Born: 06 August 1752, Wexford Town, County Wexford
Entered: 05 January 1772, San Andrea, Rome, Italy
Left Society of Jesus: 05 January 1772 (time of Suppression)
◆ In Chronological Catalogue Sheet as Ent 05/01/1772
◆ Old/15 (1) has “Sinnot or Sinnet” Ent 05/01/1772 RIP 1806?
◆ Old/16 has : “Synnott” andded in pen “John”; DOB Wexford; Ent 1771 Rome
◆ Old/17 has “Vennet” Ent 05/01/1772 St Andrea and “Sennet”
◆ CATSJ I-Y has “Sennett”; DOB 06/08/1744 Irish; Ent 05/01/1772 St Andrea, Rome
Last Novice received??
1676 (sic) “John Sennett - Ex Jesuit - wrote a letter from Rome to Rector of Irish College Rome on 11/10. He says that Dr Moylan, Bishop of Kerry had written to him on some business - was Sennett a Kerryman??
The Irish Jesuits in the Papal States at the time of Suppression were : John Sennett, James Connell and John Baron.
◆ Fr Edmund Hogan SJ “Catalogica Chronologica” :
No Ch Name Synnott
DOB probably Wexford; Ent 1771 St Andrea, Rome, and was the last in the house to put off the Jesuit habit.
The following letter of James Butler to Father Aylmer, dated Tivoli 1814, gives information about him and the Irish and other Jesuits of the old times. (This letter was rescued from a fire, it being thought unedifiying and uninteresting) :
“Father James Butler SJ to Father Aylmer at the Gesù, Tivoli, August 1814. When I reached Tivoli, my Jesuit dress and cross were recognised by the people, who crowded around me, kissing my hands and begging my blessing. I found there six Fathers of the Old Society, nearly all Spaniards. The Superior was a fellow labourer of Father O’Callaghan in the Philippine Islands, and parted with him in 1770. Nearly all had been subjects or companions of Irish Jesuits, and all agree in giving them great praise for their abilities and virtues. The Bishop’s secretary tells me that he know many of our countrymen, and among others, one who was a Novice at St Andrea, Rome at the time of the Suppression. When the officials were going to unfrock him, he said ‘Hands off, you shall not meddle with me as long as there is a single Jesuit in the house dressed in the habit of St Ignatius’. They did not press him till all the others were deprived of their religious dress. He said to tem ‘Go tell the Pope that an Irishman was the last to part with the habit of St Ignatius’. The punishment of this spirited conduct was a pension from Rezzonico, who took him into his house, treated him as an equal and a most intimate friend. After some time he told his patron that he wished to see his native land, and the Senator Rezzonico took him with him on his travels, and left him in Ireland. The name of this true Irishman was Synnott. The Fathers are extremely kind to me. The first evening, when Recreation and Litanies were over, they lighted their tapers, and when I was going to light mine, they stopped me, and said the old custom was to light every newcomer to his room, and the Superior said, tjhat in the Philippines, it was as well the custom to wash the feet of the newly arrived. So, off we went in solemn procession to my cell, when I found that one of the old Fathers had made my bed, put fresh water in my basin, and trimmed my lamp”.
(Senator Abbondio Rezzonico was a nephew of Pope Clement XIII)
Note from Br John O’Brien Entry
It may not be out of place to mention that Edmund Hogan stated that the Italian Fathers told James Butler, of Clongowes fame, in 1805, that an Irish Jesuit Synnott was the last to leave off the Jesuit habit worn at the time of the Suppression in 1773 - “Go and tell His Holiness that it was an Irishman was the last member to put aside the habit”. So, Brother O’Brien was the last Brother to put aside the tall-hat in 1892 in obedience to the order of the Provincial Timothy Kenny.
◆ Calendar of MacErlean Transcipts Addenda Irishmen who entered Rome and Spain 1561-1772 (Finegan)
John Synnot
05 January 1772 Entered St Andrea Rome
Francis Finegan SJ Biographical Dictionary 1598-1773
John Sinnot
He was born in Wexford August 6, 1752, and he entered the Society in Rome on January 5, 1772, on the even of the Suppression.
According to a letter of Father James Butler to Father Charles Aylmer (both Irish members of the newly restored Society in 1814, John Sinnot was the last member of the community at Sant Andrea to part with his Jesuit gown. That Sinnot eventually returned to Ireland is clear from the same letter. It is not stated in it, however, that Sinnot eventually became a Priest, although it can be argued that his very spirited refusal to be unfrocked indicated his strong desire to be a priest.
He may be identical with the Father John Sinnott of Ferns diocese, who was living in 1786.
◆ Menology of the Society of Jesus: The English Speaking Assistancy
August 31
Brother Synnott was probably a native of Wexford, who joined the Novitiate of St. Andrea, at Rome, in 1771, and was the last in the house to put off the Jesuit dress. Father James Butler refers to this novice in a letter to Father Aylmer, then resident at the Gesù. “When I reached Tivoli”, he writes, “my habit and cross were recognized by the people, who crowded round me, kissing my hands and begging my blessing. I found there six Fathers of the old Society, nearly all Spaniards; the Superior was a fellow-labourer with Father O'Callaghan in the Philippine Islands, and parted from him in 1770. Most of these had been subjects or companions of Irish Jesuits, and all agreed in giving them great praise for their abilities and virtues. The Bishop's secretary tells me that he knew many of our countrymen, and among others, one who was a novice at St. Andrea's at the time of the Suppression. When the officials were going to unlrock him, he said, ‘Hands off, you shall not meddle with me as long as there is a single Jesuit in the house dressed in the habit of St. Ignatius’. They did not press him till all the others were deprived of their religious dress, and then, out no holding out no longer he exclaimed, ‘Go, tell the Pope that an Irishman was the last to part with the habit of St. Ignatius’. The punishment of this spirited conduct was a pension from the Senator Rezzonico, who took him into his house, and treated him as an euqal and as a most intimate friend. After some time he told his patron that he wished to see his native land, and Rezzonico made him his companion in his travels, and, taking him to Ireland, left him there. The name of this true Irishman was Synnott”. Then Father Butler goes on to say of himself : “The Fathers are extremely kind to me. The first evening, when recreation and Litanies were over, they lighted their tapers, and when I was going to light mine, they stopped me, and said the old custom was to light every new-comer to his room, and the Superior said that in the Philippines it was the custom as well to wash the feet of the newly-arrived. So off we went in solemn procession to my cell, where I found that one of the old Fathers had made my bed, put fresh water in my basin, and trimmed my lamp”.
The subsequent career of Brother Synnott after the date of the Suppression remains unrecorded.
