D'Arcy, Martin Cyril, 1888-1976

Martin Cyril D’Arcy was born on June 15, 1888 in Bath, England to Martin Valentine and Madoline Mary (Keegan) D’Arcy. He was educated at Stonyhurst College between 1898 and 1906, before he followed his brother Edmund Conyers-D’Arcy into the Jesuit novitiate at Manresa College, Roehampton. In 1912, he went to study at Pope’s Hall, Oxford University, where he won numerous academic prizes, including the Charles Oldham Prize (1915), the John Locke Scholarship (1918), and the Green Moral Philosophy Prize (1923).

Upon his departure from Oxford, D’Arcy returned to Stonyhurst College to teach. He was ordained in Wales in 1921. In 1925, he began his PhD in Philosophy, studying first at the Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, before returning to England. In 1927, D’Arcy began lecturing and tutoring in Philosophy at Campion’s Hall (formerly Pope’s Hall), Oxford University. D’Arcy’s influence was far-reaching, and he received into the Catholic Church a number of high-profile converts, including writers Evelyn Waugh and Muriel Spark. He published widely, including texts such as The Nature of Belief (1931) and The Pain of This World and the Providence of God (1935).

In 1933, D’Arcy became Master at Campion Hall. D’Arcy traveled internationally, delivering lectures on philosophy and religion. In 1935, he made his first trip to the United States to receive an honorary degree from Georgetown University. Over the years, D’Arcy would return to give lectures at Georgetown, Fordham University, Boston College, and the University of Notre Dame. In 1945, D’Arcy left Oxford to become provincial of the English Jesuit province. He was relieved of his duties in 1950, however, for failing to complete necessary administrative tasks. D’Arcy died on November 20, 1976 in St. John’s Wood, London.