Person DS/UK/1762 Joyce; John Robert (1909-1981); Jesuit Priest Joyce John Robert 1909-1981 Jesuit Priest Male

Fr John Robert Joyce was born on the 15 October 1909 (sometimes referred to as Jack or Jackie). He attended Preston Catholic College for five years, and was as remembered as a keen swimmer and for his proficiency in French. He enlisted to the Society of Jesus on the 7th September 1927 at the age of 18, and spent several years as a Junior in France. High spirited and anxious to get on, he found Laval juniorate little to his liking by the age of 22. Following his time in France, he went to Petworth for a month and then to Heythrop College for Christmas. Joyce’s studies were postponed until the end of his philosophy (1932-1935). After Heythrop, he spent some time at Southwell House on Endsleigh Street in London, where he focused on his studies and became good friends with Charles Arbuthnot, a fellow scholastic. In 1936, he was posted to Hodder House at Stonyhurst, Lancashire. He spent a short period back at Southwell House to continue with his studies, but returned to Stonyhurst to teach for a year, before going onto Heythrop for wartime Philosophy from 1940-1944. Joyce was ordained a deacon in April 1943, and priest on the 2nd July of the same year at St Wilfrid’s, Preston by Bishop Flynn of Lancaster. Following this, he returned to teaching, this time at St Ignatius’ College, Stamford Hill, from 1944-47. In 1948, he went to Birchikara, the Jesuit College in Malta, for one year. This was to be his last year of ordinary teaching. In September 1949, he joined the Parish Staff at St Aloysius’ in Glasgow, Scotland. Everything was going seemingly well, until he began to develop sclerosis. As he condition deteriorated, he retired to Southwell House in 1952 to rest for several years. He used this time to translate French books. In an effort to return to work, in 1954 he went to Manresa House at Roehampton, taking on the duties of House Librarian. He became a well-known member of the Manresa community, regularly keeping as active as his health would allow by swimming and riding a little motorcycle. In 1959, as his health deteriorated, he moved briefly to Heythrop and Petworth before settling in Wimbledon. Here he had his room fitted to enable him to get around, and the use of a specially fitted car, and even focused on the Wimbledon gardens. In 1965, he moved back to Petworth with the status of a Scriptor. According to his contemporaries, he led a mostly independent life with the useful aid of his car, rarely complaining of his infirmities. To occupy himself, Fr Joyce would regularly drive through the Sussex countryside, stopping to talk with anyone he came across. When Petworth closed in 1977, he had to forfeit the use of his car. After a brief period at St John’s and Elizabeth hospital, he moved into the Alexian Brothers at Twyford Abbey, West London, where he passed the remainder of his life, dying on the 24th October 1981. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes user 25/10/2022 user 25/10/2022 b2a909fa-4559-427c-ba8a-57e5e782d31f