Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
O'Malley, Joseph

Teacher and pastor; born Dublin, 7 October 1830; died Adelaide, South Australia, 23 August 1910, aged 79.

Joseph O'Malley was educated as a secondary student at Tullamore College, 1844-46, and entered the Society in France, 30 September 1850. He completed his juniorate there before regency, which was done partly at Tullamore and partly at Clongowes, 1855-61. He went to the Roman College for philosophy and theology, 1861-68, and to Padenborn, Germany, for tertianship. He returned to Tullamore College in 1869 teaching physics, and directing the choir.

He arrived in Melbourne in May 1870, and until 1878 taught at St Patrick's College. He was also involved in pastoral work. In 1878 he was sent to New Zealand as superior of a college at Waikari, Dunedin. He remained there teaching until 1883 when he returned. He taught senior English at St Ignatius' College, Riverview, until 1890, organised a choir, instructed music and prefected the library. He was spiritual father for some years.

In teaching he devised a system of mnemonics for the use of students. The system aimed at combining topical rhymes with catch words, each letter of which had a numerical value. He had a pamphlet printed for English history from the date of the Conquest, and another for European geography.

Later, he was sent to St Patrick's College for two years, where he also helped the editor of the Messenger. Parish work followed at Hawthorn, 1892-98, Richmond, 1898-03, and Norwood, 1903-04. He returned to Riverview, 1904-5, and finally was in the parish of Norwood, 1905-10.

From written accounts he seemed to have been a humorous, whimsical and original character, as well as a hard-working and self-sacrificing Jesuit. He wrote extensively about the education question in Victoria during the 1870s, and many articles in the Advocate. In 1875 he published a pamphlet Secular Education and Christian Civilization, and it would seem that this work had a large influence. It became something of a textbook for the Catholic protagonists pressing for a review of the Secular Education Act, a campaign that resulted in the second Royal Commission on Education.

He was also an eloquent and vehement, not to say fiery, orator, and on at least one occasion displeased superiors for speaking too forcefully on some socio-political question. He was a great friend of the workingman everywhere, and wrote articles in Michael Davitt's Labour World. This did not please the Father General Anderledy or Father General Martin, the latter describing him as 'Dyscolus turbulentusque'. However, this did not prevent him from being appreciated and loved by the faithful to whom he ministered.

He was a popular retreat-giver for the clergy (by 1872 he had given the Melbourne priests' retreat three times in a row). Apart from mnemonics, articles of his in the press covered the topics of temperance, smoking, 'Modern Thought', music, the Catholic Press, St Patrick, and the Catacombs. He attended the 1885 Plenary Council of Australasia as theologian to Bishop Moran of Dunedin - one of the seven Jesuits present at that Council in various capacities.

O'Malley was a musician of real distinction, hence his involvement with choirs and music in whatever house he resided. He wrote a volume of compositions which was passed for publication, but which the publishers to whom it was offered - Sampson, Lord, Marston and Co - did not think would pay.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)