Rev Thomas Brown SJTitle: Rev First Name: Thomas Middle Names: Preferred Name: Surname: Brown Order: SJ Date of Birth: 09-Oct-1845 Place of Birth: Newfoundland Country of Birth: Canada Date of Ordination: 1880 Place of Ordination:
Country of Ordination:
Ordination Diocese: Seminary: Date of Death: 28-Sep-1915 Place of Death: Greenwich NSW Country of Death: Australia Date of Burial: 1915 Place of Burial: Gore Hill NSW Country of Burial: Australia Find A Grave URL: Appointments Table
Items per page: 0 of 0 Biographical NotesFr T.J. Linane, From Abel to Zundolovich, Vol. 1, 1979, p 35: Brown, Thomas, SJ, Very Rev., Irish --- Fr David Strong SJ, The Australian dictionary of Jesuit biography 1848-2015, Second Edition, 2017: Administrator; born Newfoundland, 9 October 1845; died Greenwich, NSW, 28 September 1915, aged 69. Thomas Brown first studied at Carlow College, and then entered the Society, 1 August 1866, as a novice at Milltown Park under Aloysius Sturzo. Regency followed, 1869-74, at Tullamore College, where he was prefect of discipline and taught writing and arithmetic. Philosophy was studied at Stonyhurst, 1874-76, and theology followed immediately, first at Innsbruck, 1876-9, then at Stonyhurst, 1879-81. He was not considered a good theological student. From 1881-82 he was minister at Clongowes Wood, and in 1882-3, did tertianship at Hadzor House, Droitwich. During this time he was summoned to Fiesole to see the general and was appointed subsequently the Irish provincial, 1883-88. He was reputed to be sound in administration, and was only 37 years of age. Later he returned to Clongowes as minister, 1888-89 and was then sent to Australia in 1889 and appointed rector of Xavier College, 1890-97. He was also a mission consultor and prefect of studies, 1890-93. At Xavier he had the foresight to build the Great Hall, even by today's standards a grand building, and also the quadrangle. He also planted many trees. However, at the time, during the great Depression, money was scarce and many in the province considered Brown extravagant. From then on, superiors were most watchful over him in financial matters. Grand visions among Jesuits in the Australian province were rarely appreciated at the time. Brown did not seem to have been a particularly gifted teacher, as he did not spend much time in the classroom. From 1897-98 he was posted to St Patrick's College, where he taught and conducted the Sodality of Our Lady. Parish work followed, first at Richmond, 1899-01, then at Norwood, 1901-2, Richmond again, 1902-6, and Hawthorn, 1906-8. Given his supposed gifts in administration, it must have been hard for him to perform work that did not particularly satisfy him. However, he was appointed superior of the mission, 1908-13, but after a sudden breakdown in health he returned to Loyola College, Greenwich, where he died three years later. Brown was experienced by some as a man of iron-will and great courage, broad-mindedness and good judgment, a man upon whom one could rely in difficulties, and with all his reserve an extremely kind-hearted man. (Reproduced by permission of Fr David Strong SJ.) |