Denis Hurley

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This article is about the South African clergyman. For the American politician see Denis M. Hurley For the Irish journalist see Denis G. Hurley.

Denis Eugene Hurley (9th November 1915 - 13th February 2004) was born in Cape Town, spending his early years on Robben Island where his father was the lighthouse keeper. He joined the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1931 and in the following year was sent to Ireland for his novitiate. In 1933, he was sent to the Angelicum University (now known as Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome to study philosophy and theology. He received the degree Licentiate of Philosophy from the Angelicum in 1936 and started studying at the Gregorian University.

Hurley was ordained as a priest in Rome on 9th July 1939 and was awarded his license in Theology in 1940. Thereafter, he was appointed curate at Emmanuel Cathedral in Durban where he stayed until 1943 when he was appointed Superior at Saint Joseph's Scholasticate then based in Prestbury, Pietermaritzburg. He stayed in this position until 12th December 1946 when was named Vicar Apostolic of Natal and made a Bishop. He was the youngest Bishop in the world at that time. He chose as his motto Ubi Spiritus, ibi libertas which means "Where the Spirit is, there is liberty". On 11th January 1951, the Vicariate Apostolic of Natal was elevated to the Archdiocese of Durban and Hurley became Archbishop, again the youngest in the world at that time.

In the following year, Hurley became President of the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, a post he held until 1961. He was again President of this body from 1981 until 1987. In 1961, he was appointed to the Central Preparatory Commission for the Second Vatican Council.

Contents

[edit] Hurley and the Second Vatican Council

In 1961, the Archbishop was appointed to the Central Preparatory Commission for the Second Vatican Council. He attributed this to the fact that Rome had out of date information stating he was still President of the Southern African Bishops Conference, when in fact it was Archbishop Owen McCann who was President. It seems likely though that the quality of his initial suggestions or vota may have been the reason for his appointment to the commission.

At the council itself, Hurley was elected to the Commission for Seminaries, Studies and Catholic Education. During the council he gave ten speeches and made four written submissions.

[edit] Hurley and the ICEL

In 1975, Archbishop Hurley was elected chair of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), a post to which he was reelected until 1991.

[edit] Hurley and Social Justice

Hurley was an outspoken opponent of apartheid and in 1984 was charged with contravenening the South African police act by publishing incorrect information about atrocities committed in Namibia by the South African military unit known as Koevoet. The state however withdrew the charges and in a claim by the Archbishop for damages, settled the claim out of court, paying him R 25,000. Currin states in Denis Hurley A Portrait by Friends that at that point the state was desperate to avoid a court hearing, implying the validity of Hurley's allegation of atrocities.

Because of his commitment to social justice, the Denis Hurley Peace Initiative, an associate body of the Southern African Catholics Bishops Conference was name after him.[1]

[edit] Honours

Archbishop Denis Hurley received the following honours during his life:

Year Honorary Degrees Civilian Honour
1970 Doctor of Laws, Notre Dame University, Indiana  
1972   Civic Honours, City of Durban
1975   Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (Legion d'Honneur) France
1978 Doctor of Laws, University of Natal, Durban  
1982 Doctor of Humane Letters, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC  
1986 Doctor of Laws, De Paul University, Chicago  
1986 Doctor of Sacred Theology, Santa Clara University, California  
1987 Doctor of Humane Letters, Georgetown University, Washington, DC  
1988 Doctor of Social Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town  
1988 Doctorate, University of Leuven, Belgium  
1992   Freedom of the City of Durban
1992   Freedom of the City of Pietermaritzburg
1993 Doctorate, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago  
1996 Doctorate, Saint Paul's University, Ottawa  
1992   Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Onorificenza de Grande Ufficiale)
1992   Order of Meritorious Service (1st Class), South Africa

[edit] References

  1. ^ Denis Hurley Peace Initiative Page

[edit] Sources

  • ed. A. Gamley, Denis Hurley A Portrait by Friends (Cluster Publications, 2001). ISBN 1-875053-29-8
  • ed. P. Denis O.P Facing the Crisis Selected Texts of Archbishop D.E. Hurley (Cluster Publications, 1997). ISBN 1-875053-08-5
  • ed. P. Kearney Memories: The memoirs of Archbishop Denis E Hurley OMI (Cluster Publications, 2006). ISBN 1-875053-53-0

[edit] External links

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