In March of 2010 long-time friends of Boston College Barbara and Patrick Roche ’51, H ’01, donated $20 million to the Center for Catholic Education which was later named in their honor.

Patrick Roche is co-founder of Roche Bros. supermarkets, a multi-million-dollar company with a reputation for quality and customer service. Headquartered in Wellesley, Roche Bros. has 18 Massachusetts locations from Burlington to Cape Cod. Barbara and Patrick Roche are natives of Boston and ardent supporters of Catholic Education.

"Catholic education was a great gift in my life,” said Patrick Roche. “When Barbara and I saw the number of Catholic schools that were closing, we wanted to do something--BC gave us an opportunity to do so through this Center."  

Barbara and Patrick Roche are noted philanthropists to worthy causes, including Catholic and public education, the Annual Appeal of the Archdiocese of Boston, the American Ireland Fund, the Parkway Boys and Girls Club, food pantries, elder assistance programs, and more. At BC, they established the Patrick E. and Barbara A. Roche Scholarship Fund for talented students with financial need, and the Barbara A. and Patrick E. Roche Chair in Economics, an endowed professorship currently held by Professor Arthur Lewbel. 

They have two married sons, Rick and Ed, and two grandchildren. They currently live in Marshfield, Massachusetts.