The delegates at the Second General Congregation of the Society of Jesus gathered in the summer of 1565, in part, to elect a success to Diego Laínez as the Jesuits’ superior general. They chose Francis Borgia, a former duke of Gandía. Borgia became the third superior general, “smitten by the sword of responsibility.” Borgia delivered […]
“On His Election as Superior General,” Francis Borgia (1565) Read More »
Pedro de Ribadeneira and the Use of Sources: Critical History and Hagiography in the Early Society of Jesus Robert E. Scully, S.J. Le Moyne College Originally published: April 20, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.02 Where can and should one draw the line between fact and fiction, norms and ideals, history and hagiography? The
Visions of Contemplation: Jesuits and Their Rhetoric of Persuasion in Japan Aiko Okamoto-MacPhail Indiana University Originally published: July 14, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.22 When Saint Francis Xavier set sail to India on April 7, 1541,[1] it was about a year before the first Europeans “discovered” Japan.[2] Xavier was nominated núncio apostólico (apostolic
Philosophy at the Geopolitical Service of Mission: The Coimbra Jesuits’ “Wirkungsgeographie” (1542–1730) Mário Santiago de Carvalho Universidade de Coimbra Originally published: March 1, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.25 Almost as soon as it had been born, the Society of Jesus rapidly transformed into a “geographical network that virtually encircled the world.”[1] This essay
Between Identity and History: Giovanni Antonio Valtrino and His Vocazioni meravigliose alla Compagnia di Gesù Irene Gaddo Università del Piemonte Orientale, Vercelli Originally published: March 1, 2021 DOI: 10.51238/ISJS.2019.03 Introduction Giovanni Antonio Valtrino (1556–1601) began to assemble his Vocazioni meravigliose alla Compagnia (Marvelous vocations to the Society)[1] just after he entered
The Università degli Studi di Padova hosts a two-day conference with scholarly presentations considering vocations to the Society of Jesus in the early modern period. The event is sponsored by the Dipartimento di Scienze Politiche, Giuridiche e Studi Internazionali. The conference considers the theme of “vocation”–and in particular the “religious vocation” in its historical, religious,
November 2019: Conference on Early Modern Jesuit Vocations Read More »
Grupo de Espiritualidad Ignaciana (the Ignatian Spirituality Group) has published a new collection of writings by the first Jesuits. Escritos esenciales de los primeros jesuitas. De Ignacio a Ribadeneira includes writings on doctrine and spirituality by Ignatius and his nine companions in Paris as well as other early Jesuits–such as Francis Borgia, Jerónimo Nadal, Juan Alfonso de
April 2018: New Essential Writings of the First Jesuits Available Read More »
In December 1978, Pedro Arrupe was interviewed by Enrique Maza for the Mexican publication PROCESO. A version of that exchange appeared in the December 25, 1978, issue of PROCESO, a version that was later edited for a volume published by Jesuit Sources. That edited text, which added references to Scripture and other sources, appears below.
“The Meaning of Christmas,” Pedro Arrupe (1978) Read More »
The Ignatian Center for Spirituality in Rome closed a five-week conference on Ignatian Spirituality on February 18, 1978, with Pedro Arrupe delivering the following remarks. The Superior General of the Society of Jesus based his remarks on a phrase from the Jesuits’ Formula, approved by Pope Julius III in 1550. For Arrupe, the phrase “To
“Ecclesial Service,” Pedro Arrupe (1978) Read More »
“The founding of the Society of Jesus,” Jesuit historian Joseph Conwell has argued, “begins with a discernment process.” The fruits of that process of discernment appear in the following document, Cum ex plurim, written by Ignatius and his companions in 1539. The document articulates the founders’ vision for what became the Jesuit order. Indeed, five
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