Item 1723 - Fr Philip McInerney SJ

Born: 25 January 1913, Korumburra, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Entered: 12 March 1929, Loyola Greenwich, Australia (HIB)
Ordained: 08 January 1944, Sydney, Australia
Final Vows: 15 August 1946
Died: 21 February 1964, Mahuadanr Hospital, Jharkhand - Ranchiensis Province (RAN)

Part of the Mandar, Daltonganj, Ranchi, Jharkhand, Hazaribag, India community at the time of death

Transcribed HIB to ASL : 05 April 1931; ASL to RAN : 12 March 1956

◆ David Strong SJ “The Australian Dictionary of Jesuit Biography 1848-2015”, 2nd Edition, Halstead Press, Ultimo NSW, Australia, 2017 - ISBN : 9781925043280
Philip Mclnerney was educated at CBC St Kilda and St Patrick's College, East Melbourne, and entered the Society at Loyola College, Greenwich, 12 March 1929. He studied humanities, gaining a BA from the National University in Dublin, 1931-34. Philosophy was at Innsbruck, 1934-37, and he did regency at Xavier College, 1937-40, being second division prefect. He was among the first group of Australian theologians ordained in Australia, 8 January 1944, studying at Canisius College, Pymble. Tertianship at Loyola College, Watsonia, followed.
After tertianship he was prefect of studies at St Patrick's College, 1946-48, and then headmaster at Xavier College, Kostka Hall, 1948-51. He was among the first group of Australian Jesuits to be sent to the Hazaribag Mission in India. He transferred to the Ranchi province on 12 March 1956.
He taught at St Xavier's, Hazarrbag, 1952, and after studying Hindi in 1953, he was vice-rector of St Xavier's, Ranchi, for a year, and superior of the Hazaribag-Palamau district. In 1955 he was the vice-provincial delegate of the same region and parish priest. From 1956-60 he was parish priest of the Catholic Ashram, Hazaribag, and from 1958, president of schools in villages, a regional consulter and president of cases in the district.
In 1961 he was parish priest of Daltonganj, an inaugural parish with four parochial schools. He looked after the station and visited Barwadih, and was still a regional consulter. His last
appointment was parish priest of Mahuadanr. He died in the Mahuadanr hospital.
He was considered to be a man of high principles, all of which he applied to himself. Because he naturally had a land disposition, he manifested a nice combination of steeliness and softness. When there was a conflict of emotions, compassion always won. He had great love for the sick and poor in India, visiting them whatever the time of day or state of the weather. Superiors would have appreciated his rigid spirit of obedience and his charming humility As a teacher of mathematics he was much admired, and he was able to get the best out of his students. His Jesuit colleagues valued his hard work, devotion to duty and encouragement to all when he was establishing the region.