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- From
http://www.monlib.org.uk/obits/index.htm
MONKS OF AMPLEFORTH
275 Obituaries from 1850
A collection of Obituaries of monks of Ampleforth
who died since the completion of Allanson's Biography
indexed by Surname
monlib@ampleforth.org.uk
In AMPLEFORTH ABBEY LIBRARY at
http://www.monlib.org.uk/
STEPHEN MARWOOD
Born: 2 Aug 1890 - died: 15 Dec 1949
Clothed - 5 Oct 1907
Solemn Vows- 6 Jan 1912
Priest - 15 Jul 1917
The death of Father Stephen is humanly speaking a grievous blow toAmpleforth, to his brethren, to the School, and to countless friends. Thewriter cannot remember anyone at Ampleforth whose influence for good wasgreater or more widespread, or one who has occupied such a uniqueposition in the hearts of all who knew him. The record of his life, onthe face of it, was a simple one. His family has been connected withAmpleforth for nearly a century and he himself came thither as a smallboy of eleven, the first to arrive in a motor car, in 1901. He left theSchool in 1907. Already at this early stage he was distinguished for hisbeautiful voice and his amazing histrionic powers. For years he took thechief part in the Exhibition Play and was probably the best Hamlet seenon the Ampleforth stage. Someone who knew him once said that thecombination of these gifts would have made him a great opera singer. Heremained entirely unspoilt by the attention and applause which came tohim and he seemed from the beginning to be marked out for the priesthood.
In 1907 he entered the Benedictine Order and passed through his novitiateand early juniorate at Belmont. In 1911 he went to Oxford where he readClassical Moderations and the School of English Literature and finallytook a post graduate course in French. He returned to Ampleforth in 1915and was ordained priest in 1917. For a short time he was an officer inthe O.T.C. and in 1918 he became Second Prefect - a position which gavehim charge of the lower half of the School. This office he held until1926 when the House System was introduced. He then became the Housemasterof St Oswald's until the day of his death. Added to his duties asHousemaster from 1933 to 1938 were those of Master of Juniors, and from1935 to 1941 the subpriorship of the monastery. He was in charge of theSchool stage for over twenty years until 1937. Such are the bare facts ofhis life. It was obviously a full one.
But one asks, what was the secret of the amazing influence that heexercised in the monastery, in the School, in many convents and indeedthroughout the country? The answer is clearly that he was truly a man ofGod. He never lost sight, amidst all his popularity, of what he was, amonk of St Benedict, which meant a life of prayer, however busy he mightbe, and a life of obedience and self sacrifice in which his own will andease (which by nature he would have loved) counted for nothing. Hissuperior, as taking the place of God, was always reverenced and hiscommands in Father Stephen's eyes were never wrong. He was never known toquestion his superior's orders. It was not that he had not ideas of hisown in plenty, but if they clashed with those of his superiors, there wasnever any question in his mind who was right. This self oblation carriedhim through all his activities. If he were told to do anything it wasdone with zest and perfection because he knew that it was God's will andnot because he liked doing it. He had no doubts about what he was doing.If he was praying, he prayed not only with wonderful recollection, buteven with audible groans, and what a lot of time he managed to find forprayer! If he had to teach it was done with such gusto that it made othermasters not only ashamed of their own technique, for his was superb, butalso of their motive, which in him was completely selfless. Both the ableand the slow found him the best of masters and certain of his lessons,such as the Witch Scene in Macbeth, became Ampleforth Classics. Withsomething of a genius for imparting knowledge he loved to teach theplodder and the lame dog. He enlivened their pedestrian lives by dolingout encouragement, and expounding the complicated syntax of a Latin orFrench sentence in the simplest possible terms consonant with theirability to comprehend. It had all been thought out for them. Boys in StOswald's who were backward in any subjects but Mathematics, Science whichwere entirely alien to his genius, will recall with pleasure thoseprivate classes that were given to them in his own room. No trouble wastoo great for them. After all, they were just those whom he was there tohelp. It was this sort of attention that endeared him so much to membersof his own House and made them feel he was specially their own.
Something must be said of his exquisite gift of sympathy. Where it wasneeded Father Stephen could be indignant and, where he saw wickedness orslackness, devastatingly strong. His was a virile nature and the grumbleror slacker received no quarter. He hated sin, but he loved the sinner,and where help was wanted or sorrow reigned then he invariably came intoaction. No one ever approached him for advice or help who did not comeaway comforted and a better man. Their sorrow and their difficultiesimmediately became his and he never rested until he was satisfied thateverything possible had been done to remedy the situation or to assuagethe sorrow. Often this meant long tiresome interviews or carefullythought out letters and not infrequently long journeys across thecountry. It was the same for everyone: now it was one of his House, nowone of his boys' parents or one of his own brethren or one of the Schoolservants. They were all the same to him for they all had immortal soulsto be saved. If they were in trouble he had to find a remedy. He couldlaugh with others at his own quack remedies which he administered fortheir bodily ills. But his remedies, for their other troubles were notthose of the amateur. They were based on first principles clearly seenand understood, although applied individually with all the milk of humankindness. They were often virile and direct if he thought that wasneeded, as one would expect from a good straight Lancastrian.
These first principles he derived from a vivid faith which animatedeverything he did. His great devotion was to our and his rosary was oftenin his hands. On one occasion at House Prayers, after a conjuring show inthe theatre given by two members of his House, he held up his rosarybeads saying: 'This is the rope by which you can climb to Heaven. It isthe finest conjuring trick I know,' and he meant it. So strong was thisfaith in our Lady's intercession that the miracles of Lourdes and Fatimapresented no difficulties. They were just what he would have expected.His other devotions were manifold, such as that to the Sacred Heart andthe English Martyrs. These devotions were not thrust on others. Herealized that everyone had their own graces and ways of getting toHeaven. But he himself did not pick and choose amongst the good things ofthe Church, they all belonged to him and he used them all.
All his many devotions never annoyed others who saw in him just theliving embodiment of the Love of God overflowing towards them.
Lest all this should sound inhuman, let it be said that no one couldunbend so freely. No one could help a party to go with such a swing. Hisvoice of wonderful compass, managed with a marvellous technique, wasalways at the service of his fellows. He had a sense of humour and aninsight into the human foibles of his fellows which, combined with apower of mimicry, could bring shouts of laughter, but never offendanyone. When he recreated, there was no mistake about what he was doing,and no one enjoyed his legitimate pipe and arm-chair so well because ithad been so well earned.
For twenty years he has acted as Second Master, although the title wasnever used of him. Many of the ideas and much of the organization withwhich the Head Master has been credited belong to him and so the writerof these words, indebted to him perhaps more than all his other debtorswould like to acknowledge this.
He died on the Octave day of the Immaculate Conception and his last wordsto the priest who gave him the Last Sacraments were 'It is all in thehands of our Lady'.
One is tempted to apply to him the words of Scripture about his greatpatron: 'Stephanus autem plenus gratia et fortitudine faciebat signamagna in populo'. So let us hope that he has already seen the Heavensopen and entered in. May God reward his great soul.
To his sorrowing sisters, surrounded by whose loving care he died, we allat Ampleforth offer our heartfelt sympathy and the assurance of ourprayers.
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Details from the Abbey Necrology
REGINALD STEPHEN MARWOOD 15 December 1949
1890 2 Aug Born Pleasington
1901- Sep Educ Ampleforth
1907 5 Oct Habit
1908 6 Oct Simple Profession Prior Fowler
1909 29 Aug Minor Vows Belmont Bishop Hedley
1912 6 Jan Solemn Vows Ampleforth Abbot Smith
8 Sep Subdeacon Ampleforth Bishop Lacy
1915 29 Aug Deacon Ampleforth Bishop Vaughan
1917 15 Jul Priest Ampleforth " "
1911-15 Read English & half year's post graduate French atOxford
1918 Sep to Jul 1926 2nd Prefect in the School
1926 Sep House Master at St Oswald's until he died
1933 Feb to Sep 1938 Junior Master
1935 Sep to Sep 1941 Sub Prior
1949 15 Dec Died at Pleasington Lodge
19 Dec Buried at Ampleforth
Sources: AJ 55:1 (1950) 37
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