About the Artist
Fr. Thomas Rochford SJ is a member of the Society of Jesus, a religious order of the Catholic Church. He currently serves as chaplain at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, Colorado. In addition to degrees in philosophy and theology, he holds a Master’s Degree in Communication Design from Pratt Institute, in New York. He primarily paints in oil, both in his studio and on location (“en plain air”). His work includes photography, web design and video production.
Fr. Thomas Rochford SJ painting on location
Major Projects
Ignatian Anniversary Calendar
1990-91
For the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Ignatius Loyola, I traveled to every place where the founder of the Jesuits lived, even going to the Holy Land. Photographs from these places filled a 16-month, large-format calendar that schools and institutions across the country sent out to their friends and supporters.
Shared Vision: Jesuit Spirit in Education
1990-95
Saint Louis University sponsored three 20-minute videos that show the sources of Jesuit educational work and its development both in Europe and the United States. They were widely distributed in the U.S. and used for faculty formation programs. I was the executive producer for the program as well as being the script writer and archival photo researcher.
Sacred Encounters: Father De Smet and the Indians of the Rocky Mountain West
1992-94
This museum exhibit opened in the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana, and moved to five other museums over a two-year span. It told, in dramatic detail, the story of the 19th-Century encounter between a band of Jesuit missionaries, led by Belgian-born De Smet, and the Native American Salish and Coeur d’Alene tribes. I was the location photographer shooting medium-format images used in the exhibit and also served as the Jesuit advisor to the project.
Discovering Íñigo: An Illustrated Life of St. Ignatius
2024
This soon-to-be-published book presents solid biographical scholarship in a contemporary, journalistic manner. The text pairs up with original wood block prints that offer a fresh interpretation of the saint’s life.
Positions and Responsibilities
Between 1985 and 2014, I served as communications director for the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus and the United States Jesuit Conference. For nine years I assisted the Superior General of the Jesuits at the international Jesuit headquarters in Rome. In these positions, I served as a consultant to Jesuit communication works in the United States and around the world. My responsibilities led to much travel and countless meetings but also involved editing magazines, creating websites and videos and numerous smaller projects.