Jerónimo Rodrigues (1567-1628)

Clergy of the Society of Jesus who worked mostly in Japan. He was born in Monforte in 1567 and died in Macau on 5th July, 1628. He was admitted to the Society of Jesus in 1585, having studied Philosophy and Theology in Coimbra. He left for India in 1596, where he carried on studying Theology. Then he accompanied Alexandre Valignano when he left for Macau. There, in 1598, he concluded his Theology studies. In August 1600 he left for Japan. On 8th December, 1602, he professed the four vows in Osaka. In October 1603 he was at the Fushimi residence and was the consultant of Organtino Gnecchi-Soldo, rector of Miyako. In 1606 he worked at the Hokkoku region and there remained until the following year. In September 1611 he was appointed rector of the Nagasaki College. On 19th October, 1612, he was one of the consultants of the province. He managed to remain in Japan after the expulsion edict of 1614 and became vice provincial, having completed his mandate on 18th July, 1617. On 14th October of that year he left for Macau. He was visitator of China and Japan between 21st December, 1619, and 14th October, 1621, and from October 1623 to 18th July, 1626.

Bibliography:
FRÓIS, Luís S.J., Historia de Japam, vols. II-III, Lisboa, Biblioteca Nacional, 1981-982; Monumenta Historica Japoniae, dir. de Josef Franz Schütte S. J., Roma, Institutum Historicum Societatis Iesu, 1975. COSTA, João Paulo Oliveira e, O Cristianismo no Japão e o Episcopado de D. Luís de Cerqueira, dissertação de doutoramento em História apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, 1998 (texto fotocopiado).

Translated by: Maria das Mercês Pacheco