HOME | AUSTIN WOODBURY

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Austin Maloney Woodbury S.M. (1899-1979) was born on 2 March, 1899 at Lower Mangrove (Spencer), New South Wales, Australia. He was the sixth child of Austin Herbert Woodbury and his wife Margaret, nee Maloney, who had eleven children. His family was devoutly Catholic. Four of his sisters joined religious orders. From an early age Woodbury showed great intellectual promise and a love of learning. He discerned a vocation to the religious life and entered the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers) in 1918, completing his secondary studies at the juniorate in Sydney and Mittagong (1919-20). On 7 March 1921, the feast of St Thomas Aquinas, he entered the New Zealand Marist Novitiate at Greenmeadows Seminary in Hawkes Bay, Napier and took his first vows on 2 February, 1923. Woodbury was sent to Rome in 1926 for further studies at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas in the City (Angelicum). There he was taught by the prominent Dominican theologian Fr Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange O.P (1874-1964). He completed two doctorates in a very short space of time between 1927-1928. During his time in Rome he was ordained to the priesthood on 31 July, 1927. On his return from Rome in 1928 he was sent to New Zealand where he taught at St Patrick's College, Wellington and then at Greenmeadows (1930-36). From 1938 to 1943 he became founding rector of Bl. Peter Chanel Seminary, Toongabbie, NSW.

On 7 March, 1945 Dr Woodbury established the Aquinas Academy in Sydney. The Academy was a school of philosophy and theology open to the laity, which, as the name suggests, sought to especially promote the teachings of St Thomas Aquinas. During the period 1945 to 1974 Dr Woodbury taught courses in both philosophy and theology, and at the height of his teaching an average of 600 students would enrol each year. He retired from the Academy in 1974 and died in Sydney on 3 February, 1979.

Sources:
J. Thornhill, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Vol. 16, (MUP), 2002.
A. Woodbury. Introduction to Philosophy ed A.F. Wood. St John Centre for Biblical Studies, Sydney, 2015.

Proceed

ABOUT THE WORKS ON THIS WEBSITE

This website contains scans of the original writings of Dr. Woodbury. These writings largely constitute lecture notes which were typed on foolscap pages. Copies were then made and distributed to students at the Aquinas Academy. Lecture notes for each course were then subsequently bound.

These writings were never published during the author's lifetime but were retained by students and disseminated to those who had an interest in them. Due to this fact, the works are not widely known outside Australia. It is the intention of this website to make all the works of Dr Woodbury available online. Further, the works will be preserved in a digital format which is more durable. A limited number of Dr Woodbury's minor works have recently been edited and published by Dr Andrew Wood.

This website contains most of the works of Dr Woodbury, especially his major philosophical works, although there may be some minor works not yet included. Since this website is a work- in -progress we intend to add other material as it comes to hand. The works can be divided into three categories: Philosophical works, Theological works and Various. Some of the works were not completed in the lifetime of the author. Where this is the case the notes on the individual works will indicate this. Depending on the quality of the original work, some of the scans are of better quality than others.

The philosophical works are a very systematic treatment of the major areas of philosophy. They show a heavy reliance on the writings of St Thomas Aquinas, as well as commentators of St Thomas, such as Cajetan and John of St Thomas, as well as other more recent Thomist philosophers. The writings also attempt an engagement with modern and contemporary philosophers and issues. They are written in the "manualist" tradition but go beyond what is commonly found in manuals of philosophy in virtue of the breadth of topics covered and degree of detail. Also, the fact that they were written in English makes them quite rare in the manualist tradition.

LIST OF WORKS

Steps to download files:

1. Register (use 'Register' tab).

2. Receive email confirming successful registration. (Check spam as it may be sent there).

3. Receive email giving permission to download files. This may take a few days. (Check spam as it may be sent there).

4. Login (use 'Login' tab) using nominated email and password.

5. Click on the desired file name below to download.

6. If there are difficulties, please contact the website administrator.

PHILOSOPHICAL WORKS