Alejandro Roque

Rev. Alejandro Roque, OMI
Missionary Oblate Priest for 31 Years

Rev. Alejandro Roque, OMI, 66, died on July 10, 2019, at the Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. He was a son of the late Carlos and Rosa (Gonzalez) Roque. He was predeceased by his brother, Rogelio Carlos Roque, Sr., and a niece, Caridad Roque.
Fr. Roque was born in Havana, Cuba, where he attended a Catholic grade school before coming to the United States with his brother at age 7 as part of Operation Peter Pan. He graduated from Miami High School and Miami Dade Jr. College in Miami, Florida. From 1981-1982, he studied at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. On September 1, 1982, he entered the Missionary Oblate Novitiate in Godfrey, Illinois. Here he professed his first vows as a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate on August 1, 1983.
Fr. Roque received a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a Master's degree in Divinity from the Oblate College in Washington, DC. On September 7, 1986, he professed his perpetual vows as a Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate in Washington, DC. He was ordained to the priesthood on June 11, 1988, in St. Monica Parish, Opa Locka, Florida, by Missionary Oblate Bishop, the Most Rev. Michael D. Pfeifer.
Fr. "Alex", as he was known, spent many years in parish ministry in St. Stephen Parish, Miramar, Florida; St. Monica Parish, Opa Locka; and Holy Angels, Holy Cross and Our Lady of Hope parishes in Buffalo, New York. He was Vocation Director of the Southeast/Southwest areas of the U.S. Province of the Missionary Oblates from 2002-2005. He served as Chair for the Youth Ministry Advisory Committee from 2002 to 2008. He was appointed second assistant to Miami District Superior, Rev. John Madigan, OMI, and then first consultor to Miami District Superior, Rev. John Cox, OMI. He served on the Presbyteral Council of the Archdiocese of Miami for a three-year term, 2010-2013. In July of 2012, The U.S. Province of the Missionary Oblates appointed him Councilor at Large. He served in this capacity until July of 2014.
When the Missionary Oblates' work in Florida came to an end in the summer of 2013, Fr. Roque pursued further studies at the Institute of Religious Formation at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois, for the 2013-2014 academic year.
In September 2014, Fr. Alex was named Director of the Bishop Fallon Pre-Novitiate in Buffalo, and was a member of the Buffalo Mission Center and the Buffalo District Community. He served as Superior of the Buffalo Community from October 2014 to August 2017 and was Director of the Buffalo Mission Center.
Due to failing health, he recently spent several weeks at the Brothers of Mercy Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center in Clarence, New York, and had just transferred to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Residence in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, for further care.
In addition to his Oblate family, he is survived by a sister, Ana Roque; two nieces, Monica Soriano and Rose Marie Roque; two nephews, Rogelio Carlos ("Roger") Roque, Jr., and Mario Reyes; and several grand-nieces and grand-nephews, all of Florida.
Services and calling hours will be in the Chapel at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Residence, 486 Chandler Street, Tewksbury. Calling hours will be on Friday, July 12, 2019, from 2-4 and 7-9 pm with a Prayer Service at 7:30 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Bishop Robert F. Hennessey on Saturday, July 13, 2019, at 11:00 am. Interment will take place in the Oblate Cemetery at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Residence.
Donations in memory of Fr. Roque may be made to the Oblate Infirmary Fund, 486 Chandler Street, Tewksbury, MA 01876.