Jeremiah J. Ryan, O.S.A.

1848 – 1898 (November 19)

Jeremiah Joseph Ryan was born in Fedamore, Ireland, in 1848, the son of William Ryan and Catherine McNamara. After his family immigrated to the United States, he studied at Villanova and entered the novitiate there on January 21, 1871, and was professed on January 22, 1872. He made solemn profession on January 24, 1875, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Stephen Ryan, C.M. of Buffalo, New York, on July 19, 1875.

Father Ryan was assigned in 1875 to Saint Mary's Parish, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and in 1890 was named rector of Saint Augustine’s Church, Andover, Mass. In 1894, he was appointed rector of Saint Patrick's in Cambridge, New York.

He was 50 when he died at Saint Patrick's on November 19, 1898, after an illness of several months. A Requiem Mass was offered at Saint Patrick’s on November 22nd, after which his body was taken to Saint Mary's Cemetery in Lawrence.
 

Frederick I. Ryan, O.S.A.

1906 – 1996 (August 24)

Frederick Ignatius Ryan, son of Edward Ryan and Emma Schwartz, was born in Schaghticoke, New York, on August 13, 1906, and baptized in St. John’s Church on August 26, 1906. He attended St. Augustine Academy and Troy High School in Troy, New York. In 1922, he was admitted as a postulant at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, and a year later was accepted into the novitiate. On June 22, 1924, he professed first vows and made solemn profession on August 13, 1927. That same year he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy at Villanova College. He pursued theological studies at St. Monica College, Rome, Italy, where he was ordained to the priesthood on July 6, 1930.

In 1931, Father Ryan was assigned to Saint Rita Parish, Philadelphia. Beginning in December 1936, he spent two years as an assistant in Saint Rita Parish in Chicago Illinois, before returning east to serve at Saint Thomas of Villanova Parish in Rosemont, Pa. On September 6, 1939, Father Ryan was assigned to teach History and English at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, where he helped guide postulants toward the novitiate. On August 7, 1941, he continued his high school teaching career at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine School, Bronx, New York. On September 8, 1945, Father Ryan became a member of the Augustinian Mission Band, in which ministry he spent the next fifteen years.

Father Ryan was prior, pastor and treasurer of various Augustinian communities. In 1936, when asked to be Master of Professed Students, he declined feeling inadequate for that responsibility. In 1957, due to failing health and reasons of conscience, he chose not to accept the offer to be vicar-prior at San Agustin, Marianao, Cuba. In 1959, Father Ryan was appointed prior and pastor of Saint Mary’s Parish, Waterford, N.Y., where he was instrumental in designing and erecting a new friary. He continued his priestly ministry in New York, when in 1965, he was appointed pastor and prior of the Saint Patrick Parish, Cambridge, and in 1968, became an assistant at St. Augustine Church in Troy.

In 1969, when Father Ryan's health began to decline, he was moved to Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital in Philadelphia. The pastor of Saint Augustine Parish in Troy, bore witness to Father Ryan's life of generosity, stating that, "He has been very good here and has been a mighty right arm for me so that I wouldn't make too many mistakes. He has never shirked doing anything that he had been asked. He will be more than welcome back here."

In 1985, Father Ryan's progressive illness made it necessary for him to take up residence at the Teresian House Nursing Home in Albany, New York, where he received proper medical and spiritual care until March 5, 1991, when he retired to Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova, Pa. Father Ryan died on August 24, 1996, at the age of 90. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Saint Mary Church, Waterford, New York. Interment took place in the Ryan family plot at Saint Mary Cemetery.

David H. Ryan, O.S.A.

1910 – 1991 (April 5)

David H. Ryan was born May 15, 1910. He was a graduate of St. Augustine High School in 1926 and the first Augustinian alumnus of the school to be ordained to the priesthood. He was ordained in 1936 together with Father Robert McGrath, O.S.A.

Father Ryan served in many of the California Augustinian communities in education, formation, low income housing, and parochial ministries. He was a person who enjoyed tinkering with things mechanical. While teaching at St. Augustine High School in the early post WWII years one of his subjects was airplane mechanics. He had procured a Navy trainer airplane and the class he taught would disassemble the airplane and then put it back together. Class success was realized when Father Ryan would climb into the cockpit of the airplane at year's end and press the ignition button. People say the noise was deafening as the airplane would be taxied around what was known as the "upper field" of the Saints campus. He was a licensed pilot of light aircraft, a HAM radio operator, and while assigned to the St. Thomas Aquinas Church community in Ojai in his senior years, was writing a computer program on an early desktop computer translating English into Spanish.

While assigned to Ojai in those latter years he was loved by the Hispanic community for his liturgical celebrations in Spanish, especially during the major Church seasons such as Christmas and Easter. He would navigate the streets of Ojai on a Moped scooter, eating lunch with other senior citizens at the Ojai Senior Center. While practicing with the choir in the then downtown chapel in Ojai in preparation for Holy Week, Father Ryan suffered a severe stroke resulting in his death two years later.

Robert P. Russell, O.S.A.

1910 – 1985 (June 30)

A native of Hoosick Falls, New York, Robert Philip Russell was born on April 23, 1910 to Robert Russell and Bridget Darby. As a youth, he attended Saint Mary’s Academy, Hoosick Falls, and completed his high school education at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York. He was received into the novitiate on September 8, 1927, made his profession of simple vows on September 9, 1928 and professed solemn vows on September 9, 1931. He received his B.A. degree in philosophy from Villanova College in 1932, and pursued theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, DC. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop James H. Ryan at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC, on June 11, 1935. Father Russell went on to attain an S.T.L. and a Ph.D. degree from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, Italy, in 1938. He later pursued post-doctoral studies at Laval University, the University of Quebec, and the University of Pennsylvania.
 
In 1938, Father Russell was appointed to the faculty of the Philosophy Department at Villanova College. He served as department chairman from 1957 to 1967. In 1957, he established the first graduate program in philosophy at Villanova leading to the M.A. degree. Until a year before his death he taught graduate courses in philosophy, patristics and theology in the Department of Philosophy and Theology of Villanova University.
 
Ever interested in fostering the cause of Saint Augustine, Father Russell became one of the founders and a member of the Editorial Board of the Fathers of the Church series in 1942. In 1959, he became the founder of the annual “Saint Augustine Lecture” sponsored by Villanova University. In 1967 Father Russell was appointed Director of the Augustinian Institute at Villanova University.    
 
In 1969, Father Russell became the founder and general editor of a new annual journal, Augustinian Studies, devoted exclusively to Augustinian studies, the first of its kind in the English language. In 1970, the Patristic Institute, “Augustinianum,” in Rome, Italy, appointed Father Russell to its faculty, where he taught one semester each year until 1983.
 
From 1944 to 1950, he served as Provincial Secretary. From 1959 to 1965 he served as prior of Saint Mary’s Hall, Villanova.
      
Father Russell died of heart failure in Fitzgerald-Mercy Hospital on June 30, 1985. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in Saint Thomas of Villanova Campus Church on July 2, 1985. The following day  Father Russell was buried in the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
 

Thomas A. Rowan, O.S.A.

1893 – 1956 (November 8)

Thomas Anthony Rowan was born in Brookville, Pennsylvania on December 17, 1893 to Michael Rowan and Julia O’Loughlin. He entered the novitiate at Villanova, Pa., on June 19, 1913, and made his simple profession on June 19, 1914. He was solemnly professed on June 23, 1917, and was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Dougherty in the Philadelphia Cathedral on May 29, 1920.

In 1921, Father Rowan was assigned as a professor at Villanova Preparatory School at Villanova, Pa. In 1924, he was transferred to Cascia Hall, Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began parochial ministry in 1929 with an assignment to Saint Paul Parish, Mechanicville and then in 1932, to Saint Mary Parish, Wateford, both in New York. In 1941, Father Rowan became pastor and prior at Saint Patrick Church, San Diego, CA. He resigned from these offices in December, 1942, and in January, 1943, was sent to Saint Thomas Parish, Ojai. He became pastor there the following year. 

From 1950 to 1956, he was prior and pastor of Our Mother of Good Counsel in Bryn Mawr, Pa. At the Chapter of 1956, he was named prior of Saint Patrick's in Cambridge, N.Y.

On a visit to the Bryn Mawr parish, Father Rowan died in the early morning of November 8, 1956, at 63 years of age, when fire engulfed his room as the apparent the result of a smoldering cigarette. The Funeral Mass was celebrated at Villanova on November 12, after which Father Rowan was buried at Villanova in the Community Cemetery. He was a cousin to Fathers Joseph and Albert Shannon of our Province.
 

Francis J. Rowan, O.S.A.

1852 – 1887 (September 20)

Francis Joseph Rowan, the son of James Rowan and Marjorie Huston, was born in Stranorlar, Ireland on November 12, 1852. He entered the novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, on January 12, 1873, made profession of simple vows on January 25, 1874 and solemn vows on January 26, 1877. He was ordained to the priesthood at Villanova by Bishop Jeremiah Shanahan of Harrisburg on July 14, 1877.

Father Rowan served for a time as Master of Professed Clerics at Villanova, and later as procurator. Ie assisted in the mssions of at Saint Mary's in Lawrence, Massachusetts, and in February, 1887 was assisgned to Saint Augustine Parish, Lansingburg, and two months later, to Saint Mary’s Parish, Waterford, in New York. He died in Brooklyn, New York, at the home of his sister, on September 20, 1887 at the age of 35. .

The Office of the Dead was held at Villanova on Friday, September 23rd with Father Charles McEvoy, Prior Provincial, presiding. A Requiem Mass was celebrated immediately after by Father Daniel Leonard, O.S.A. of Atlantic City. Father Francis McGowan, O.S.A. preached the homily, in which he spoke of Father Rowan’s faithfulness, gentleness and piety.

Father Rowan is buried at Villanova in the Community Cemetery.
 

John E. Rotelle, O.S.A.

1939 – 2002 (September 1)

John Edward Rotelle, son of Mariano Rotelle and Esther Veneziale, was born on January 18, 1939, in Ambler, Pa. He was baptized in Saint Joseph Church in Amber, and received his early education at Saint Joseph Parochial School. In 1956, he graduated from Malvern Preparatory School, Malvern, Pennsylvania, and entered the novitiate at New Hamburg, New York. John professed first vows on September 10, 1957, and solemn vows on September 10, 1960. In 1961, he graduated from Villanova University with the BA in philosophy, and continued his studies at the Augustinian International College of St. Monica in Rome where he was ordained to the priesthood on February 20, 1965. The following year he obtained the STL from the Gregorian University. He continued his studies in liturgy at Instituto San Anselmo in Rome.

While a student in Rome, during the Second Vatican Council and later, Father Rotelle participated in the Church's liturgical reform, which included the translation of texts for the Sacramentary and the Liturgy of the Hours, and worked on the International Committee on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). For the rest of his life he continued working in those areas, translating and publishing texts from the Church Fathers, especially Saint Augustine, and writers who are a part of Augustinian heritage. In 1969, Father Rotelle became director of students at the International College of Saint Monica. From 1970 to 1974, he was Director of Students at Augustinian College, Washington, DC. In 1977 he took up residence at Austin Friars Hall, in Washington, where he served as second counselor and Sacristan. In 1982, he was appointed Province Director of Communications and a member of the Augustinian Community in Overbrook, Pa. The following year he moved to Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova, where he lived until 1985, when he became a member of Saint John Stone Friary, Villanova. He became Director of Augustinian Press, Spiritual Director of the Augustinian Seculars, and from 1994 until his death in 2002, secretary to the provincial.

Father Rotelle was a member of an international network of translators and publishers of Liturgical and Patristic works and worked to introduced the early Church writers to a worldwide English-speaking audience. Though his energies were focused on Church related publications, he always had a strong desire to serve in the Peruvian Missions and in higher education. He was proficient in Italian, French, German, Spanish and possessed a reading ability of Dutch. 

Father Rotelle died on September 1, 2002, of cancer. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at Villanova on September 4, 2002, followed by interment in his family’s plot at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania.
 

John Rosseter, O.S.A.

1751 – 1812 (October 20)

John Rosseter was born in Wexford, Ireland on February 23, 1751, the son of Patrick Rosseter and Margaret Bent. He studied for the priesthood in the Irish Seminary of Louvain, and was ordained for the diocese of Ferns. Within a short time he was named pastor in Enniscorthy, a post he held for four years. In 1783 he resigned his pastorate, entered the Augustinian novitiate in Dublin and made his profession on May 31, 1784. He was then assigned to the community at New Ross, where he spent the next ten years, with a two year hiatus as formation director at the Irish College in Rome during that period. 

In 1794, Father Rosseter came to the United States where, with Father Michael Ennis, a diocesan priest of Wexford, he entered the missionary services under the jurisdiction of Bishop Carroll. For some years, he lived at Coffee Run in Delaware and directed the building of the Church. From there he also attended the country missions, as well as one in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

In 1796, he worked with Father Carr at Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia. In this same year, he, Father Carr and others initiated moves for the foundation of a new province. In 1796, while stationed at Saint Mary's in Philadelphia, he and Father Carr purchased the first ground for Saint Augustine's Church in Philadelphia. And when Saint Augustine's was opened in September 1801, Father Rosseter was made the rector of Saint Mary's and superior of old Saint Joseph's, offices he held until 1808 when Father Michael Egan was named the first Bishop of Philadelphia.

Father Rosseter's health began to fail in 1804. However, he was very active in administering the Sacraments during the Yellow Fever Plague in 1805. In 1811, his ill health forced him to retire to the Saint Thomas Manor in Saint Charles' County, Maryland. He died there at the age of 61 on October 20, 1812, and is buried in the cemetery there.

Father Rosseter can be considered the Augustinian pioneer in the American Augustinian mission, having arrived two years before Father Matthew Carr, with the intention of starting an Augustinian foundation. It would be Father Carr, however, who would significantly help it to become a reality.
 

Louis A. Rongione, O.S.A.

1912 – 1980 (June 19)

Louis Anthony Rongione, son of Joseph Rongione and Christina Celino, was born on August 23, 1912, in Aquafondata, Italy, where he was baptized on August 28, 1912, in the Church of St. John the Baptist. The Rongione family moved to the United States, and took up residence in Philadelphia, where Louis received his early education at St. Rita Parish School. On September 15, 1927, he became a first year postulant at Augustinian Academy on Staten Island, New York. While at the Academy he was elected class Secretary, Editor-in-Chief of the yearbook and President of the Oratorical Society. On September 12, 1931, he was received into the novitiate at New Hamburg, New York, professed first vows on September 13, 1932, and solemn vows on September 13, 1935. In June 1936, he received his B.A. degree from Villanova College, Villanova, Pa. From 1936 to 1940, he pursued theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., and in June 1940, he received an M.A. in Education, from Catholic University. On May 30, 1939, Louis was ordained to the priesthood by John M. McNamara, Auxiliary Bishop of Baltimore, Md., in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

Father Rongione received his first assignment to St. Rita High School, Chicago, Ill., on September 6, 1940, where he taught senior English, French and Religion and served as Librarian. In the summer of 1941, he returned to Augustinian Academy on Staten Island, N. Y. where, for the next nine years, he taught the same subjects with the addition of Greek. In 1950, Father was appointed Dean of the Evening Division at Villanova and continued his teaching career, specializing in Moral Theology, including Medical Ethics, and Philosophy. He was moderator of the Villanovan, the Radio Station, the Yearbook, and the InterNos. In October 1952, he was appointed librarian at St. Monica, Rome. In 1953, he returned to Villanova as professor, and in 1956, upon the death of Father Daniel Falvey, he was appointed Chairman of the Library Science Department. He served on the advisory boards at Cabrini College and St. Joseph School of Nursing, Reading, Pa. In addition to being a councilor of the Province, he was appointed prior, first at St. Mary's Hall, then at St. Thomas of Villanova Monastery, where he was respected for his spiritual concerns and gentle attitude toward the members of the community.

As scholar and author, Father Rongione penned books of homilies, conferences on the Beatitudes, the treatise, The Liberty Bell's Sister, and many articles on library science and religious education. For the last 6 years of his life, he prepared weekly homilies for The Philadelphia Catholic Standard and Times. His writings, and the homilies he delivered at Sacred Heart Church in Manoa, for over 20 years, reflect his familiarity with and love for St. Augustine.

Father John M. Driscoll, O.S.A., former President of Villanova, reflected, "Father Rongione brought a warm and human touch to many scholarly and professional activities. He always looked for the best in people and situations. He was admired, respected and loved by all who knew him."

Father Rongione died on June 19, 1980, after a long illness which, at a certain point, required the amputation of his arm. He bor that loss with customary good humor and patience. A Mass of the Resurrection was celebrated in St. Thomas Church on the Villanova campus, and interment followed in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pa.

Francis D. Ronan, O.S.A.

1896 – 1948 (May 3)

Francis Daniel Ronan was born in Andover, Massachusetts, on May 19, 1896, the son of John Ronan and Elizabeth Williamson. Following his early education, he entered the novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1917, and made his simple profession of vows on July 23, 1918. Solemn profession occurred on the same day in 1921. Francis was ordained to the priesthood in the Cathedral of Philadelphia by Archbishop Denis Dougherty on September 24, 1922. 

Father Ronan was assigned in 1923 to serve as an assistant at Saint Augustine's in Havana, Cuba. The following year he was sent to Saint Laurence O'Toole Parish in Lawrence, MA, and in 1926 to Saint Matthew's in Flint, MI. He was appointed a member of the Mission Band in 1931 and served this ministry for 12 years, after which he became associate pastor of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Atlantic City, N.J. In February, 1943, Father Ronan was appointed prior and pastor of Saint Patrick's in Cambridge, NY.

On Monday, May 3, 1948, a fire broke out in Father Ronan’s room at Saint Patrick’s, causing him severe burns. He was taken to Mary McClellan Hospital where he of sever shock soon after. He was 52 years old and had been pastor only three months. A Requiem Mass was celebrated in Saint Patrick’s Church with Prior Provincial, Father Mortimer Sullivan presiding and Father George Walker as preacher. A second Mass was celebrated at Saint Augustine Parish, Andover, after which Father Ronan was buried in Saint Mary's Cemetery in Lawrence, MA. 

Thomas F. Roland, O.S.A.

1891 – 1967 (September 14)

Thomas Francis Roland, the son of Thomas Roland and Anna Collins, was born in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York, on May 30, 1891. He entered Saint Rita's Hall, in February 1904 and was received into the novitiate three years later on July 4, 1907. He made profession of simple vows on July 6, 1908, and that same year he left for Rome to study Philosophy and Theology at the International Augustinian College of Saint Monica. He made his solemn profession of vows there on October 18, 1911, and was ordained on January 11, 1914 by Cardinal Basilio Pompilj.

On his return from Rome, Father Roland was assigned as an associate in Saint Rita's Church, Philadelphia. Later he served as an associate in the Church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, the Bronx, N.Y. He was appointed Pastor of Saint Rita's Church in Philadelphia in 1912 after the death of the former pastor, Father Matthew Corcoran, O.S.A. In June 1932 Father Roland was appointed prior of the Novitiate of Our Mother of Good Counsel in New Hamburg, N.Y. and served there until July 1938. After a year at Saint Joseph's Church in Greenwich, N.Y., his health failing, he was assigned to the monastery at Villanova and appointed Archivist of the Province. He held this office until his death.

During these years he served in various official capacities for the Province. On October 6, 1954, he was appointed Provincial Secretary and Socius and remained in this office until the Provincial Chapter of June 1956. When the Province opened the first Mission in Japan, Father Roland was entrusted with seeking financial help for the work and became Editor of the Augustinian Foreign Missions. He was officially appointed Secretary of our Missions in Japan until he was forced to resign because of ill health in January 1967. In November 1954, he organized the Philadelphia Auxiliary of the Augustinian Foreign Mission Bureau, an outstanding group of Catholic laywomen of the Philadelphia area who would assist in the financial support of the foreign missions.

Father Roland translated The Augustinians a short history of the Order written by the late Bishop DeRomanis, O.S.A. In 1946 he published The O.S.A. in the U.S.A., a short outline history of the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova in the United States. Father Roland was a charter member of the Radnor Historical Society and also a member of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia. He served as President of the latter from December 1949 to January 1951.

Father Roland died after a long illness in Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, PA, on September 14, 1967. Father Norbert Whitley, O.S.A., prior of Saint Mary’s Hall Community, Villanova, was celebrant of the funeral mass on September 18, after which Father Roland was buried in the new Saint Mary's Hall Cemetery. His remains were later re-interred in the Augustinian Plot of Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.

Thomas E. Rogers, O.S.A.

1906 – 1994 (October 17)

Thomas Edward Rogers was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1906, the son of William H. Rogers and Catherine A. Crowley. He had three brothers and two sisters. Baptized in the church of Saint John the Evangelist in Philadelphia, his early education was in the Philadelphia public schools. His secondary school education began in Central High School, Philadelphia. However, he transferred to Augustinian Academy on Staten Island, New York, as a postulant and graduated from there in 1925. That same year he was received into the novitiate and professed simple vows August 16, 1926. Three years later he made his solemn profession on August 16, 1929. Thomas graduated from Villanova College with an A.B. degree in philosophy in 1930 and studied theology at Augustinian College in Washington, DC. On June 13, 1933, he was ordained to the priesthood at the National Shrine of me Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The following year he completed graduate studies at Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Father Rogers' first assignment in 1934 was to the Augustinian Mission Band. For the next twenty-eight years, six of these as rector of the Mission Band, he traveled extensively giving missions, retreats, and talks at various parishes and to many groups throughout the country. During these years he was in residence at Saint Mary's in Lawrence, Massachusetts, Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery on the Villanova campus, and at the Assumption, also in Lawrence, where he was the prior of the Augustinian community.

In 1962 Father Rogers entered parochial ministry as associate pastor and prior at Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Church in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1968 he was assigned to Saint Patrick's Church in Cambridge, New York, as pastor and superior. From 1971 until 1977 he was associate pastor of Our Mother of Good Counsel, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and Our Mother of Consolation, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. In 1977 Father Rogers returned to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he celebrated his golden jubilee as a priest on June 13, 1983. Although well past the age of retirement he continued his priestly ministry. 

In March of 1994 failing health led to his transfer to Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery on the campus of Villanova University, where he could be cared for properly by the nursing staff. Father Rogers died in Bryn Mawr Hospital, on October 17, 1994 at eighty-eight years of age, having been a professed religious for sixty-eight years and a priest for sixty-one.Father Rogers possessed a fine mind, a powerful voice, as well as a keen grasp of the faith and human nature. All of the God given gifts he used for the benefit of all who came in contact with him. At Saint Charles Seminary in Philadelphia many priests of the Archdiocese remembered him as "Red Tom Rogers" the Augustinian priest who gave "the wonderful priests' retreats." 

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated at Saint Thomas Church, Villanova University, on October 19. The main celebrant was Father John E. Deegan, O.S.A., the prior provincial and the homily was given by Father Dante I. Girolami, O.S.A. Interment was in the Rogers' family plot at Holy Cross cemetery, Yeadon, Pennsylvania.

Francis J. Rodriguez, O.S.A.

1933 – 1986 (May 2)

Francisco Javier Rodriguez Sanchez was born in Marianao, Havana, Cuba, on December 3, 1933, the son of Placido Rodriguez and Otmaro Sanchez. His primary education was obtained in Cuba and his secondary education at Mount Assumption Institute in Plattsburg, New York. He graduated in 1955 from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, with a B.S. degree. Francisco was received into the novitiate in 1957 and professed simple vows on September 10, 1958. He was solemnly professed three years later. He pursued philosophical studies at Villanova University and theological studies at Augustinian College, Washington, DC. He was ordained to the priesthood on February 9, 1963 in Washington, D.C. 

In 1963 Father Rodriguez was assigned to teach at Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C. One year later he was transferred to Monsignor Bonner High School, Drexel Hill, PA, where he remained for five years. In 1970 he became associate pastor of Holy Rosary Church, Lawrence, MA. In 1970 he returned to Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, DC, to teach and to work in administration. In 1974 he was assigned to Biscayne College, Miami, FL. There he was instrumental in establishing and organizing the bilingual institute. The students affectionately called him "Father Rod." He was a confidant to young and old alike and made everyone feel comfortable and at ease. His jovial and nonchalant manner masked a man whose faith was deep and whose love for and ministry to his many friends knew no bounds. 

He met his final challenge of cancer in a manner which inspired others and was for many testimony of his love for and belief in the Risen Lord. The former dean of Saint Thomas University's Bilingual Program died in Miami, FL, on May 3, 1986 of cancer. He was 53. Father Rodriguez is buried in his family plot in Miami, FL. 

Thomas J. Rodgers, O.S.A.

1905 – 1971 (March 26)

Thomas Joseph Rodgers, son of Thomas J. Rodgers, Sr., and Bridget Daley, was born on December 6, 1905, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where he was baptized in the Church of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine. He received his early education in Saint Nicholas School, and at thirteen years of age, became a postulant at Villanova Prep, Villanova, Pa. He continued on at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, and entered the novitiate on August 15, 1925, professed first vows on August 16, 1926 and made solemn profession on August 16, 1929. He continued his studies at Villanova College, Villanova, Pa., where he received an A.B. degree in June, 1930. Thomas then studied theology at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., and was ordained to the priesthood on June 13, 1933.

Father Rodgers received his first assignment to the parish of Saint Mary, Lawrence, Ma., where he resided while preaching on the Augustinian Mission Band. For eighteen years he was recognized as a charismatic preacher of missions and retreats. Later, during those years on the Mission Band, he was alternately a member of the communities of Saint Rita  Philadelphia, and Saint Thomas Monastery, Villanova. 

Following his preaching ministry Father Rodgers assisted at the New York parishes of Saint Nicholas of Tolentine, Jamaica, and Saint Paul, Mechanicville. In the summer of 1948, he taught at El Christo, Havana, Cuba. In 1952, he returned to Saint Nicholas of Tolentine Parish, Jamaica, until for health reasons he was assigned to Saint Thomas of Villanova Monastery. In 1963, he was appointed assistant at Saint John's Parish, Schaghticoke, N.Y., followed by two other New York assignments: Saint James, Carthage, and Our Lady of Good Counsel, Staten Island. In January, 1971, due to ill-health, Father Rodgers retired to Saint Thomas Monastery, where he died on March 26, 1971 at the age of 65. 

Father Robert E. Regan, O.S.A., homilist at Father Rodgers' Mass of the Resurrection, eulogized him with these words. "He shared in other apostolates, including that of parochial work; but his special talent and special love was in the preaching ministry. He had many gifts of nature and grace in this area of life: a commanding presence, a strong clear voice, a clear style, great compassion, and a good sense of humor."

His Funeral Mass was celebrated in the chapel of Saint Mary's Hall, Villanova, Pa., followed by interment in the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
 

Edward G. Robinson, O.S.A.

1923 – 1980 (May 26)

Edward George Robinson, son of Edward Robinson and Emma Waldren, was born on June 19, 1923, in Albany, New York. He was baptized on July 1, 1923 in the church of St. James in Albany. After his public grade school education he entered the Vincentian Institute in Albany, where he completed a four year high school curriculum. In September, 1941, he began a first year college course as a postulant at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York. On September 9, 1942, Edward was accepted into the novitiate, professed first vows on September 10, 1943, and made his solemn profession on September 10, 1946. In June, 1946, he received his B.A. degree from Villanova College, Villanova, Pa. From 1946 to 1950, he studied theology at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., and, at Catholic University, he also completed courses, wrote a dissertation and received credits for an M.A. in Latin and Greek. On June 11, 1949, he was ordained to the priesthood by Most Rev. Edmund F. Gibbons, Bishop of the diocese of Albany, New York, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, in Albany.

In the Fall of 1950, Father Robinson received his first assignment to St. Thomas High School in Rockford, Illinois, where he taught courses in General Science, and served as disciplinarian for two years. In November, 1952, as a member of the Chicago Province, he became a missionary to Japan, where he served a total of eighteen years. On November 11, 1952, he was assigned to Nagasaki, and in March, 1958, he became pastor in the parish at Hatano. In 1970, Father Robinson returned to the United States, was affiliated to the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, and was assigned to St. Augustine Parish in Troy, New York, where he was able to assist his father who was ill. Two years later he returned to Japan for a short time and then accepted an assignment to the parish of St. Thomas Aquinas, Ojai, California. In 1973, he returned to St. Augustine Parish in Troy, where he served as an assistant until September 1, 1973, at which time he was appointed Pastor and Prior at St. Augustine Parish in Andover, Massachusetts. His last assignment was to Lawrence, Ma., where he became an associate pastor at St. Augustine Parish.

Father Robinson possessed a great desire and ability to entertain guests. He cherished the memories of those who knew him by maintaining photo albums filled with hundreds of pictures of relatives, parishioners, friends and visitors. A friar who was a good friend of Father "Rusty," as he was widely known, wrote, "One of Rusty's greatest qualities was his compassion, a deep sensitivity for people, especially for those who were suffering or were disadvantaged in any way. Rusty had a heart as big as himself; he was open and friendly to everyone, and was very generous. He trusted people, and for that reason he was an easy mark for anyone with a hard luck story."

On May 26, 1980, Father Robinson died by drowning while swimming at Rye Beach, New Hampshire. The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher, Merrimack College, No. Andover, Ma. A second liturgy was celebrated at St. Augustine Church, Troy, New York, followed by interment at St. John Cemetery in Troy. 

Frederick S. Riordan, O.S.A.

1868 – 1936 (November 20)

Frederick Stephen Riordan was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on December 25, 1868, and was baptized on the same day at Saint Mary’s Church there. He entered the novitiate at Villanova, Pennsylvania, on September 3, 1891 but, at the death of his mother in December, he left the novitiate to return home. He returned in January, 1892 and began his novitiate again on February 10th of that year. He made his simple profession on February 11, 1893 and was solemnly professed on February 13, 1896. Following studies, he was ordained to the priesthood on May 3, 1896 by Archbishop Patrick Ryan in the Philadelphia Cathedral.

After ordination, Father Riordan was assigned to Our Mother of Consolation Parish, Chestnut Hill, PA, where he remained until 1902 when he was transferred to Immaculate Conception Parish, Hoosick Falls. The following year he was assigned to Saint Paul’s Parish, Mechanicville, New York. In 1907, he was appointed rector at Saint Augustine’s, Andover, and remained there 11 years. During his pastorate he purchased property and built the parish elementary school. In 1918, Father Riordan became pastor of St. Laurence Parish, Lawrence, MA., and in 1929 returned to Hoosick Falls. In 1932, he took up residence again at Saint Laurence.Later he served as rector at Andover, Mass.; Saint Laurence's in Lawrence, Mass.

It was during his last assignment at Saint Laurence, that Father Riordan died in Holy Ghost Hospital, Cambridge, Mass., from the effects of diabetes, on November 20, 1936 at the age of 68. His Solemn Requiem Mass was celebrated by Prior Provincial Mortimer Sullivan, O.S.A. on Monday, November 23rd, after which Father Riordan was buried in Saint Mary's Cemetery, Lawrence.
 

Patrick J. Rice, O.S.A.

1919 – 2003 (October 21)

Patrick Joseph Rice, son of Patrick Rice and Catherine Callan, was born in New York on July 12, 1919, and baptized in the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Bronx. He attended Good Shepherd Parochial School, Manhattan College High School and Manhattan College from which he graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1941. He then entered Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, N.Y., where he was a post graduate postulant. In 1943, Patrick was accepted at Our Mother of Good Counsel Novitiate, New Hamburg, N.Y., and professed simple vows on September 10, 1944. After one year of philosophy at Villanova College he studied theology at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C., and  professed solemn vows in 1947. He was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop McNamara, on June 8, 1948, in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington. 

In 1949, after having received an MA in Economics from the Catholic University, Washington, D.C., Father Rice spent the summer as an assistant at San Agustin, Miramar, Havana, Cuba. Then, while a member of St. Nicholas of Tolentine community, Jamaica, N.Y., he became a Ph.D candidate in economics at Columbia University, N.Y. In 1953, he was assigned as an associate pastor at St. Nicholas Parish.

For the academic year 1955-1956, he was assigned as a faculty member at Archbishop Prendergast High School, Drexel Hill, Pa. He then was appointed to Saint Mary's Hall, Villanova, Pa., as faculty member, sub-master and treasurer, and assistant director of the Augustinian Seminary Guild, positions he held into 1958. In 1959, Father Rice was assigned to Merrimack College, North Andover, Ma., where he was appointed treasurer of the college, treasurer of the Augustinian community and a member of the Board of Trustees. In August, 1965, he was transferred to Villanova University, and, for the next thirty-four years served in various capacities: faculty member, Vice President for Student Affairs, and Executive Vice President. Among honors he received were: Alumni Honors Committee of Manhattan College, Advisory Committee to Assist Secretary of Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, and member of the executive committee for the Association of N.R.O.T.C. Colleges.

Father Rice retired from the university on May 1, 1998. He was recognized as a quiet gentleman, a dedicated priest, a gracious brother, a keen administrator, and a faithful confessor for the Villanova students. He assisted on weekends at various parishes in Pomona, N.J. and later at St. Mary Magdalen in Rose Tree, Pa. His love for Villanova University and for the campus led him to oversee in detail the maintenance of the campus.

Father Patrick Rice died peacefully on Tuesday, October 21, 2003. Funeral liturgies were conducted at the Villanova church and at St. Elizabeth Church, Wyckoff, New Jersey. Interment took place in his family's plot in Maryrest Cemetery, Mahwah, N.J.

Christian A. Retera, O.S.A.

1905 – 1983 (March 11)

Christian A. Retera was born in Antwerp, Belgium, on December 15, 1905. He entered the Order of Saint Augustine in 1925 and professed simple vows on September 14, 1926, and solemn vows on September 17, 1929. He was ordained to the priesthood in Den Bosch, Netherlands, on May 30, 1931.

From 1932 until 1952 he taught in Haarlem, Holland, and in 1949 obtained a Doctorate in English from City University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Although remaining always a member of the Province of Holland, Father Retera labored for many years in the Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova. He taught at Merrimack College and at Biscayne College for a number of years. His specialization was the English language. He was an expert in English grammar and literature. In 1981 Father celebrated his golden jubilee of ordination to the priesthood. His classmate in formation was Augustinian Bishop Canisius Van Lierde, Vicar General of Vatican City.

Father Retera was respected by his students as a kind, cheerful man, who never began class without greeting individually each of his students.

The Biscayne College Community took leave of Father Retera with a viewing and a Mass on March 14 1983. The Province of Saint Thomas of Villanova held a viewing and celebrated the Mass of Christian Burial in Saint Thomas of Villanova Campus Church on March 15, 1983. In his homily, Father Joseph Duffey, O.S.A., Prior Provincial, thanked the Province of Holland and in particular, Fathers Jan Busch and Francis Brian, also members of the Province of Holland, and other Dutch Augustinians in this Province, for the example, zeal, and dedication that they gave to the Province.

Burial of Father Retera took place the next day in the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, PA. 

Guglielmo S. Repetti, O.S.A.

1872 – 1899 (August 2)

Guglielmo Serafino Repetti was born on August 15, 1872, in Cabella Ligure, Genoa. His father died when he was three years old and he and his five sisters were raised by their mother alone. At the age of 13 he entered the minor seminary of the Order at Borgo a Buggiano, Italy. Having made his novitiate at Carpineto Romano, he professed vows as a member of the Ligurian Province of the Order, and solemn vows on August 15, 1892. He studied for a time at the Collegio Santa Monica in Rome, but later, because of poor health, had to return to Tuscany to complete his work. He was ordained priest on Holy Saturday, March 30, 1895.

Father Repetti was assigned first as assistant pastor at the Church of La Consolazione in Genoa, and then was sent to Savona, and afterwards to Celle Ligure. Together with Father Angelo Caruso and Brother Bernardino Falconi he travelled to the United States in January, 1898, to open a new mission in the city of Philadelphia. The three friars lived for a short time in a rented house on 9th Street and then after at 819 Christian Street. Father Repetti purchased and converted the former Saint Paul School into a chapel, and established there the Parish of Our Mother of Good Counsel. Archbishop Ryan granted the parish boundaries on February 1, 1899 and entrusted its care to the Augustinians, naming Father Repetti its first pastor.

Father Repetti was taken seriously ill with typhoid fever and was rushed to Jefferson Hospital where he died on August 2, 1899 at the age of 27. His body was laid to rest in a vault in front of the church where it remained until July 31, 1956 when it was transferred to Saint Mary's Cemetery, East Vineland, New Jersey. 
 

William J. Reilly, O.S.A.

1885 – 1925 (March 8)

William Joseph Reilly, son of William Reilly and Maria Reilly, was born on April 11, 1885, and baptized on April 19th in the parish of Saint Peter, Staten Island, New York. He was confirmed on April 27, 1897, in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Staten Island, by Archbishop John M. Farley. He attended Augustinian Academy as a member of its first graduating class in 1903, and was the first alumnus to join the Province. William entered the novitiate at Villanova on July 3, 1904, professed simple vows on July 4, 1905 and made solemn profession three years later. In 1909, he was transferred to Saint Rita High School, Chicago, Illinois, where he completed his studies and began teaching. William was ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 1910, by Most Rev. James E. Quigley, D.D., Archbishop of Chicago, at the Cathedral of the Holy Name.

Father Reilly's first assignment was to the Parish of Saint James Minor, Carthage, the oldest Catholic Parish in Northern New York. He also served in Lawrence, Massachusetts, taught at Saint Rita High School, Chicago and, on June 30, 1915, he was assigned to the original Augustinian Academy at Austin Place, Staten Island. In 1918, he was appointed its president. In June, 1919, the Province Definitory authorized that the Academy at its original site at Austin Place be closed. Shortly, thereafter, it was relocated on Grymes Hill, Staten Island.

Father Reilly returned at vice-rector of the new Academy in 1923, and died there on March 8, 1925, at the age of 40. He is buried in the community cemetery at Villanova, Pa.