Born: 10 June 1677, Clonmel, County Tipperary
Entered: 13 February 1701, Paris, France - Franciae Province (FRA)
Ordained: 1709, Paris, France
Final Vows: 15 August 1716
Died: 14 April 1752, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
Alias Quades
Mission Vice-Superior 1731-1732
Mission Superior 16 May 1733 until 29 October 1750
Studied 1 year Philosophy and 4 Theology in Society
1706-1707 Studying 1st year Theology at Irish College Poitiers
1708 At La Rochelle Collège
1712 On Irish Mission- built a Church in Clonmel at great expense
1714 CAT Teaching Grammar and Philosophy. At present PP and strong
1717 CAT Has been PP at Clonmel, praise by Archbishop who gives him all powers and privileges. Learned with good judgement. Has already converted many heretics, and would do more were it not for the severe penal laws. The heretics tolerate his ministry. Prone to anger.
1736-1742 Superior of Mission
“Index of Irish Wills” suggests Fr Hennessy died in 1752 - Roman Catholic priest, Clonmel
◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
1712 Came to Ireland, and worked there to the great good of the flock, and great satisfaction of the Bishop who had given all faculties. He had converted some Protestants, is a learned man of sound judgement (HIB Catalogues 1714 & 1717)
1725 With Father Gorman had charge of Clonmel and its neighbourhood for three miles out (Dr McDonald and Foley’s Collectanea)
1729 Superior of Irish Mission
Professor of Philosophy
Liked even by the Protestants
◆ Fr Francis Finegan SJ :
Had previously studied two years Philosophy before Ent 13 February 1701 Paris
1703-1706 After First Vows he completed his studies and then taught Humanities at La Rochelle for three years
1706-1709 Then he was sent to Poitiers and later Paris for Theology and was Ordained there 1709
1709-1712 He was then sent as Minister to a Flèche Collège and a year later to teach Philosophy at Quimper
1712 Sent to Ireland and as PP at Clonmel - and effectively Vicar General of the united Dioceses of Waterford and Lismore. He was seen by a “priest hunter” giving Benediction in Clonmel and reported to Dublin Castle
1731-1732 Vice Superior of the Irish Mission during the absence of Ignatius Kelly.
1733-1752 Appointed Superior of Irish Mission 16/05/1733 until 29/10/1750, and continued on as PP at Clonmel until his death there 13 April 1752
During his Office as Mission Superior, the number of Jesuits in Ireland doubled. He was however unsuccessful in getting more Irish speaking Jesuits for the Mission. One of the issues in this was that it had been noted that Irish speaking Jesuits generally had a very good facility for European languages, and therefore were a valuable commodity on the Continent.
◆ James B Stephenson SJ The Irish Jesuits Vol 1 1962
Thomas Hennessy (1733-1750)
Thomas Louis (or Aloysius) Hennessy was born near Clonmel, in the diocese of Lismore, on or about 10th June, 1677. After studying philosophy for two years he entered the Society in the Novitiate of Paris on 13th February, 1701. After his noviceship he completed his philosophy and taught humanities at Le Rochelle for three years. He began his theology when at the Irish College of Poitiers in 1706, was ordained in 1709, and finished his theological course at Paris. He became Minister of the Boarding College of La Flèche that year (1710-11), and was in the following year Professor of Logic at Quimper. At the end of 1712 he returned to Ireland, and was stationed at Clonmel. Having ventured to give Benediction vested in a cope, a priest-hunter reported on 10th January, 1713, that a Popish Bishop who acted after the rules of a Cardinal had arrived in Clonmel. Dublin Castle, of course, issued orders for the arrest of the Roman Cardinal, but the local authorities, knowing Fr Hennessy, took the matter more quietly. Fr Hennessy acted as Vicar-General for the exiled Bishop of Waterford and Lismore from 1615 on, but did not exercise his authority in matters of jurisdiction. He was Vice-Superior of the Mission during Fr Roche's absence (1731-32), and became Superior of it on 16th May, 1733. During his Superiorship he showed he was a good businessman and a strong personality, but at the same time he manifested his profound religious spirit by prompt obedience to the decisions of his Superiors. The Mission grew under him to almost double its numbers. He died at Clonmel on 13th April, 1752.
◆ James B Stephenson SJ Menologies 1973
Father Thomas Henessey 1677-1752
On the 10th of June 1677 in Clonmel was born Thomas Aloysius Henessey. He entered the Jesuits at Paris in 1700 and was professed of four vows in 1706, from which short course we gather that he must have had all his studies complete, or even been ordained before entry.
He came to Clonmel in 1712 prepared as he said himself “to undergo every danger”. The anticipation was fulfilled, for during the 40 years he ministered in Clonmel, he had more than once to ho into hiding, and at any time was liable to the penalties of high treason.
Havinf ventured to give Benediction in a cope, a priest hunter reported that a Popish bishop, who had conducted himself as a cardinal, had arrived in Clonmel. Dublin Castle issued orders for the arrest of the Cardinal, but the local authorities, who knew Fr Henessey, and connived at his ministrations, took no steps. To evade identification he passed under the nam Aloysius Quades in Jesuit correspondence. In the local records of Clonmel for the year 1727 we read “the lease of the Masshouse was renewed by the Corporation”.
Two years later Fr Henessey was made Superior of the Mission, and under his able administration, it rew to twice its size in numbers.
He died in Clonmel on April 14th 1752. In his will, dated November 28th 1751, he desires his burial to be the most frugal, and he bequeaths £10 each to his brother William and his sisters Mary and Catherine. Mr James Henessey is named as executor and heir to the residue, while Nicholas Baron is one of the witnesses. Both of these men were his fellow Jesuits in Clonmel at the time.
◆ George Oliver Towards Illustrating the Biography of the Scotch, English and Irish Members SJ
HENNESSY, THOMAS. I find in a letter of F. Walter Lavallin, dated from Poitiers, the 1st of January, 1713, that F. Thomas Hennessy had sailed for Ireland “paratus ad omnia pericula subeunda”.
