Roh, Peter

Roh, Peter, a famous Roman Catholic missionary, was born in 1811 at Aven, in the canton Valais, in Switzerland. When eighteen years of age, he entered the Society of Jesus, and after completing his philosophical and theological studies at Fribourg he was appointed professor of dogmatics at the Seminary of Lucerne. Having received holy orders in 1840, he went to France, where he remained one year, at Notre Dame d'Ay. He returned to Fribourg, where he lectured on dogmatics; and in 1847 he was appointed to a professorship at Lucerne, which he held only for a short time, being obliged to leave the country. He now went from place to place as a missionary preacher, finding everywhere a large congregation eager to listen to his powerful oratory. In 1856 he occupied the theological chair at Paderborn and Maria-Laach, and in 1860 he represented the bishop of Paderborn at the provincial council at Cologne. In 1866 he again resumed preaching, and in 1869 he accompanied the bishop of Paderborn to the Vatican council at Rome. He died May 17, 1872. He wrote, Die Grundirrthumer unserer Zeit (Fribourg, 1865): — Das alte Lied: der Zweck heiligt die Mittel (ibid. 1869, etc.). See Regensburger Conversations-Lexikon, s.v.; Literarischer Handweiser, 1872, p. 212. (B.P.)