Roche MacGeoghegan
Encyclopedia
Roche MacGeoghegan also known as Roque de la Cruz, was a seventeenth-century century Irish
Dominican
prelate
and Tridentine
reformist. A member of an aristocratic family from County Westmeath
, he obtained a mostly Roman Catholic childhood education before, in his twenties, moving to Iberia
and entering the Dominician Order. After many years promoting the revitalisation of the Order in Ireland
, from Ireland and Continental Europe
, he was considered unsuccessfully for the archbishopric of Armagh
in 1625 and then successfully for the bishopric of Kildare
in 1629. After a dozen years as bishop, his health slowly declined and he died in 1644.
. His family had a background of involvement in the Irish Counter-Reformation. Later, two of his cousins became Dominican friars, and another cousin, Anthony MacGeoghegan, became the Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonmacnoise
.
Despite being educated in a Protestant school for 6 months, the bulk of MacGeoghegan's early education was in the hands of Catholics, men such as the Westmeath priest John Power, as well as Catholic laymen in Westmeath and County Tipperary
. He travelled to Lisbon
in 1600 and joined the Domincan Order, acquiring the name Roque de la Cruz. At the Irish College in Lisbon he spent many months learning the Humanities
, before he moved to Salamanca
in 1601 .
and to celebrate the sacrament
s anywhere on the island.
For his preaching and organisational efforts he achieved recognition in Continental Europe
, for instance when he attended the Dominican chapter meeting at Lisbon in 1618. he was awarded the decree of praesentatus. While at this chapter meeting, MacGeoghegan presented his plans for the recovery of the Dominicans in Ireland, a plan that was accepted by the Order. All Irish Dominicans in Continental Europe were instructed to return to Ireland after completion of their training, and MacGeoghegan was empowered to recall Irish Domicans who had not returned after their training.
, Archbishop of Armagh
, MacGeoghegan emerged as one of the leading candidates to be Lombard's successor. The Dominican Order pressurised the papacy for his appointment, keen to secure one of their Order in such a position to compete with the Franciscan
s, who held a number of Irish see
s. He was also supported by Philip II
, King of Castile. However, mainly due to the opposition of the Earl of Tyrone
and the Earl of Tyrconnell
, who were opposed to someone from the Pale
becoming the archbishop in Ulster, his candidacy failed and a Franciscan, Hugh MacCaghwell
, succeeded instead. He was compelled to go into exile after briefly falling foul of government authorities, fleeing to Leuven
(Louvain), Flanders
, in 1626.
At Leuven, MacGeoghegan remained active, successfully lobbying King Philip II for the foundation of a Dominican college in that city. In 1628, the prospect of a more modest episcopal post closer to his homeland came up. On May 5, 1628, he was unsuccessfully provided to the bishopric of Kildare
. This provision was repeated on February 12, 1629, this time successfully, and MacGeoghegan returned to Ireland as bishop. The new Bishop of Kildare was highly active during his early years and was known for his piety and discipline, wearing chains and a hair-shirt under his clothes. He actively carried out visitation
s and other episcopal duties, held diocesan synod
s and attended a provincial synod in 1640.
, he was overcome with paralysis
and died immediately. Contemporary official records however reveal that in the 1640s Bishop MacGeoghegan's health declined and that he became paralysed, remaining is such a condition for an extended period before his death. In the event, he died on May 26, 1644, perhaps in County Westmeath. His place of burial is not known for certain, but it was likely at either Multyfarnham
Franciscan friary, the traditional burial place for his family, or at the Catholic Church of Kildare. He left an extensive library which, after his death, was divided between his diocese and the Dominican Order.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
prelate
Prelate
A prelate is a high-ranking member of the clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin prælatus, the past participle of præferre, which means "carry before", "be set above or over" or "prefer"; hence, a prelate is one set over others.-Related...
and Tridentine
Tridentine
The adjective Tridentine refers to any thing or person pertaining to the city of Trent, Italy .It is applied in particular to:*The Council of Trent, one of the ecumenical councils recognized by the Roman Catholic Church, held in that city in the 16th century, and to the teachings emphasized by it...
reformist. A member of an aristocratic family from County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, he obtained a mostly Roman Catholic childhood education before, in his twenties, moving to Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
and entering the Dominician Order. After many years promoting the revitalisation of the Order in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, from Ireland and Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
, he was considered unsuccessfully for the archbishopric of Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...
in 1625 and then successfully for the bishopric of Kildare
Bishop of Kildare
The Bishop of Kildare was an episcopal title which took its name after the town of Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. The title is no longer in use by any of the main Christian churches having been united with other bishoprics. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title has been merged with that of...
in 1629. After a dozen years as bishop, his health slowly declined and he died in 1644.
Origins and background
Born in 1580, Roche was the sixth son of Ross MacGeoghegan, chief of the MacGeoghegan kindred of Moycashel, County WestmeathCounty Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
. His family had a background of involvement in the Irish Counter-Reformation. Later, two of his cousins became Dominican friars, and another cousin, Anthony MacGeoghegan, became the Roman Catholic Bishop of Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise
Bishop of Clonmacnoise was the ordinary of the Roman Catholic episcopal see based at Clonmacnoise, County Offaly, Ireland. The bishops of Clonmacnoise appear in the records for the first time in the 9th century, although inferior in status to the Abbot of Clonmacnoise until the reformation of the...
.
Despite being educated in a Protestant school for 6 months, the bulk of MacGeoghegan's early education was in the hands of Catholics, men such as the Westmeath priest John Power, as well as Catholic laymen in Westmeath and County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. He travelled to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
in 1600 and joined the Domincan Order, acquiring the name Roque de la Cruz. At the Irish College in Lisbon he spent many months learning the Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
, before he moved to Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
in 1601 .
The Dominican
MacGeoghegan spent 8 years at Salamanca, during many of which he lectured to students from Ireland. From 1614 onwards he was active in Ireland in the service of his Order, promoting and reorganising the Dominicans on the island, who had declined almost to oblivion in the previous century. He served as Vicar of the Dominican Order in Ireland between 1614 and 1617. The revitalisation of the Order played an important part in the Irish counter-Reformation, and MacGeoghegan's leadership in this task required grants from the Pope in order to read banned texts, to grant marriage dispensationDispensation (Catholic Church)
In the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, a dispensation is the suspension by competent authority of general rules of law in particular cases...
and to celebrate the sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s anywhere on the island.
For his preaching and organisational efforts he achieved recognition in Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
, for instance when he attended the Dominican chapter meeting at Lisbon in 1618. he was awarded the decree of praesentatus. While at this chapter meeting, MacGeoghegan presented his plans for the recovery of the Dominicans in Ireland, a plan that was accepted by the Order. All Irish Dominicans in Continental Europe were instructed to return to Ireland after completion of their training, and MacGeoghegan was empowered to recall Irish Domicans who had not returned after their training.
The Bishop
MacGeoghegan continued in such a manner for the following decade. After the death of Peter LombardPeter Lombard
Peter Lombard was a scholastic theologian and bishop and author of Four Books of Sentences, which became the standard textbook of theology, for which he is also known as Magister Sententiarum-Biography:Peter Lombard was born in Lumellogno , in...
, Archbishop of Armagh
Archbishop of Armagh
The Archbishop of Armagh is the title of the presiding ecclesiastical figure of each of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland in the region around Armagh in Northern Ireland...
, MacGeoghegan emerged as one of the leading candidates to be Lombard's successor. The Dominican Order pressurised the papacy for his appointment, keen to secure one of their Order in such a position to compete with the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
s, who held a number of Irish see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
s. He was also supported by Philip II
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, King of Castile. However, mainly due to the opposition of the Earl of Tyrone
Sean O'Neill, 3rd Earl of Tyrone
John O'Neill, who called himself 3rd Earl of Tyrone was the youngest son of Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.-Early life:...
and the Earl of Tyrconnell
Hugh O'Donnell, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell
Hugh O'Donnell, 2nd Earl of Tyrconnell , was titular King of Tír Conaill, and son of Rory O'Donnell, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell whose title was however attainted.Aodh , was three weeks shy of his first birthday he sailed from Lough Swilly during the Flight of the Earls, and...
, who were opposed to someone from the Pale
The Pale
The Pale or the English Pale , was the part of Ireland that was directly under the control of the English government in the late Middle Ages. It had reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast stretching from Dalkey, south of Dublin, to the garrison town of Dundalk...
becoming the archbishop in Ulster, his candidacy failed and a Franciscan, Hugh MacCaghwell
Hugh MacCaghwell
Aodh Mac Cathmhaoil, , anglicised as Hugh MacCaghwell , was an Irish Franciscan theologian and archbishop of Armagh...
, succeeded instead. He was compelled to go into exile after briefly falling foul of government authorities, fleeing to Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
(Louvain), Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, in 1626.
At Leuven, MacGeoghegan remained active, successfully lobbying King Philip II for the foundation of a Dominican college in that city. In 1628, the prospect of a more modest episcopal post closer to his homeland came up. On May 5, 1628, he was unsuccessfully provided to the bishopric of Kildare
Bishop of Kildare
The Bishop of Kildare was an episcopal title which took its name after the town of Kildare in County Kildare, Ireland. The title is no longer in use by any of the main Christian churches having been united with other bishoprics. In the Roman Catholic Church, the title has been merged with that of...
. This provision was repeated on February 12, 1629, this time successfully, and MacGeoghegan returned to Ireland as bishop. The new Bishop of Kildare was highly active during his early years and was known for his piety and discipline, wearing chains and a hair-shirt under his clothes. He actively carried out visitation
Canonical Visitation
A canonical visitation is the act of an ecclesiastical superior who in the discharge of his office visits persons or places with a view of maintaining faith and discipline, and of correcting abuses by the application of proper remedies.-Catholic usage:...
s and other episcopal duties, held diocesan synod
Diocesan Synod
In the Anglican Communion, the model of government is the 'Bishop in Synod', meaning that a diocese is governed by a bishop acting with the advice and consent of representatives of the clergy and laity of the diocese. In much of the Communion the body by which this representation is achieved is...
s and attended a provincial synod in 1640.
Death
Two traditions exist about his death exist. A traditional story is that while preaching a sermon in praise of Francis of AssisiFrancis of Assisi
Saint Francis of Assisi was an Italian Catholic friar and preacher. He founded the men's Franciscan Order, the women’s Order of St. Clare, and the lay Third Order of Saint Francis. St...
, he was overcome with paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
and died immediately. Contemporary official records however reveal that in the 1640s Bishop MacGeoghegan's health declined and that he became paralysed, remaining is such a condition for an extended period before his death. In the event, he died on May 26, 1644, perhaps in County Westmeath. His place of burial is not known for certain, but it was likely at either Multyfarnham
Multyfarnham
Multyfarnham or Multyfarnam is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland.-History:The Irish Franciscan friars still maintain a presence in the ancient monastery here which was founded in 1268. During the English conquest of Ireland it was raided six times and twice burnt out by the Crown forces...
Franciscan friary, the traditional burial place for his family, or at the Catholic Church of Kildare. He left an extensive library which, after his death, was divided between his diocese and the Dominican Order.
See also
- Dominicans in IrelandDominicans in IrelandThe Dominican Order has been present in Ireland since 1224 when the first foundation was established in Dublin. This was quickly followed by Drogheda , Kilkenny , Waterford , Limerick and Cork...