OFihely, Maurice
O’Fihely, Maurice
Archbishop of Tuam, born about 1460; died at Galway, 1513. He was, according to Dr. Lynch, a native of Clonfert in Galway, but, according to Ware and Anthony à Wood, a native of Baltimore in Cork. He is sometimes called Maurice a Portu, Baltimore being situated on the sea coast. Part of his education was received at the University of Oxford, where he joined the Franciscans. Later he studied at Padua, where he obtained the degree of Doctor of Divinity. After his ordination he was appointed professor of philosophy in the University of Padua. He was a student of the works of Duns Scotus, and wrote a commentary on them (published at Venice about 1514). O’Fihely acted for some time as corrector of proofs to two well-known publishers at Venice, Scott and Locatelli–in the early days a task usually entrusted to very learned men. O’Fihely was acknowledged one of the most learned men of his time, so learned that his contemporaries called him Flos Mundi (Flower of the World). In addition, his piety and administrative capacity were recognized at Rome, and in 1506 he was appointed Archbishop of Tuam. He was consecrated at Rome by Julius II. He did not return to Ireland till 1513, meantime attending as Archbishop of Tuam the first two sessions of the Lateran Council (1512). On leaving for Ireland to take formal possession of his see, he procured from the pope an indulgence for all those who would be present at his first Mass in Tuam. He was destined not to reach Tuam, for he fell ill in Galway, and died there in the Franciscan convent.
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E.A. D’ALTON Transcribed by Elizabeth T. Knuth
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XICopyright © 1911 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, February 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
OFihely, Maurice
an Irish Roman Catholic prelate, studied at the University of Oxford, and joined the Franciscans. He afterwards studied philosophy and theology at Padua, where he graduated, and later taught. In 1480 he was corrector for the renowned printers Octavian Schott and Locatelle, of Venice, a position which learned men at that time did not look upon as beneath their dignity. Julius II made him archbishop of Tuam in 1506, but O’Fihely preferred to remain in Venice, where he devoted himself to scholastic philosophy and to literature. In 1512 he took part in the first two sessions of the Council of Lateran. Finally, in 1513, he made up his mind to go to Ireland, but died on landing at Galway, May 25. He wrote, Expositio in quaestione dialecticas Joannis Scoti in Isagogen Posphyrii (Fer. rara, 1499; Venice, 1512, fol.): Concordantice et casti. gationes in metaphysicalia Doct. Subtilis (Venice, 1501, fol.): Compendium veritatum iv libr. Sententiarum (ibid. 1505, 4to): De rerum contingentia et divina prae destinatione (ibid. 1505, 4to): Commentaria Doctoris Subtilis J. Scoti in xii lib. Metaphysicae Aristotelis (ibid 1507, fol.): Enchiridion fidei (ibid. 1509, 4to): Epithemata informalitatum opus de mente Doctoris Subtilis (ibid. 1514, fol.): Dictionarium Sacrae Scripturae (ibid. 1603, fol.); the publication stopped at the word exstinguere, but there is said to exist a complete MS. copy in the Bodleian Library. See Wood, Athenae Oxon.; Possevin, Apparatus sacer; Jean de Saint-Antoine, Bibli. oth. Franciscaine, vol. ii; Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Generale, 38:548; Allibone, Dict. of Brit. and Amer. Authors, s.v. (J. N. P.)