Br. Ireneus Philip

Maurice Matthews was born on September 27, 1906, in Baden, North Dakota. He entered the Christian Brothers at age fifteen in 1921. In his early years as a Brother he taught and was Director of Scholastics at St. Mary's College in Winona, Minnesota. In 1948 he was named Visitor of the St. Louis District and during his tenure as Visitor, forty-two high schools were opened, a two-year college (Christian Brothers College/University, Memphis) became a four-year college as well as a second Scholasticate. Also during his tenure, the District added a second four-year college: Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. Expansion resulted both from a tremendous growth in vocations and from Brother Philip's confidence in Divine Providence to provide still more Brothers. Young Brothers with little experience and a great deal of trust were thrust into positions of great responsibility. Brother Philip's trust seldom proved incorrect in these young men. Although many of the schools are no longer staffed by the Brothers, almost all of them still continue as Catholic institutions that might not exist were it not for Brother I. Philip's optimism. His later years of service as District Bursar showed him to be a brilliant financier and compassionate champion of the poor and elderly. He died at age seventy-eight, having been a De La Salle Christian Brother for sixty-three years.