James Thwaites | ANZ Clergy


About Help Contact login Rev James Thwaites SJ Title: Rev First Name: James Middle Names: Preferred Name: Surname: Thwaites Order: SJ Date of Birth: 05-Mar-1925 Place of Birth: North Melbourne VIC Country of Birth: Australia Date of Ordination: 21-Nov-1955 Place of Ordination: Country of Ordination: India Ordination Diocese: Seminary: Date of Death: 14-Nov-1984 Place of Death: Kodarma, Hazaribag Country of Death: India Date of Burial: Place of Burial: Country of Burial: Find A Grave URL: FindaGrave - Person Photo FindaGrave - Grave Photo Biographical Notes Priest, Scholastics Sail Soon More Australian Jesuits for India, Catholic Weekly, Sydney, 16 October 1952, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article147086730: Eight more Australian Jesuits will leave soon to join 15 Australian confreres already working on their newly-established mission in India. The eight Jesuits—one priest and seven scholastics—will sail from Melbourne on the Mooltan on December 6. The group will be the third contingent of Australian Jesuits to sail for the Indian mission in less than two years. The first—a group of six—left Australia about Christmas, 1950, and the second band of nine sailed for India last Christmas. The eight Jesuits chosen to leave on December 6 this year are the Rev. Father Michael Brady, S.J., and the Revs. Peter Coleman, S.J., Philip Crotty, S.J., Hans Hendricks, S.J., Brian O'Connell, S.J., Gavin O'Sullivan, S.J. Oswald Summerton, S.J., and James Thwaites, S.J. The Revs. James Thwaites and Gavin O'Sullivan will begin their studies in Theology on arrival in India. After preliminary studies in the Hindi language, the Revs. Oswald Summerton and Brian O'Connell are to do their teaching in the mission college. The last three, the Revs. Peter Coleman, Philip Crotty and Hans Hendricks will first complete their studies in the Hindi language and then begin their course in philosophy.[...] --- Eight More Jesuits for New Indian Mission [includes photograph], Advocate, Melbourne, 30 October 1952, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172527851: Eight more Australian Jesuits—one priest and seven scholastics—will leave Melbourne on December 6 to join the 15 Australian Jesuits already working in their new mission in India. [...] The scholastics are: [...] Rev. James Thwaites, S.J., born at Melbourne. Studied at "Loyola," Watsonia, and from 1950 to the present time has been teaching at Xavier College, Kew. Upon arrival in India will begin his theology studies. [...] --- Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017: Thwaites, James Missionary, pastor; born North Melbourne, Victoria, 5 March 1925; died Kodarma, Hazaribag, India, 14 November 1984, aged 59. James Thwaites was a great supporter of the North Melbourne football club, and that loyalty was no less after 31 years in India. He entered the Society in Melbourne, 9 February 1943, and was ordained in India, 21 November 1955. Thwaites was a big man and a great lover of sport. He played Australian Rules football and enjoyed cricket. He was a very kind man, natural and generous. He had a strong will and a great capacity for friendship. He was an excellent correspondent with people across two continents, as well as a great defender of the weak and powerless. He had no time for their oppressors. He was a good companion, and an obliging and wise adviser, who seemed to need very little sleep, and spent many hours in prayer. He was a man always on the move, at least after he finished philosophy at Loyola College, Watsonia. His regency was at Xavier College, Kew, and he made a strong impression on many boys; he was a good role model. After regency, together with Michael Brady, Gavin O'Sullivan, Oswald Summerton, Philip Crotty and Hans Hendriks, he reached India on Christmas Day 1952. After a short pilgrimage to Francis Xavier's tomb in Goa, Thwaites and O'Sullivan went straight to Kurseong for theology studies. From 1959-84 Thwaites was successively minister at St Xavier's, Hazaribag, parish priest at Daltonganj, at Bhurkunda, at Bokaro Thermal for five years, and at Chandwa. Then he had three athletic years as sports master at St Xavier's. In the year of his death he had returned to Bhurkunda. He also spent a year in Ranchi struggling to learn Hindi. He found it very hard, and could not get it right. He had a slight speech defect and this made his Hindi speaking often hard to follow. Thwaites found it difficult to come to terms with this failure. His greatness was his singular devotion to serving the Lord. He was a true contemplative in action. (Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)

Title:

Rev

First Name:

James

Middle Names:

Preferred Name:

Surname:

Thwaites

Order:

Date of Birth:

05-Mar-1925

Place of Birth:

North Melbourne VIC

Country of Birth:

Australia

Date of Ordination:

21-Nov-1955

Place of Ordination:

Country of Ordination:

India

Ordination Diocese:

Seminary:

Date of Death:

14-Nov-1984

Place of Death:

Kodarma, Hazaribag

Country of Death:

India

Date of Burial:

Place of Burial:

Country of Burial:

Find A Grave URL:

FindaGrave - Person Photo

FindaGrave - Grave Photo

Priest, Scholastics Sail Soon More Australian Jesuits for India, Catholic Weekly, Sydney, 16 October 1952, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article147086730:

Eight more Australian Jesuits will leave soon to join 15 Australian confreres already working on their newly-established mission in India.

The eight Jesuits—one priest and seven scholastics—will sail from Melbourne on the Mooltan on December 6.

The group will be the third contingent of Australian Jesuits to sail for the Indian mission in less than two years.

The first—a group of six—left Australia about Christmas, 1950, and the second band of nine sailed for India last Christmas.

The eight Jesuits chosen to leave on December 6 this year are the Rev. Father Michael Brady, S.J., and the Revs. Peter Coleman, S.J., Philip Crotty, S.J., Hans Hendricks, S.J., Brian O'Connell, S.J., Gavin O'Sullivan, S.J. Oswald Summerton, S.J., and James Thwaites, S.J.

The Revs. James Thwaites and Gavin O'Sullivan will begin their studies in Theology on arrival in India.

After preliminary studies in the Hindi language, the Revs. Oswald Summerton and Brian O'Connell are to do their teaching in the mission college.

The last three, the Revs. Peter Coleman, Philip Crotty and Hans Hendricks will first complete their studies in the Hindi language and then begin their course in philosophy.[...]

---

Eight More Jesuits for New Indian Mission [includes photograph], Advocate, Melbourne, 30 October 1952, p 2, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article172527851:

Eight more Australian Jesuits—one priest and seven scholastics—will leave Melbourne on December 6 to join the 15 Australian Jesuits already working in their new mission in India.

[...]

The scholastics are:

[...]

Rev. James Thwaites, S.J., born at Melbourne. Studied at "Loyola," Watsonia, and from 1950 to the present time has been teaching at Xavier College, Kew. Upon arrival in India will begin his theology studies.

[...]

---

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

Missionary, pastor; born North Melbourne, Victoria, 5 March 1925; died Kodarma, Hazaribag, India, 14 November 1984, aged 59.

James Thwaites was a great supporter of the North Melbourne football club, and that loyalty was no less after 31 years in India. He entered the Society in Melbourne, 9 February 1943, and was ordained in India, 21 November 1955.

Thwaites was a big man and a great lover of sport. He played Australian Rules football and enjoyed cricket. He was a very kind man, natural and generous. He had a strong will and a great capacity for friendship. He was an excellent correspondent with people across two continents, as well as a great defender of the weak and powerless. He had no time for their oppressors. He was a good companion, and an obliging and wise adviser, who seemed to need very little sleep, and spent many hours in prayer.

He was a man always on the move, at least after he finished philosophy at Loyola College, Watsonia. His regency was at Xavier College, Kew, and he made a strong impression on many boys; he was a good role model. After regency, together with Michael Brady, Gavin O'Sullivan, Oswald Summerton, Philip Crotty and Hans Hendriks, he reached India on Christmas Day 1952. After a short pilgrimage to Francis Xavier's tomb in Goa, Thwaites and O'Sullivan went straight to Kurseong for theology studies.

From 1959-84 Thwaites was successively minister at St Xavier's, Hazaribag, parish priest at Daltonganj, at Bhurkunda, at Bokaro Thermal for five years, and at Chandwa. Then he had three athletic years as sports master at St Xavier's. In the year of his death he had returned to Bhurkunda. He also spent a year in Ranchi struggling to learn Hindi. He found it very hard, and could not get it right. He had a slight speech defect and this made his Hindi speaking often hard to follow. Thwaites found it difficult to come to terms with this failure. His greatness was his singular devotion to serving the Lord. He was a true contemplative in action.

(Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.)

Rev James Thwaites SJ

Biographical Notes