Ralph Matthew McInerny (February 24, 1929 – January 29, 2010) was an American author and philosophy professor at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. McInerny's most popular mystery novels featured Father Dowling, and was later adapted into the ''

Father Dowling Mysteries ''Father Dowling Mysteries'', known as ''Father Dowling Investigates'' in the United Kingdom, is an American mystery television series first aired from January 20, 1989, to May 2, 1991. The series was preceded by the 1987 television movie ''Fat ...

'' television show, which ran from 1987 to 1991. He sometimes wrote under the pseudonyms of Harry Austin, Matthew FitzRalph, Ernan Mackey, Edward Mackin and Monica Quill.

Academic career

McInerny wrote his PhD dissertation entitled ''The Existential Dialectic of Soren Kierkegaard'' under Professor Charles De Koninck at

Laval University Laval means ''The Valley'' in old French and is the name of: People * House of Laval, a French noble family originating from the town of Laval, Mayenne * Laval (surname) Places Belgium * Laval, a village in the municipality of Sainte-Ode, Luxe ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, Canada. He was

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, Director of the

Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised as a Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aqui ...

Center, and Michael P. Grace Professor of Medieval Studies at the

. He taught there from 1955 until his retirement in 2009. McInerny was also a

Fulbright The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

Scholar, receiving educational funds from the Fulbright Commission Belgium. He served as president of the

Metaphysical Society of America The Metaphysical Society of America (MSA) is a philosophy, philosophical organization founded by Paul Weiss (philosopher), Paul Weiss in 1950. As stated in its constitution, "The purpose of the Metaphysical Society of America is the study of real ...

in 1993. 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.

Personal life

McInerny was a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. He attended

Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary Nazareth Hall Preparatory Seminary, known familiarly as Naz Hall, was a Minor seminary, high school seminary in Arden Hills, Minnesota, United States, serving the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Archdiocese of Saint Pa ...

for high school. 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. McInerny died of

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

on January 29, 2010. 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.

Bibliography

Fiction

Father Dowling

*'' Her Death of Cold'' (1977) *'' Bishop as Pawn'' (1978) *'' The Seventh Station'' (1977) *'' Lying Three'' (1979) *'' The Second Vespers'' (1980) *'' Thicker Than Water'' (1981) *'' A Loss of Patients'' (1982) *'' The Grass Widow'' (1983) *'' Getting a Way with Murder'' (1984) *'' Rest in Pieces'' (1985) *'' The Basket Case'' (1987) *'' Slight of Body'' (1989; aka Abracadaver) *'' Four on the Floor'' (1989) *''Abracadaver'' (1989) *''

Judas Priest Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1969. They have sold over 50 million albums and are frequently ranked as one of the greatest metal bands of all time. Judas Priest have also been referred to as one of the p ...

'' (1991) *'' Desert Sinner'' (1992) *'' Seed of Doubt'' (1993) *'' A Cardinal Offense'' (1994) *''The Case of the Constant Caller'' (young adult) (1995) *''The Case of the Dead Winner'' (young adult) (1995) *'' The Tears of Things'' (1996) *'' Grave Undertakings'' (2000) *'' Triple Pursuit'' (2001) *'' Prodigal Father'' (2002) *'' Last Things'' (2003) *'' Requiem for a Realtor'' (2004) *'' Blood Ties'' (2005) *'' The Prudence of Flesh'' (2006) *'' The Widow's Mate'' (2007) *''

Ash Wednesday Ash Wednesday is a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday and marks the first day of Lent: the seven weeks of Christian prayer, prayer, Religious fasting#Christianity, fasting and ...

'' (2008) *'' The Wisdom of Father Dowling'' (2009) *''

Stained Glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

'' (2009) *''The Compassion of Father Dowling'' (short stories) (2011)

Sister Mary Teresa (all as Monica Quill)

*'' Not a Blessed Thing'' (1981) *''

Let Us Prey ''Let Us Prey'' is the fourth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was released through Rise Above Records in 2002 and was the last album to feature Electric Wizard's original line-up. After its release, Tim Bagsh ...

'' (1982) *'' And Then There Was Nun'' (1984) *'' Nun of the Above'' (1985) *'' Sine Qua Nun'' (1986) *'' The Veil of Ignorance'' (1988) *'' Sister Hood'' (1991) *'' Nun Plussed'' (1993) *'' Half Past Nun'' (1997) *'' Death Takes the Veil'' (2001)

Andrew Broom

*''

Cause and Effect Causality is an influence by which one event, process, state, or object (''a'' ''cause'') contributes to the production of another event, process, state, or object (an ''effect'') where the cause is at least partly responsible for the effect, ...

'' (1987) *'' Body and Soil'' (1989) *'' Savings and Loam'' (1990) *'' Mom and Dead'' (1994) *'' Law and Ardor'' (1995) *'' Heirs and Parents'' (2000)

Notre Dame

*'' On This Rockne'' (1997) *'' Lack of the Irish'' (1998) *'' Irish Tenure'' (1999) *'' The Book of Kills'' (2000) *'' Emerald Aisle'' (2001) *'' Celt and Pepper'' (2002) *'' Irish Coffee'' (2003) *'' Green Thumb'' (2004) *'' Irish Gilt'' (2005) *'' The Letter Killeth'' (2006) *'' Irish Alibi'' (2007) *'' The Green Revolution'' (2008) *'' Sham Rock'' (2010)

Rosary Chronicles

*'' The Third Revelation'' (2009) *'' Relic of Time'' (2009)

Other novels

*'' Jolly Rogerson'' (1967) *'' A Narrow Time'' (1969) *''

The Priest ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

'' (1973) *'' The Gate of Heaven'' (1975) *'' Rogerson at Bay'' (1976) *'' Romanesque'' (1977) *''

Spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a Point of sail#Reaching, reach (wind at 90° to the course) to Point of sail#Running downwind, downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinna ...

'' (1978) *'' Quick as a Dodo'' (1978) *'' Connolly's Life'' (1983) *'' The Noonday Devil'' (1985) *''

Leave of Absence The labour law concept of leave, specifically paid leave or, in some countries' long-form, a leave of absence, is an authorised prolonged absence from work, for any reason authorised by the workplace. When people "take leave" in this way, they ar ...

'' (1986) *'' Frigor Mortis'' (1989) *'' The Nominative Case'' (as by Edward Mackin) (1990) *'' Easeful Death'' (1991) *'' The Search Committee'' (1991) *'' Infra Dig'' (1992) *'' The Red Hat'' (1998) *''As Good As Dead'' (2002) *'' The Ablative Case'' (2003) *'' Slattery'' (2004)

Collections

*'' Thou Shalt Not Kill: Father Brown, Father Dowling And Other Ecclesiastical Sleuths'' (with

G. K. Chesterton Gilbert Keith Chesterton (29 May 1874 – 14 June 1936) was an English author, philosopher, Christian apologist, journalist and magazine editor, and literary and art critic. Chesterton created the fictional priest-detective Father Brow ...

and

John Mortimer Sir John Clifford Mortimer (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for short stories about a barrister named Horace Rumpole, adapted from episodes of the TV series '' R ...

) (1992) *'' Good Knights'' (2009)

Poetry

*'' The Soul of Wit: Some Poems'' (2005)

Anthologies edited

*'' Murder Most Divine'' (with Martin Harry Greenberg) (2000) *'' Murder Most Catholic'' (with Martin Harry Greenberg) (2002) *'' Great Mystery Series: 11 of the Best Mystery Short Stories from Alfred Hitchcock's And Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazines'' (with Lawrence Block and

Mary Higgins Clark Mary Higgins Clark (born Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; December 24, 1927 – January 31, 2020) was an American author of suspense novels. Each of her 51 books was a bestseller in the United States and various European countries, and all of her ...

) (2000)

Non-fiction

Philosophy and theology

*''A History of Western Philosophy'' with A. Robert Caponigri (1963 - 1971) *'' New Themes in Christian Philosophy'' (1969) *'' Thomism in an Age of Renewal'' (1969) *''

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, the foremost Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the Western tradition. A Doctor of the Church, he wa ...

'' (1977) *'' Miracles: A Catholic View'' (1986) *'' Art and Prudence: Studies in the Thought of Jacques Maritain'' (1988) *'' A First Glance at St. Thomas Aquinas: A Handbook for Peeping Thomists'' (1990) *'' Aquinas on Human Action: A Theory of Practice'' (1992) *'' The Question of Christian Ethics'',

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939 and incorporated on July 16, 1941, the CUA Press is a long-time member of the Associ ...

(1993) *'' Aquinas Against the Averroists: On There Being Only One Intellect'' (1993) *'' An Uncertain Legacy: Essays on the Pursuit of Liberty'' (edited by Edward B. McLean; includes an essay, "Medieval: The Grand Synthesis", by McInerny) (1997) *''Ethica Thomistica: The Moral Philosophy of Thomas Aquinas'', Washington:

(1997) *'' What Went Wrong with Vatican II?: The Catholic Crisis Explained'' (1998) *'' Aquinas and Analogy'', Washington:

(1999) * *'' Praeambula Fidei'', Washington:

(2006) *''The Writings of Charles De Koninck. Volume One (edition and translation)'', with an introduction by Leslie Armour and a biography by Thomas De Koninck, Notre Dame, Notre Dame University Press, 2008 *''The Writings of Charles De Koninck. Volume Two (edition and translation)'', Notre Dame, Notre Dame University Press, 2009 *'' Dante and the Blessed Virgin'' (2010)

Biography

*'' The Very Rich Hours of Jacques Maritain: A Spiritual Life'' (2003) *'' I Alone Have Escaped to Tell You: My Life and Pastimes'' (2006) *'' Some Catholic Writers'' (2006) *'' The Defamation of Pope Pius XII'' (2001)

Instruction

*'' Let's Write a Novel'' (1993) *'' Let's Write Short Stories'' (1993) *'' Let's Read Latin: Introduction to the Language of the Church'' (1995) *'' Characters in Search of Their Author: The Gifford Lectures, 1999–2000'' (delivered at the

University of Glasgow The University of Glasgow (abbreviated as ''Glas.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals; ) is a Public university, public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded by papal bull in , it is the List of oldest universities in continuous ...

) (2001)

References

External links

McInerny Center for Thomistic Studies

- Daily Telegraph obituary
The University of Notre Dame, Jacques Maritain Center
- Obituary by John O'Callaghan
Ralph McInerny's articles
at Crisis Magazine
Biography and summary of Gifford Lectures
"Characters in Search of Their Author" (

, 1999–2000), by Dr Brannon Hancock {{DEFAULTSORT:McInerny, Ralph 1929 births 2010 deaths 20th-century American historians 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American philosophers 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American philosophers 21st-century American poets 21st-century Roman Catholics American Catholic poets American historians of philosophy American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American male poets American mystery writers American Roman Catholic writers Anthony Award winners Catholic philosophers Deaths from cancer in Indiana Natural law ethicists Novelists from Indiana Novelists from Minnesota Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas Aquinas Presidents of the Metaphysical Society of America Roman Catholic scholars Thomists Université Laval alumni University of Notre Dame faculty Writers from Minneapolis