Born: 10 August 1710, Dublin City, County Dublin
Entered: 18 November 1728, Lisbon, Portugal - Lusitaniae Province (LUS)
Ordained: 1743
Died: 1758, Dublin
Official Catalogus Defuncti MISSING

◆ In Chronological Catalogue Sheet as Ent 17/11/1728 and Old/15 (1)

◆ Old/16 has : “P Laurence Croak”; DOB 10/08/1710 Dublin; Ent 17/11/1728 Lisbon; Prof 4 Vows; RIP 1758 Dublin

◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
DOB 10/08/1710 Dublin; Ent 17/11/1728 Lisbon; RIP 1758 Dublin

Taught Rhetoric and Theology in Ireland

1751 In Ireland
1752 At Lord Trimleston’s (a Barnewall home in Meath)
1755 At Dublin Residence

◆ Calendar of MacErlean Transcipts Addenda III Catalogi of Irish Mission 1700-1735 & 1735-1752 (Finegan)
1751 Fr Laurence Croak arrived on the Irish Mission
1751-1752 Dublin Residence

◆ MacErlean Cat Miss HIB SJ 1670-1770
1730 LUS Cat
Collegium Coimbra
“Laurentius Croak” (later called “Laurentius Patricio”)
Born 09/08/1710 Dublin
Entered 18/11/1728
Novice

1734 LUS Cat
Collegium Evora
“Laurentius Patricio”
Born 09/08/1710 Dublin
Entered 10/11/1728
For Irish Mission; Studying Philosophy Novice

1737 LUS Cat
Collegium Evora
“Laurentius Patricio” (vere Croak)
Born 09/08/1710 Dublin
Entered 18/11/1728
For Irish Mission; Studying Philosophy; Teaching Humanities 2

1740 LUS Cat
Collegium Coimbra
“Laurentius Patricio”
Born 09/08/1710 Dublin
Entered 10/11/1728
For Irish Mission; Studying Philosophy; Teaching Latin 2

1743 LUS Cat
Collegium Coimbra
“Laurentius Patricio”
Born 10/08/1710 Dublin
Entered 18/11/1728
For Irish Mission; Studying Philosophy, Theology; Taught Grammar, Rhetoric 6 years

1745 LUS Cat Brevis
Collegium Coimbra
“Laurentius Patricio”
Theology 4

1746 LUS Cat Brevis
Collegium Elvas
“Laurentius Patricio”
Teaching Latin

1747 LUS Cat Brevis
Collegium Elvas
“Laurentius Patricio”
Teaching Latin

1748 LUS Cat Brevis
Collegium Faro
“Laurentius Patricio”
Teaching Moral Theology and working in S Barbara chapel

1749 LUS Cat Brevis
Collegium Faro
“Laurentius Patricio”
Born 09/08/1710 Dublin
Entered 18/11/1728
Professed Four Vows
Teaching Grammar & Rhetoric 8, Moral Theology 1

◆ Francis Finegan SJ Biographical Dictionary 1598-1773
He was born in Dublin, August 9, 1710, and entered the Society in Portugal, November 18, 1728.

After his Noviceship he studied Philosophy at Évora, and then for six years taught Latin in the Jesuit schools at Évora, Faro and Coimbra. He made his Theological studies at the University of Coimbra, 1741-1745, and was ordained priest in 1743.

At the end of his studies he was sent to teach Latin at Elvas, and later held a chair of Moral Theology at Faro for two years.

He was recalled to Ireland in 1751, and for the next few years was Chaplain to the household of Lord Trimleston.

In 1755 he was Operarius in Dublin, but no record of the date or place of his death has survived.

◆ Henry Foley - Records of the English province of The Society of Jesus Vol VII
CROAK, LAWRENCE, Father (Irish), was born in Dublin August 10, 1710; entered the Society, at Lisbon, November 17, 1728; and was in due time professed of the four vows. Returning to Ireland in 1751, he was for some time Chaplain to Lord Trimblestown, and subsequently assisted as a Parish Priest in Dublin. (Oliver, from Stonyhurst MSS.)

Born: 17 January 1627, Athlone, County Westmeath
Entered: 31 December 1648, Lisbon, Portugal - Lusitaniae Province (LUS)
Ordained: 1654, Évora, Portugal
Final Vows: 02 February 1665, London, England
Died: 19 August 1705, Irish College, Poitiers, France - Lusitaniae Province (LUS)

Alias Hugo Hues; Hugo Cullen

Confessor to Queen of England, Catherine of Braganza, for 27 years

“Colan” - called “Cullenam” by Fr Knowles; signs himself as “Colano”; also separate entry has “Hugo Colano alias Hues” as he signs himself in a letter from Paris 13 November 1682
1651 In Philosophy teacher of Mathematics at Lisbon for 4 years
1655 Teacher of Mathematics at Elvas College Lisbon for 4 years
1661 at Évora College
1685 Returned to Ireland from Paris
1690-1696 at Irish College Poitiers and 1697-1703, then Procurator there 1703-1705
RIP Poitiers 19/08/1705 or 1704

◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
Confused two Entries (1) Heys or Hayes and (2) Hughes or Hues
(1) Heys or Hayes (cf below)
DOB c 1626 Ireland; Ent c 1647;
This Irish Jesuit is described by Father Conn in 1669 as “capellano effectivo della Regina e missionario legittimo” (Battersby “Jesuits” p 79)
Perhaps he is the same as Father Hughes of Hugo Colan
(2) Hughes or Hues
DOB Ireland; Ent c 1671; RIP 19/08/1709 Poitiers (in pencil)

◆ Fr Francis Finegan SJ :
Began his studies (in Portugal?) before Ent at Lisbon 31 December 1648
After First Vows he seems to have made all his studies at Évora and was Ordained there by 1654
He taught Mathematics at Elvas - though his Superiors thought he was better suited to literary subjects.
1661/2 Sent to London and made Final Vows there 02 February 1665
1671 He was Chaplain to Queen Catherine of Braganza, wife of Charles II and a Court Preacher in England. There he received from here some generous donations for a new Irish College or Novitiate at Athlone, but this money was actually used to found the new Irish College at Poitiers, until the Athlone project could be realised. This Athlone project never got off the ground, even though the thinking was that it could be disestablished in France and moved to Athlone..
During the Titus Oates Plot Cullen was a refugee in France and was acting as Procurator of the Irish Mission. Afterwards he returned to London and was again Chaplain to Queen Catherine. He was later envoy-extraordinary of James II to the court of Lisbon in order to solicit help from Portugal against William of Orange. This mission proved fruitless. He then came to Saint-Germain-en-Laye in service of the exiled James II, and he lived there until at least 1693.
1693 Took up residence as Procurator at the Irish College Poitiers, which he had done so much to found, and he died there 19/08/1705.
In his lifetime he was acknowledged by the General as “bene meritus” of the Society
Though the Athlone project was never realised, at the Suppression of the Society, some considerable part of the foundation was rescued in time by a Scots Jesuit - Crookshank - from a Paris bank. This money later formed part of the purchase money of the Restored Society’s first house in Ireland, Clongowes Wood College.
It is impossible to decide if his name was various spellings of “Cullen” or “Hughes” (his father’s surname and which his mother’s?). This difficulty similarly arises with others such as “D’Arcy/Bermingham” and “Thaly/Johnston”

◆ James B Stephenson SJ Menologies 1973
Father John Hughes 1630-1705
At Poitiers on August 30th 1705 died Fr John Hughes, who may be regarded as the founder of the fortunes of the resuscitated Society in Ireland. He was Chaplain to Catherine of Braganza, Consort of Charles II of England. Through this connection, he came into the possession of a vast sum of money, which he placed at the disposal of Fr General for the use of the Irish Mission.

In particular he wished to found a house of Ours at Athlone, a fact which leads us to suspect that he was born there in 1630. This house was to be a College with a noviceship attached, revenues being sufficient to support a College and 24 novices. A foundation of sorts was made, which lasted only a short while with five of our Fathers. The bulk of the money was used to found our House at Poitiers. What was left formed the nest=egg which our Fathers so wisely invested at the Suppression, and which was afterwards used to purchase Castle Brown. Clongowes.

Fr Hughes, whose name is found in Jesuit letters under various aliases - Hugh Collins; Hugh Cullenan or Colan – resided for 30 years in London, as he hmiself states in a letter dated 1st May 1684.

When he died at Poitiers in 1705, Fr Knowles referred to him as “insignis et praecipus huius missionis benefactor”.

◆ George Oliver Towards Illustrating the Biography of the Scotch, English and Irish Members SJ
CULLENAN, HUGH. This Rev, Father was a Chaplain to Catharine, Queen of Charles II. and was mainly instrumental by his influence with her Majesty in procuring a splendid sum towards the erection of the Seminary at Poitiers. For 30 years, as I find by his letter of the 1st of May, 1684, he had resided in London. He was so successful in collecting funds for that establishment as justly to merit the title as its second founder. To the Irish Mission also he proved a generous friend. The year of his death I cannot fix; but F. Knoles, in his letter of the 6th of April, 1714, enumerating , the Fathers who died in exile “tempore bellorum” mentions F. Hugh Cullenan “insignis et praecipuus hujus Missionis Benefactor”.