Veale, Joseph, 1921-2002

Joseph Veale, SJ, was born on March 7, 1921 in Dublin, Ireland to William J. and Mary Mullholland Veale. He entered the Society of Jesus on September 7, 1938, and was ordained a priest on July 31, 1952. In the intervening years, he studied arts at University College Dublin (1940-1943), philosophy at Tullabeg College (1943-1946), and theology at Milltown Park, Dublin (1949-1953). Veale taught English and religion at Belvedere College, Dublin (1946-1949) and at Gonzaga College, Dublin (1954-1972), and was instrumental to the reimagination of the English curriculum in Irish secondary schools and to the development of Gonzaga College into an institution known for broad academic expression more than examination scores. After 1972, Veale returned to Milltown Park to focus on his own study, research, lecturing, and spiritual direction, though he also spent significant portions of each year at Boston College. He became an authority on the Ignatian spiritual exercises and toured Ireland, Britain, and the United States giving lectures and retreats. He also served as director of Jesuits in their tertianship 1976-1985 and 1986-1988. Joseph Veale died on October 11, 2002, at Loughlinstown Hospital, County Dublin.