Seaver, Matthew, 1816-1872, Jesuit priest

• Matthew Seavers

Born: 28 September 1816, Rush, County Dublin
Entered: 02 October 1835, Hodder, Stonyhurst College SJ, Lancashire, England - Angliae Province (ANG for HIB)
Ordained: 1850
Final Vows: 02 February 1860
Died: 26 February 1872, St Francis Xavier, Gardiner Street, Dublin

Older brother of William Seaver - RIP 1891, and Uncle of Elias Seaver - RIP 1886

1835-1837: Hodder, Stonyhurst College SJ, Lancashire, England (ANG for HIB), Novitiate
1837-1840: St Stanislaus College SJ, Tullabeg, County Offaly, Regency
1840-1854: Clongowes Wood, College SJ, Naas, County Kildare, Regency and Theology, then teaching after Ordination in 1850
1851-1854: Minister, Confessor
1854-1861: St Stanislaus College SJ, Tullabeg, County, Offaly, Minister, Curate
1855-1861: Rector from 01/11/1855, Procurator, Curate
1861-1864: Belvedere College SJ, Great Denmark Street, Dublin, Rector from 10/10/1861, Procurator, Province Consultor from 08/12/1863
1864-1867: Clongowes Wood, College SJ, Naas, County Kildare, Procurator
1865-1866: Minister, Procurator, Prefect of Church
1866-1867: Prefect of Church
1867-1872: St Francis Xavier, Gardiner Street, Dublin, Prerfect of Church
1871-1872: Curate

◆ HIB Menologies SJ :
Older brother of William Seaver - RIP 1891, and Uncle of Elias Seaver - RIP 1886
Early eductaion was at Clongowes.
After First Vows and studies he was sent to Clongowes, as prefect and teaching Grammar for a umber of years. He was also Minister there for a time.
1855 He was appointed Rector at Tullabeg, succeeding John Ffrench, who had been appointed Rector of Belvedere.
1861-1864 Joseph Dalton succeeded him at Tullabeg, and he was appopinted Rector of Belvedere.
1864 He was appointed Procurator at Clongowes, and later also as Minister.
1866 He was sent to Gardiner St, where he remained until his death 26 February 1872.

He contracted small pox from one of his penitents, and indeed died before she did. A large number of people attended his funeral.

He was a man of great administrative capacity. he built the large wing at Tullabeg, which bore his name, and he was admired by everyone who knew how a College ought to be built. He was very zealous and kind to the sick. He also kept many from souperism (during the famine times, accepting food along with Protestant instruction). During an outbreak of small-pox in Dublin, he showed heroic charity and zeal. With his own hands, he placed many people who had died from the disease in their coffins, when friends and family had fled. he ultimately succumbed to this disease himself.

◆ James B Stephenson SJ Menologies 1973
Father Matthew Seaver 1816-1872
Born in Dublin on September 28th 1816, Matthew Seaver was educated at Clongowes. He entered the Society in 1835.

When Fr Ffrench became Rector of Belvedere in 1855, he was succeeded by Fr Seaver as Rector of Tullabeg. In 1861 he was Rector of Belvedere until 1864. He spent the remainder of his life at Gardiner Street.
He was a man of great administrative ability. He built a large wing at Tullabeg, which to this day bears his name and is admired by everybody who knows how a College ought to be built.
He was very zealous, extremely kind to the sick and especially successful in rescuing souls from the snares of “souperism”.
During an epidemic of small pox in Dublin, he displayed heroic charity. With his own hands he coffined several victims of the disease, when all others had fled in terror. He contracted the dreaded disease himself and died a true martyr of charity on February 26th 1872.