Item 2252 - Fr Michael White SJ

Born: 1654, Carrick-on-Suir, County Waterford
Entered: 03 April 1674, Lisbon, Portugal - Lusitaniae Province (LUS)
Ordained: 1688/9, Lisbon, Portugal
Final Vows: 24 February 1692
Died: 08 March 1719, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal - Lusitaniae Province (LUS)

Alias Kehoe; Vitus

1678-1681 At Évora LUS studying Philosophy
1690-1719 At Funchal, Madeira has been teaching Grammar and Rhetoric before he went there. Concinator, Prefect of Studies and Admonitor there.
1696-1699 Rector of Funchal College (Francois Aunales??)
1705 Rector of Funchal College and Visitor of islands of Madeira and Terceira
1717 Adminitor and Preacher at Funchal

◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
1695-1699 rector of Madeira College
A man of extraordinary piety; Wonderful things are told of him in Franco’s “Annales”
Perhaps he was the Michael White acting as PP in Meath, 1704, who was Ordained in Lisbon 21 September 1679 (List of Registered Popish Priests, 1704)

◆ Fr Francis Finegan SJ :
1676-1690 After First Vows he was sent for studies at Évora where he graduated MA. he was then sent to Coimbra for Regency. After this he was sent to Lisbon for Theology and was Ordained there 1688/89. Like his namesake Mathias White also served as Minister at the Irish College Lisbon during his Theology.
1690-1700 He was sent to join Mathias White at Funchal, Madeira where he was Prefect of Studies and later Rector (1696-1700)
1700-1719 After he finished as Rector, he spent the rest of his life at Funchal and died there 08 March 1719. The exception to his life at Funchal was when he was appointed Visitor to the Portuguese Province (1700-1705)

◆ James B Stephenson SJ Menologies 1973

Father Michael White SJ 1654-1719
“The year 1917, of the Society 180, at the College of Madeira on the 8th of March, Father Michael White, an Irishman, departed this life. Having entered the Society in Portugal, he was sent on the completion of his studies to the island of Madeira, where he passed the rest of his life.

Unassuming and gentle, the archetype of a religious man, he engaged much in contemplating divine things. Whenever the many English ships arrived at the island for the purpose of trading, it can scarcely be expressed how useful he proved, not only to the secret Catholics, but also those alien to our Faith, who he brought back to the Church. By his example he won over externs as well as Ours to the love of virtue. Everyone looked up to him as a man very dear to God”.

He was Rector of the College of Madeira for many years.