Identity area
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Date(s)
- 1908-2019 (Creation)
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Extent and medium
142.1 cm of Textual Records – 17 Graphic Materials – 5 Photographs – 23 Book – 1 Personal Journal
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
William Henry Irwin was born on 25 October 1932 in Texas, United States, to William Irwin and Marguerite Hunsaker. He attended St. Anne’s Elementary School and St. Thomas High School in Houston, graduating in 1950. Irwin entered the Congregation of St. Basil in the early 1950s, professed perpetual vows in the late 1950s, and was ordained to the priesthood on 28 June 1959.
Irwin completed theological and biblical studies in Canada, the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. He earned degrees from the University of Toronto (B.A., M.A.), the University of St. Michael’s College (S.T.B.), the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas – Angelicum (S.T.L.), and the Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome (S.S.B., S.S.L., S.S.D.). His academic formation included study in Jerusalem and Germany, with a research focus on Old Testament theology, wisdom literature, prophetic writings, and the Deuteronomistic History.
Irwin held early teaching appointments at Edgewood College, Madison, Wisconsin, and Villanova University, Villanova, Pennsylvania. In 1969, he became a Permanent Resident of Canada and joined the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC), University of Toronto. Over more than three decades, he served as Dean of Theology and Director of Advanced Degree Programs, overseeing graduate theological education offered through USMC in collaboration with the Toronto School of Theology (TST). From 2001 to 2004, he served as President of Assumption University, Windsor, Ontario.
Irwin participated in theological accreditation as external consultant, site-visit chair, and evaluator for the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), conducting reviews of institutions in Canada and the United States. A biblical scholar, Irwin specialized in the Book of Job, Isaiah, the Psalter, and covenantal themes in the Hebrew Bible. He presented at the Society of Biblical Literature and the TST Biblical Colloquium and contributed peer review and editorial work to journals including The Catholic Biblical Quarterly and Biblica. He was a member of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL), contributing to the English translation of the Roman Canon.
Alongside academic work, Irwin conducted parish missions, retreats, and lectures in Canada, the United States, and abroad. He retired from full-time teaching in 1998, retaining an office at the John M. Kelly Library, USMC, and continued limited teaching, mentorship, and scholarship.
He died on 6 December 2023 at Presentation Manor, Scarborough, Ontario, and was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery, Thornhill, Ontario.
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Scope and content
Fonds consists of records documenting the life, ministry, scholarship, and professional service of Rev. William Henry Irwin, C.S.B. (1932–2024), as a Basilian priest, professor of biblical studies, researcher, and participant in theological and ecclesiastical governance. Dates range from the 1960s to the 2000s, with some earlier genealogical material.
Records reflect Fr. Irwin’s academic appointments and teaching at the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC), the Toronto School of Theology (TST), Wycliffe College, and other affiliated institutions; research and publication in Old Testament theology, Hebrew poetry, prophetic literature (especially Isaiah), psalmody, wisdom literature, and biblical interpretation; participation in professional bodies such as the Society of Biblical Literature; and service on committees responsible for theological education policy, accreditation, and institutional mission within the Congregation of St. Basil and partner colleges in Canada and the United States.
Materials include handwritten research notebooks; annotated typescripts and drafts of lectures, homilies, retreat talks, and scholarly articles; working bibliographies; course syllabi, lecture notes, handouts, and student evaluation forms; correspondence with colleagues, scholars, clergy, and institutional representatives; conference programs, papers, and planning files; editorial and peer review reports; minutes, memoranda, and reports of the Basilian Standing Committee on Theological Education and related bodies; accreditation self-studies, site-visit files, and related correspondence with the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC); published offprints, clippings, and collected excerpts—many with marginalia; maps, graphic materials, and photographs; genealogical research files on the Irwin, Hunsaker, and related families; and a bound personal journal documenting travel, parish work, and academic activities.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
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System of arrangement
The fonds retains the original order of the creator’s files where evident. Series were established to reflect the major functions and activities of Fr. Irwin, with minor reorganization for preservation and accessibility.
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Note
Owing to the varied nature of his work, the fonds contains materials in English, with annotations in Hebrew, Greek, French, and German. Original order has been maintained where evident, with minor refoldering for preservation. Some files contain fragile, highly acidic paper, pencil annotations, or personal identification documents; preservation measures include rehousing in Mylar and restricted access where required.
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Created by Niloofar Taghipour, 18 August 2025