Herbert Thurston

Herbert Henry Charles Thurston (15 November 1856 – 3 November 1939) was an English priest of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the Jesuit order, and a prolific scholar on liturgical, literary, historical, and spiritual matters. In his day, he was regarded as an expert on spiritualism. Today he is remembered chiefly for his extensive contributions to the Catholic Encyclopedia. He also served as editor of Mother Mary Loyola, an international bestselling author of popular religious books.

Life

Herbert was the only son of George Henry Thurston, a surgeon, and his wife Theresa Ellen née Tuck. He was born in London and educated at the minor seminary of Saint-Malo (1868–9), at Mount St Mary's Jesuit school in Derbyshire (1869–71), and at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire (1871–4). Having decided to join the Jesuits, he underwent the usual noviciate training at Manresa House in Roehampton (1874–6), after which he took his first vows. He also studied at the University of London where he earned a Latin exhibition in 1877 and received a bachelor's degree, along with a university prize, in 1878. From 1877 to 1880 he resided at Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall while studying scholastic philosophy.

Thurston taught at Beaumont College from 1880 to 1887 and studied theology at St Beuno's College from 1887 to 1891. He was ordained as a priest on 21 September 1890. He was appointed as prefect of studies of Wimbledon College, a Jesuit secondary school, where he was also headmaster for a single term in 1893–4. After that he resided at Farm Street, the Jesuit house in Mayfair, for the next forty-five years.