears her name. She served as the President of the

American Catholic Philosophical Association The American Catholic Philosophical Association (ACPA) is an organization of Catholic philosophers established in 1926 to promote the advancement of philosophy as an intellectual discipline consonant with Catholic tradition. Among the means used t ...

in 1977, of the

Metaphysical Society of America The Metaphysical Society of America (MSA) is a philosophical organization founded by Paul Weiss in 1950. As stated in its constitution, "The purpose of the Metaphysical Society of America is the study of reality." The society is a member of the ...

, and of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy. Clark served on the Executive Committee of the Eastern Division of the

American Philosophical Association The American Philosophical Association (APA) is the main professional organization for philosophers in the United States. Founded in 1900, its mission is to promote the exchange of ideas among philosophers, to encourage creative and scholarly ...

, and towards the end of her life as a visiting academic at

Ralston College Ralston College is an institution of higher education that offers in-person degree programs as well as online programs. It began its first in-person offering, an MA in the Humanities, in autumn of 2022 with the authority to grant degrees. Its first ...

. Clark was among the original Editorial Advisors of the scholarly journal ''Dionysius'', to which she contributed a discussion of the relevance of

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

's theology of the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

, and was in addition a member of the Board of Editorial Consultants of the Personalist Forum. Over the years, she also taught as a visiting professor at

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, Fordham, Villanova, Fairfield, and Marquette universities. During the 1960s she led the Social Action Secretariat of the National Federation of Catholic College Students, which "initiated action, created literature, and hosted events during the civil rights era".

Works

Her books include ''Augustine'', ''An Aquinas Reader'', ''Augustine: Philosopher of Freedom'' (with

Vernon J. Bourke Vernon Joseph Bourke (1907–1998) was a Canadian-born American Thomist philosopher and professor at Saint Louis University. His area of expertise was ethics, and especially the moral philosophy of Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas. Early l ...

), ''Logic: a Practical Approach'' (with Helen Casey), ''Augustinian Personalism'', ''Discrimination Today: Guidelines for Civic Action'', ''Augustine of Hippo: Selected Writings'', and ''The Problem of Freedom''. She also contributed a chapter on Augustine's ''

De Trinitate ''On the Trinity'' ( la, De Trinitate) is a Latin book written by Augustine of Hippo to discuss the Trinity in context of the logos. Although not as well known as some of his other works, some scholars have seen it as his masterpiece, of more do ...

'' to ''The Cambridge Companion to Augustine'' and translated the ''Theological Treatises on the Trinity of

Marius Victorinus Gaius Marius Victorinus (also known as Victorinus Afer; fl. 4th century) was a Roman grammarian, rhetorician and Neoplatonic philosopher. Victorinus was African by birth and experienced the height of his career during the reign of Constantius II. H ...

''.

Death

Sister Mary Clark died on September 1, 2014, aged 100. She was predeceased by her siblings, Rev. James D. Clark, George A. Clark, and Regina (Mrs. James P.) McGraney.Obituary
legacy.com; accessed March 5, 2015.

References

External links

Mary T. Clark on the ''De Trinitate'' of Augustine
bc.edu; accessed March 5, 2015. *
The Synthesis Tradition
books.google.com; accessed March 5, 2015.
Neoplatonism and Christian Thought
sunypress.edu; accessed March 5, 2015.
Personalism Revisited
rodopi.nl; accessed March 5, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Mary T. 1913 births 2014 deaths American centenarians American civil rights activists Women civil rights activists American philosophy academics 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns Manhattanville College alumni Manhattanville College faculty Fordham University alumni Presidents of the Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy Presidents of the Metaphysical Society of America Activists from Philadelphia Place of death missing Educators from Philadelphia Women centenarians American women academics 21st-century American Roman Catholic nuns