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 »
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
Cum Ex Plurium (1539) Read More »
In July 1940, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the foundation of the Society of Jesus, Pope Pius XII issued the following apostolic letter to Wlodimir (Włodzimierz) Ledóchowski. Pius notes to the superior general how the Catholic Church “is deeply indebted to your religious society for its glorious record of service.” The letter chronicles some
Nosti Profecto (1940) Read More »
Francis Borgia, in this letter to the Jesuits in Aquitania, in the southwest of France, provides advice on how best to preserve the spirit of the Society of Jesus. The order’s “rapid growth” reminded Borgia of how “the little grain of mustard,” once “fixing its roots” and “sending forth its branch and steam,” could become
On the Means of Preserving the Spirit of the Society and of Our Vocation (1569) Read More »
Pope Julius III was asked by Emperor Charles V to make Francis Borgia a cardinal. Borgia asked for Ignatius’s advice on whether to accept the position. In the following letter, Ignatius describes a three-day process of interior discernment that he underwent to determine his own position on the matter. In setting out what happened to
Ignatius on Discernment (1552) Read More »
Early in 1548, Francis Borgia, duke of Gandía, made his profession in the Society of Jesus, but he did so in secret since he was not yet able to renounce his dukedom. Still, Borgia indulged his penchant for long hours of prayer and rigorous penance to the extent that he damaged his health. Ignatius himself
Ignatius on Prayer (1548) Read More »
