Roche, Alexander, 1672-1744, Jesuit priest

Person

Roche, Alexander, 1672-1744, Jesuit priest

• Alexander a Rocha
• Alexander da Rocca
• Alexander a Rupe
• Alexander de Rupe
• de la Rocca
• de Rocca
• de Roche

01 January 1672-04 November 1733

Born: 01 January 1672, Munster, Ireland
Entered: 17 March 1693, Bologna, Italy - Venetae Province (VEM)
Ordained: 1705, Rome, Italy
Final Vows: 15 August 1709
Died: 04 November 1733, Irish College, Rome, Italy - Romanae Province (ROM)

Alias de Rupe

1705 At Roman College in 4th year Theology
1710-1714 At Roman College Penitentiary (or Loreto College. Good talent and judgement. Well versed in Moral things. Taught Grammar, Humanities and Rhetoric
1715 to 1719 & 1723-1724 & 1729-1740 & 1742-1743 Rector of Irish College Rome (said to be so in 1667, but this must be another Alex)
In a letter regarding a sale of an item he signs himself “de Roche”

(cf Alexander Roche a century earlier)
“St Jan Berchmans died 13 August 1621. The day before he died Fr Nicholas Radkaï and Alexander Rocca (Roche an Irish Jesuit) entered his room. When he perceived them he said eagerly : ‘Come in, Come in my very dear brother Rocca. I want to bid you farewell as it is probable that I shall depart tomorrow. Take good care to prove yourself a true son of the Society and to defend vigorously the Holy Roman Church against the heretics of your northern lands’. ‘I earnestly wish you to do so, but you for your part obtain for me from heaven the virtues and qualities necessary for the missionaries in this region, and do not forget the immense needs of my poor fatherland, you know them well enough.’ ‘Yes, yes, very well’ said the dying man ‘we will remember all that in heaven’” Vanderspeetens on the life of Jan Berchmans p 255

◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
Dr Burke in his “Hibernia Dominicana” says “I have often heard that respectable religious, Father Alexander Roche, the most worthy Rector of the Irish College Rome, say that Benedict XIII was a munificent benefactor of that College”. (Burke was in Rome 1724-1743)
1727 He was rector of Irish College Rome. He was praised in Marefoschi’s “Relazione” of his visit to the Irish College in 1771.

◆ Fr Francis Finegan SJ :
1695-1702 After First Vows he was sent on Regency to Forli and Piacenza
1702-1706 Sent for Theology to the Roman College and was Ordained there 1705.
1706-1708 He then spent two years as Prefect of Studies first at the Maronite College and then the Irish College in Rome
1708-1709 Made Tertianship at Florence
1708-1714 After Tertianship he was substitute Penitentiary for the English at St Peter’s in Rome
1714-1744 Initially Vice-Rector, and then a month later appointed Rector of Irish College Rome, and he held this Office until his death 04 November 1744. His was the longest Rectorate in the history of the College.
He was regarded as a potential member of the Irish Jesuit Mission and his name was sub- mitted to the General for nomination to the Superiorship in Ireland. During his long residence in Rome, he acted as Procurator of the Irish mission.

IE IJA