Australian Dictionary of Biography entry: https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/johnston-henry-aloysius-12703

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Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017:
Johnston, Henry

Theologian, spiritual director, and administrator; born Downpatrick, Northern Ireland, 12 October 1888; died Melbourne, 4 September 1986, aged 97.

Henry Johnston was a most remarkable man. It was not that he had any great single achievement; his way was the achievement of doing well everything he undertook. He had the characteristics of many Northern Irishmen. He had an acute, incisive mind and a remarkable tenacity of purpose that showed itself in every undertaking, whether it was the mastery of some subject of study, the conduct of a parish, or a game of tennis or golf.

He said that as a young man he had developed a stomach ulcer. It is hard for those who knew him well to believe that any ulcer would have the temerity to attack his innermost regions but, in any case, his physician prescribed a rigid diet of food that he obediently and equally rigidly observed for the rest of his many years. His breakfast of a poached egg and a cup of milk was never changed and seemed almost symbolic of his life. He invariably had an afternoon rest and retired at night at 10.00 pm and nothing, absolutely nothing, was allowed to interfere with this practice.

He was a man who was nearly always logically right, but was often psychologically wrong. He did not show much compassion or human feelings for people or situations. He would inform unenlightened celebrants of the Eucharist of the number of rubrics they had broken during their celebration. Then was surprised when they expressed their disapproval of his criticism. That he could not understand; he thought that they would want to be enlightened.

Johnston accepted every challenge with zest and proceeded to meet it. He regretted not learning to play the piano because he believed he would have been good at it! Every moment was spent in profitable work. When his abstemious meal was finished and there was still someone reading in the refectory he practiced his shorthand, taking down what was read, writing with his finger on the table. Even at the community recreation he was continually checking conversation by referring to dictionary or encyclopaedia or some other book of reference, even if it was only the railway timetable. He had a passion for knowledge and accuracy.

Through the years he had passing interests. At Werribee he was an avid ornithologist, so cats, because of their known proclivities in this area, were a discouraged species. But this could scarcely be believed by the scholastics that observed, some would say suffered from, his feline preferences when he was at Pymble and Watsonia.

No one ever knew Henry Johnston to be flustered or to lose his calm in any situation. He was a great polemicist, not only in his written defenses of the faith, but also on the Catholic Evidence platforms in Melbourne and Sydney. He argued with an iceberg calm and relentless logic, and mostly with a rather deadly smile. He pushed the sale of his books and pamphlets with the persistence of a second-hand car salesman because he knew they were good for the buyer. He had a Pauline respect for the goods he passed on.

Johnston entered the Jesuits, 12 November 1906, and was ordained, 24 October 1920. He was later sent to Australia, and from 1925, spent 27 years at the regional seminary at Werribee, 17 of those years as rector, 1930-1947. These years probably mark the highlight of his life. He taught, at various times, most theological subjects. He had an MA in classics from the National University of Ireland, and a doctorate in theology from the Roman Gregorian University that he used to good purpose in writing Plain Talks on the Catholic Religion and A Critic looks at the Catholic Church. His last unpublished work was a refutation of the validity of Anglican Orders.

Johnston's impact on priests ordained for the dioceses of Victoria and beyond was incalculable. In his years at Werribee, nearly 400 priests came within the sphere of his influence, about 100 of whom pre-deceased him. Johnston had a great respect for the priests of Corpus Christi. He followed their progress with interest and never failed to write a congratulatory and encouraging letter to every student on the occasion of a priestly silver jubilee.

One of his great strengths as rector was that he had no favourites among the students. They stood is awe of him. Undemonstrative to a marked degree, he appeared to be reserved and distant, even cold. But if one brought a personal problem to him, one was assured of a sympathetic hearing and sound advice. He is recorded as saying that he found it very hard to say 'no' to people. There were those who thought he should have found it easier with the passage of time because he had had so much practice at it.

The spirituality he fostered among the students was based on their becoming men of God. By his prayer life, by his disciplined commitment to both his priesthood and to his religious vocation, and by his devotion to the Mass and to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, he clearly showed the seminarians the way.

Johnston made himself an authority on many subjects. One such discipline was the Sacred Liturgy. He took his usual pains to master the subject and did all in his power to instill into the students a practical knowledge of and a reverence for the liturgy. And he embraced the post-conciliar liturgy with equal enthusiasm. His faith in the Church and his transparent obedience had no limits.

He held high office among the Jesuits for many years, as rector of Canisius College, Pymble, 1949-53, and Loyola College, Watsonia, 1958-60, as well as parish priest of North Sydney, 1954-56, and Hawthorn, 1962-66. He also gave talks on the Catholic Hour in Melbourne, and was frequently requested to give spiritual retreats. In later years he taught theology at Werribee, 1967-73, and from 1978-82 he was chaplain to St Joseph's Convent, Mount St, North Sydney. His final residence was a hostel, St Raphael's, Kew.

Johnston succeeded John Fahy as tertian instructor in 1957, and was heavily involved in retreat giving and spiritual direction. Over 56 years, he preached 306 retreats to every sort of people, from school children to bishops. His spirituality was traditional, centered on Jesus Christ, acknowledging the need to surrender oneself to God, but also strong on the need for the discipline of human passions. He was intellectual, logical and precise in his directions, without sentimentality or affection. He believed that joy in the spiritual life was not gained without humility and effort. Perfection in all human activities enabled God to be generous, but imperfections 'might be the beginning of the path to hell for a religious'.

He liked to emphasise the military metaphor in spirituality. The spiritual quest required a 'state of war' with oneself. He taught that the good Jesuit needed detachment (indifference), obedience, humility and charity. 'I must strip myself of everything and know myself in my nothingness.' 'We naturally love notice, praise, esteem. We must convince Ours that this is not wise or good.' The cross appeared to be all-important in Johnston's spirituality.

He did not believe that human friendship was important if Christ was a friend, and that the necessity of human friendships could be exaggerated. In his own life he was experienced as remote and austere, but the depth of his learning and the breadth of his experience with people gave him the ability to give logical and sensible solutions to problems both spiritual and human. The apparent correctness of his advice appeared to make up for his lack of human warmth, at least with non-Jesuits.

The virtues of fear and love were both presented in his talks, but they were presented in such a cold manner that fear became the predominant message. He taught that the good Jesuit was one who was interested in prayer, obedience, hard work, and reverence towards others. The preaching of joy in life, or the idea of making allowance for human weakness did not appear in Johnston's dictionary. Other Jesuits respected him, but they could not accept his joyless spirituality and lack of human approachability. He was not believed to be a model for younger Jesuits. It would be hard to meet his like again; and no one would be in more complete agreement with this than Johnson himself.

He was a remarkable priest, an outstanding spiritual director, a dedicated religious, a man who encouraged and inspired by his example, a noted scholar, and a leading apologist.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)