Brother Francis was born, in the town of Mashrah, Lebanon, about
thirty miles from Beirut, in 1913. His given name was Fakhri Boutros Maluf. The Maluf family is descended from the ancient Ghassanids,
Christian and Catholic Arabs who courageously kept the Faith in the
face of Moslem aggression.
Though poor, Fakhri’s family saw to his education, which was
provided at home, in a small school that his father operated. In
1934, Fakhri graduated from the American
University of Beirut with a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics.
From 1934 to 1939, he taught physics at that same University.
In 1939, he moved to the United States to attend the University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he received first an M.A. and, in
1942, a Ph.D. in philosophy. After receiving his Ph.D., he continued
post-graduate studies at Harvard
University and Saint Bonaventure University.
From 1942 to 1945, Dr. Maluf taught mathematics and science at
Holy Cross
College in Worcester, Massachusetts. From 1945 to 1949, he taught philosophy, theology, and mathematics at Boston College.
In addition to his academic career, Dr. Maluf's first
decade in America was filled with great religious activity. On the
Feast of St. Andrew (Nov. 30) in 1940, he became a Catholic.
(Although he came from an historic Catholic family, his father had
become a Mason and raised the children with no religion.) Two years
later, he met Father
Leonard Feeney, chaplain of Saint Benedict Center. In 1949, Dr.
Maluf and two other professors at Boston College were dismissed from
the faculty after charging the College, in a letter to Pope Pius XII
and the Superior General of the Jesuit Order, with promoting the
liberal doctrine of salvation outside the Church. That same year, Dr.
Maluf became one of the pioneer members of Father Feeney’s
religious Order, the Slaves
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, eventually taking the vows of
religion and the name Brother Francis, after Saint Francis Xavier.
Since that time, Brother Francis continued to teach Sacred
Scripture, philosophy, theology, science and mathematics at various
levels. For many years he was the Superior of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary monastery in Richmond, New Hampshire. While in his 90s, he continued to give weekly lectures on various topics, teach high school, head the Saint Augustine Institute of Catholic Studies, and oversee the publishing apostolate of Saint Benedict Center.
On July 19, 2009, Brother Francis marked his 96th
birthday. On September 5 of that year — a first Saturday — Brother went to his reward.
Although our Order is of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church,
Brother Francis was a Melkite Rite (Byzantine) Catholic.
Please read Brother Francis’ Obituary and the Ad Rem, The Funeral of Brother Francis, in Thoughts and Pictures.
He gave numerous lectures and courses that are available on our online store in books or on audio.
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