Butler; William Joseph (1848-1907); Jesuit priest and teacher

• Fr William Joseph Butler SJ (1848-1907)

Born in Galway, 4 September 1848, and educated at St Ignatius College, Galway , he entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) on 7 November 1865 at Milltown Park, Dublin. He studied philosophy in France and theology at Louvain, Belgium. He spent three years teaching at Spring Hill, New Orleans, at Clongowes Wood College, Kildare and at St Stanislaus College, Tullabeg. He was ordained in Louvain. When the school at Tullabeg was amalgamated with Clongowes Wood College in 1886, he spent time at Tonchiennes, Belgium. He taught at the Sacred Heart College, Limerick and spent many years on the missions . He joined the community at St Francis Xavier's, Upper Gardiner Street, Dublin where he spent the rest of his life. He was a gifted musician (violin) and a noted librarian. He died 3 February 1907.