Born: 1609, County Kilkenny (Ossory)
Entered: 09 December 1628, Back Lane, Dublin
Ordained: 1637,
Died: July 1649, Galway City, County Galway
Left Society of Jesus: 02 August 1640
Did he die in July 1649 or was he Dismissed as suggested by Finegan 02/08/1649??
◆ Francis Finegan SJ Biographical Dictionary 1598-1773
He was born in Ossory in 1609, and entered the Society at the shortlived Dublin Novitiate on December 9, 1628. Before his admission, he had studied Humanities under secular Masters.
After his first religious profession he was sent to Douai for his course of Philosophy, and then spent an extra years studying Humanities at Tournai. he made his Theological studies in the Sicilian Province, at the College of Palermo, where he was ordained priest in 1637. After his Tertianship at Spoleto, he returned to Ireland in June 1638.
No account of his early years on the Mission has survived. His relations with his Anglo-Irish Superiors of their Consultors, and correspondence with Rome, suggested that he was vacillating in his vocation to the Society. Similar reports had been sent to Rome with regard to Father O’Carolan, but he had denied them. Verdier, however, during his Visitation, met O’Carroll, and reported of him:- that he was teaching Philosophy in Galway, and was now twenty-two years in the Society, but not yet professed; he was a man of not very robust health, but of a happy disposition;
Why his profession has been put off is not very clear to me. he is a good man and of excellent ability. His Superior, Father Moore, urges insistently, that he should be advanced to profession. He comes of a noble family of Old Irish stock. His feelings were on the side of the Nuncio, but he did not desire to express his mind against the opinion of the Superior of the Mission (Malone)”.
By the time Verdier’s report reached Rome, the General was dead, and Malone, on August 2, expelled Father O’Carroll from the Society, alleging that he had refused to renew his simple Vows. The Vicar-General at Rome, who had apparently not seen Verdier’s report on O’Carroll, endorsed Malone’s action. Neither the Vicar-General nor the new General seem ever to have see Verdier’s Report of the Irish Mission. Otherwise it is impossible to explainwhy Malone was actually nominated for a second period of office.
No details of Father O’Carroll’s later life have come down to us.
◆ George Oliver Towards Illustrating the Biography of the Scotch, English and Irish Members SJ
CARROLL, CHARLES. “Ex familia nobili antiquorum Hibernorum”, as Pere Verdier expresses it in his Report of the 24th of June, 1649. He was then in Galway, aged 40, Soc. 22. When he died I cannot discover.
◆ Henry Foley - Records of the English province of The Society of Jesus Vol VII
CARROLL, CHARLES, Father (Irish), born 1609; entered the Society 1627. Père Verdier, the Visitor, mentions him in his report June 24, 1649, as then in Galway and of a noble and ancient Irish family, (Oliver, Irish Section, from Stonyhurst MISS.)
◆ In Chronological Catalogue Sheet as Ent c1629
same as Charles Carroll Ent 07/12/1628??
◆ Old/15 (1) has “Charles Carroll” corrected to “O’Carroll” on one (13) Ent 07/12/1628 corrected to 09/12/1628 RIP 1648-9
◆ Old/15 (1) has “Charles O’Carroll” Ent c 1679
◆ Old/16 has : “P Charles O’Carroll”; DOB 1606 or 1609; Ent 1627 or 1629; RIP Jul 1649 Ireland
◆ CATSJ A-H has DOB Munster; Ent 09/12/1628 Tournai;
Not in 1636 CAT
1649 Fr Verdier mentions him as being in Galway and of a noble family
◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
DOB Ossory 1606/1609; Ent 1627/1629.
Passed his Ad Grad and died c 1649 Ireland.
On the Irish Mission from 1638; Taught Philosophy; Is described as a worthy and witty man; of an ancient noble family (cf CAT Defuncti in Morris’ “Excerpta”)
◆ Interfuse No 80 : Spring 1995
“THE PROVINCE OF CONNACHT” BEFORE CROMWELL
Stephen Redmond
This year the Province and especially the Galway companions celebrate three and a half centuries teaching in that famous city. But the Jesuit presence goes back even further. Here is some account of “the Province of Connacht” from very early in the seventeenth century to 1649, It is taken from transcripts of originals made by the great John MacErlean (d. 1950) who contributed so immensely to the record of our history.........
The most graphic and evocative picture of Galway Jesuits in pre Cromwell days is given by Fr Mercure Verdier of the Province of Aquitaine. On the authority of Fr. General Carafa he made an exhaustive visit of the Mission because of the impact on Irish Jesuits of the conflict between the papal nuncio Rinuccini and the Supreme Council of the Catholic Confederation.
At Galway there are nine priests........
P. Charles Carroll..... of pretty affable temperament. I could not see why his final vows should be deferred; P. Malone says that he wavered in his vocation. He is a good man of excellent capacity. P. Moore strongly urges his profession. He is of a noble Old Irish family. He favoured the Nuncio but did not wish to express his mind against the view of the superior of the mission.
