From the "Catholic Who's Who & Year Book 1915" - excerpts from: "The Catholic Year" (January to November 1914: January - Concluding Post #2)

St John the Evangelist by Paolo Veronese (sacristy of San Sebastiano, Venice -
one of four ceiling depictions of the Evangelists); shown here in memory of His Grace,
the Most Rev. John McIntyre D.D. (d. 1935) second Archbishop of Birmingham
(as featured in the post below) whose commentary on the Gospel of St John is
a forgotten true treasure of the early C20th English and Welsh Catholic Church   

Continuing our series of excerpts from the Catholic Who's Who & Year Book 1915; specifically to finalise our two-part reproduction of the retrospective entry for the month of January 1914 in the section of the publication entitled "The Catholic Year".

We hope to complete reproduction of the entries for the remaining months of 1914 prior to the end of 2015.

As per previous posts in this series, we have sought to offer – via links and other references – as much background information to the transcribed entries (provided verbatim) as we can.

This has been especially so – and most satisfyingly, too – in this instalment regarding the joyful research of the memory of His Grace, Most Rev. John McIntyre D.D., (1855-1935), the second Archbishop of Birmingham (1921-28) who the reader will soon recognise as a true giant of the Church in England and Wales in the early 20th century and the very late years of the 19th.

Alas we were unable to locate an image for His Grace (we would be grateful if any of our readers – we've gained a fair few! – could point us in the direction of one). However, as shown, we have very aptly illustrated this post with an artistic depiction of St John the Evangelist, for among Dr McIntyre's canon of superior writings, his magnum opus was surely his Commentary on the Gospel of St John (which we link to below).

As to why we are reproducing these entries: see here

Without further delay, then, we start the short but magnificently rich remainder of the Year Book entry recounting January 1914 (the first entry for that month can be found here):

From the "Catholic Who's Who & Year Book 1915" - editor's "Preface", by Sir Francis Cowley Burnand

Continuing our series of excerpts from the century-old Year Book and to specifically complement our earlier posts (here and here) with pointed reference to the unfolding early events of World War I.

Some brief notes:

- A future post will deal more expansively with the passing in 1914, as remarked upon below by Sir Francis, of Mgr Robert Hugh Benson, the priestly author, whose considerable literary legacy is still widely appreciated today, not least through the strong impression that at least one of his works (Lord of the World) has made upon both the reigning pontiff, His Holiness Pope Francis, and his predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

- We would also draw attention to the editor's reference to this "most troublous time" in connection, clearly, with the outbreak of World War I in the latter part of that year, a comment of his which informed our earlier post, concerning the surely tasking final months of the production period of the 1915 Year Book. Again, what Sir Francis and Co. achieved in those final stages of 1914, when producing the 1915 volume, should not go unrecognised - even a century later. For who knows how many fallen souls from the early weeks of World War I benefited from the prayers directly prompted by having their names listed in the 1915 Year Book so shortly after their deaths!

Let it continue to be so. And let us continue to pray for – and indeed to, as the case may be! – the souls of all those who are duly name-checked below.

Requiescant in pace.

From the "Catholic Who's Who & Year Book 1915" - full list of the "Roll of Honour" (56 names); (Deaths, Aug. 23 - Nov. 26, 1914)

The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue du Bois by Fortunino Matania depicting Fr Francis Gleeson, British Army Chaplain (mounted, foreground) on the eve of the Battle of Aubers Ridge, May 1915.

We had hoped to publish this list in January. Better late than never, of course, especially concerning prayers for the lost souls of World War I in these commemorative centenary years.

As already adverted to, Liverpolitanus, as well as being a monitor of events in the Archdiocese of Liverpool, England – particularly concerning the local cause of the restoration of Catholic Tradition and the struggle against the rampant Modernism blighting this part of one of the true original heartlands of English Catholicism – is a blog that will be rich on Catholic history (we have some great and rare resources readily available to draw upon).

One such jewel is our collection of volumes of the "Catholic Who's Who and Year Book".