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Show BOSTON PRIEST WINS DOCTOR OF SCRIPTURES DEGREE Within the next week or ten days the thesis of the Rev. Wendell Stephen Reilly, SSDD., which recently won for him the distinction of being the first American priest to be honored with the degree of doctor of Holy Scripture by Pope Pius X, will arrive in this country in 'printed form. There is a widespread desire among the Catholic clergy and laymen of Boston Bos-ton to read it, for Father Reilly is a Boston priest, and is now famous throughout the Catholic world for his remarkable achievement. There is only one other clergyman, a priest of France, who has received a similar honor in the ten years since the degree has been established. es-tablished. Father Reilly himself is soon .to return re-turn to America to resume his position as teacher of sacred scripture at St. John's seminary in Brighton. He is 33 years of age and is described as being very quiet in manner and fond of solitude and study. He is a man absorbed in biblical research, and has the trait of absent mindedness characteristic charac-teristic of profound scholars. When he talks or writes upon his favorite study lie is said to be most impressive. The degree of doctor of scripture was established in 1899 by Pope Leo XIII. At that time his holiness framed certain cer-tain conditions under which clergymen might gain the approbation of the church to be biblical. scholars. These conditions are so severe that despite the fact that scores of the great intellectual intel-lectual lights of the Catholic church have sought the honor only two have been successful. For purposes of comparison the degree de-gree of doctor of scripture has been likened to the Harvard university degree de-gree of LL. D.. which is conferred as a signal mark of honor upon illustrious illus-trious men. But the requirements for obtaining the degree of honor of scripture scrip-ture are much stricter than the conditions condi-tions necessary for securing a degree from any university or for acquiring any other degree given by the Catholic church. Before one may even try for this doctorate doc-torate ha must obtain the degree of doctor doc-tor of divinity. Did Not Seek Honor. Until four years ago Father Reilly entertained no idea of trying for this great honor. Born in Sherbcooke, Quebec, Que-bec, in 1S76, he received training at St) Charles seminary in that city and at Sultiiotan. aavxirtaiev in Matitgotit. llo Paris, -where he stuiffecf for ihree years at the Catholic university, prf paring for the degree of doctor of divinity. He passed the necessary examination and the thesis which he wrote at. that time was given wide circulation among the clergy of the world. Returning from Paris, Father Reilly taught for two years at the Catholic university in Washington, two years in St. Mary's seminary at Baltimore, and three years at St. John's seminary in Brighton. Goes to Holy Land. In May of 1907 he left St. John's seminary sem-inary for Rome and six weeks after took the preliminary examinations for the licentiate in sacred scripture. Father Fa-ther Reilly was among the first six to pass this test, and was rewarded with special mention. He then set to work in earnest to prepare for the final ex amination, studying for a time with German, French and Italian ecclesiasts, next at the University of Breslau, and then for a year and a half in the Holy Land, working out his thesis, the subject sub-ject of which was St. Ignatius and the inspiration of the Scriptures. When his studies in Palestine were completed Father Reilly returned to Rome, and from the fragments of St. Ignatius' writings and his great knowledge knowl-edge of biblical science wrote the remarkable re-markable thesis which brought to him and his country the coveted degree of doctor of scriptures. ' |