Wikipedia

Ralph McInerny

Ralph Matthew McInerny (February 24, 1929 – January 29, 2010)[1] was an American author and philosophy professor at the University of Notre Dame. McInerny's most popular mystery novels featured Father Dowling,[2] and was later adapted into the Father Dowling Mysteries television show, which ran from 1987 to 1991.

Ralph McInerny
BornRalph Matthew McInerny
(1929-02-24)February 24, 1929
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
DiedJanuary 29, 2010(2010-01-29) (aged 80)
Mishawaka, Indiana, U.S.
Resting placeCedar Grove Cemetery, Notre Dame, Indiana.
Pen nameHarry Austin, Matthew FitzRalph, Ernan Mackey, Edward Mackin, Monica Quill
OccupationReligious scholar, author
Notable worksFather Dowling mysteries
Spouse
Constance Kunert
​
(m. 1953)​
Children7

He sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms of Harry Austin, Matthew FitzRalph, Ernan Mackey, Edward Mackin and Monica Quill.[2]

Academic career

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McInerny wrote his PhD dissertation entitled The Existential Dialectic of Soren Kierkegaard under Professor Charles De Koninck at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

He was Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Jacques Maritain Center, and Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He taught there from 1955 until his retirement in 2009.[2]

McInerny was also a Fulbright Scholar, receiving educational funds from the Fulbright Commission Belgium. He served as president of the Metaphysical Society of America in 1993.[3][4]

McInerny's brother Dennis, also a philosophy professor, believes that his brother's greatest legacy is not to be found in his novels, but in his adherence to scholastic and Thomistic beliefs.[5]

Personal life

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McInerny was a Catholic.[6] He attended Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary for high school.[7] He married the former Constance Kunert January 3, 1953, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She preceded him in death on May 18, 2002. The McInernys had four daughters and three sons, one of whom, Michael, predeceased Ralph.[8]

McInerny died of esophageal cancer on January 29, 2010.[9] Those daughters who survived him were: Cathleen Brownell of North Barrington, IL, Mary Hosford of Baltimore, MD, Anne Policinski of Wayzata, MN, and Beth McInerny of St. Paul. MN. The surviving sons were David of Overland Park, KS and Daniel of Waco, TX.[8]

Bibliography

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Fiction

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Father Dowling

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Sister Mary Teresa (all as Monica Quill)

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Andrew Broom

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Notre Dame

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Rosary Chronicles

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Other novels

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Collections

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Poetry

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Anthologies edited

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Non-fiction

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Philosophy and theology

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Biography

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Instruction

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Weber, Bruce (February 16, 2010). "Ralph McInerny, Scholar and Mystery Novelist, Dies at 80". The New York Times. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c McLellan, Dennis (February 7, 2010). "Ralph McInerny dies at 80; Notre Dame scholar wrote Father Dowling novels". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
  3. ^ "Biography of Ralph McInerny". Notre Dame. Archived from the original on August 18, 2005.
  4. ^ McInerny, Ralph (March 23, 2009). "Is Obama Worth a Mass?". The Catholic Thing. Archived from the original on January 1, 2010.
  5. ^ "Remembering Ralph McInerny". National Catholic Register. January 30, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "Obituary". The New York Times. February 16, 2010.
  7. ^ Sonnen, John Paul (July 20, 2022). "The 100th Anniversary of the "Our Lady of the Annunciation" Chapel at Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary". Liturgical Arts Journal. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Memorial page for Ralph McInerny". Palmer Funeral Home. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  9. ^ Bottum, Joseph (January 29, 2010). "Ralph McInerny (1929–2010)". First Things. Archived from the original on February 4, 2010.
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