Robert Molyneux | |
|---|---|
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| 2nd & 5th President of Georgetown College | |
| In office 1806–1808 | |
| Preceded by | Leonard Neale |
| Succeeded by | Francis Neale |
| In office 1793–1796 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Plunkett |
| Succeeded by | Louis William DuBourg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 24, 1738 Formby, Lancashire, England |
| Died | December 9, 1808 (aged 70) Georgetown, District of Columbia, United States[a] |
| Resting place | Jesuit Community Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Colleges of St Omer and Bruges |
| Signature |  |
Robert P. Molyneux SJ (July 24, 1738 – December 9, 1808)[b] was an English-American Catholic priest and Jesuit missionary to the United States. Born to a prominent English family, he entered the Society of Jesus and studied at the College of St Omer in France. When the school moved to Bruges, Belgium, he followed, becoming a master. In 1771, he emigrated to the United States as a missionary, where he took up pastoral work in Philadelphia.
He became the pastor of both Old St. Joseph's Church and Old St. Mary's Church, where he served for 16 years. During that time, he opened the first parochial school in the United States, and edited the first American catechism. His pastorate encompassed the American Revolutionary War, and though he did not expressly commit himself to either belligerent, he largely endorsed the American cause.
Molyneux then spent several years in the Jesuits' Maryland missions, and was made vicar general for Southern Maryland by the Bishop of Baltimore, John Carroll. In 1793, Carroll appointed Molyneux the second president of Georgetown College, where he oversaw the construction of the Old North building. After three years, he returned to missionary work, until 1805, when he was named the first superior of the Jesuit Maryland Mission after their restoration. He remained superior for the rest of his life, and saw the establishment of a novitiate at Georgetown, where he became president again in 1806. His term lasted two years, before he died.
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