Michael Watson went to school in Athlone, Ireland (a fellow pupil was T. P. O'Connor, who became a celebrated journalist in London). After training for the secular priesthood for a number of years, he entered the Jesuits in Dublin 1867 and was ordained a priest in Liege, Belgium, in 1871. He arrived in Australia in 1873 and taught for most of the rest of his life at St Patrick's College, East Melbourne, Victoria. In addition to his teaching duties, in 1887 he was appointed the first editor of the Jesuit publication the Australian Messenger of the Sacred Heart. This journal, which consists of religious and literary essays, short stories and poetry, is still being published. Watson remained as editor for 30 years.
In 1897 Watson was founding editor of Madonna, another journal that still survives. He edited that journal until his death in 1931. For the last 45 years of his life, Michael Watson was completely deaf, a great trial for a man who enjoyed the company of other people. Apart from his literary works, he was the author of devotional works, literary and historical essays. Watson also wrote Primary Instruction in Victoria: A Plea for Parental Rights (1879), edited The Consecration of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne: Solemn Triduum of Celebration, Sunday, Oct. 31 - Tuesday, Nov. 2, 1897 (1898) and produced many pamphlets for the Australian Catholic Truth Society.
