Edmund O'Reilly

Edmund James O'Reilly (30 April 1811 – 10 November 1878) was an Irish Jesuit Catholic theologian.

Biography

Edmund James O'Reilly was born in London, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on 30 April 1811. He was educated at Clongowes and Maynooth and studied theology for seven years in the Roman College in Rome. He then gained the decree of Doctor of Divinity by a "public act" de iniversa theologia.

O'Reilly was named Professor of Theology at the Catholic University of Ireland Father Peter Jan Beckx, Superior-General of the Society of Jesus, proposed to appoint O'Reilly as Professor of Theology at the Roman College. However, circumstances, which were unrelated to O'Reilly, prevent the appointment. O'Reilly was the Rector of a house of spiritual exercises at Milltown Park near Dublin, and Provincial of Ireland from 1863 to 1870.

At a conference held regarding the philosophical and theological studies in the Society of Jesus, O'Reilly was chosen to represent all the English-speaking "provinces" of the Society (Ireland, England, Maryland, and the other divisions of the United States).

He was constantly consulted on theological questions by the bishops and priests of Ireland. These bishops chose O'Reilly as their theologian: Cardinal Paul Cullen, then Bishop of Armagh, at the Synod of Thurles in 1850; Doctor James Brown, Bishop of Shrewsbury, at the Synod of Shrewsbury; and Doctor Thomas Furlong, Bishop of Ferns and O'Reilly's former colleague as Professor of Theology at Maynooth, at the Synod of Maynooth.

Cardinal John Henry Newman in his famous Letter to the Duke of Norfolk calls O'Reilly "a great authority" and "one of the first theologians of the day".

O'Reilly's chief work was The Relations of the Church to Society.

He died in Dublin on 10 November 1878.