As a young man, Derrick entered the University of Oxford, On a school holiday in Hungary, Derrick became incapacitated by a severe gastroenteritis that took several years of recovery. During his convalescence, he wrote The Portugal of Salazar (1938), a sympathetic study of the Corporatist regime of dictator António de Oliveira Salazar in Portugal.
In 1938, Derrick was hired as an assistant editor of The Tablet.[1] He worked for the magazine until his death, throughout the period of the weekly newspaper's greatest prestige.[2] He frequently wrote the editorial "Notebook" column.
In 1951, Derrick married Anneliese Burkhardt, and the couple moved to Petersham. They had two sons.
For a few months before his death, Derrick served as the London correspondent of L'Osservatore Romano. On 29 July 1961, Derrick fell seriously ill. He died on 5 August 1961, a few hours after receiving the viaticum.
Publications
Books
The Portugal of Salazar. London: Sands; Paladin Press, 1938.
Pamphlets and essays
A guerra e a aliança luso-britânica. Lisboa: Bertrand, 1940.
Eastern Catholics under Soviet Rule. London: Sword of the Spirit and The Tablet, 1946.
Cardinal Mindszenty. Sword Pamphlet. London: Richard Madley, [1948].
'The Treasonable Clerks of 1848', Dublin Review 442 (1948), pp. 49–67.
Persecution in Poland. London: Sword of the Spirit, [1953].
Tito and the Catholic Church. With a foreword by Cardinal Griffin. London: Sword of the Spirit, [1953].
Spain and Colombia: the Position of Protestants. London: Catholic Truth Society, [1955].
Pope John XXIII. London: Catholic Truth Society, 1958.
'Epilogue' to Zsolt Aradi, John XXIII, Pope of the Council. London: Burns & Oates, [1961].
Books edited or translated
Lu Zhengxiang, Ways of Confucius and of Christ, tr. Michael Derrick. London: Burns & Oates, 1948.
Nazareno Padellaro, Portrait of Pius XII, tr. Michael Derrick etc. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1956.
Wladimir d'Ormesson, The Papacy, tr. Michael Derrick. Faith and Fact Books no. 80. London: Burns & Oates, 1959.
René Metz, What is Canon Law?, tr. Michael Derrick. Faith and Fact Books no. 79. London: Burns & Oates, 1960.
William Eric Brown, The Catholic Church in South Africa: from its origins to the present day, ed. Michael Derrick. London: Burns & Oates, 1960.
References
^Obituary in The Tablet, August 12, 1961, pp. 773-774.