The delegates at the 31st General Congregation were asked by their fellow Jesuits to articulate how they ought to teach at colleges and universities, according to Jesuit historian John Padberg, “in the light of the characteristics of our vocation and in the light of the theological doctrine on the character and office of the priest […]
Decree 28: “The Apostolate of Education,” General Congregation 31 (1966) Read More »
Michael Lombardo’s Founding Father, now available in Brill’s Jesuit Studies book series, is the first critical biography John Wynne, S.J., the founding editor of the Catholic Encyclopedia and America magazine. According to Brill, “Lombardo uses theological inculturation to explore the ways in which Wynne used his publications to negotiate American Catholic citizenship during the Progressive Era.”
May 2017: New Biography of John Wynne Available Read More »
Brill has published A Companion to Jesuit Mysticism, edited by Robert Maryks, a collection of thirteen essays on the mystical tradition of the Society of Jesus. According to Brill, this tradition is a “somewhat neglected aspect of Jesuit historiography.” Several key figures in the Jesuit mystical tradition are examined, from Baltasar Álvarez to Louis Lallemant to
March 2017: New Companion to Jesuit Mysticism 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 »
Mutio Vitelleschi, born to a noble family in Rome in 1563, entered the Society of the Jesus only after securing permission from Pope Gregory XIII. The Jesuits elected Vitelleschi their sixth superior general in 1615. His generalate saw worldwide expansion in missions and in membership to some 15,000 men but also an increase in the
On the Centenary of the Society (1639) Read More »
A scholastic at the Jesuit college in Ferrara, Bartolomeo Romano was dissatisfied with conditions there and wanted to be moved. The house at Ferrara certainly experienced its troubles. The four Jesuits there were overworked, and the town’s citizens were becoming disillusioned with the Jesuits. Ignatius had written to the superior, suggesting ways to improve the
Ignatius on Interior Change (1555) Read More »
The letter below serves as one of the fullest outlines of the overall apostolic activity of the Jesuits in a city. The instructions come in three parts. First, the letter stresses how each member “provides the foundation for the others.” Virtuous behavior, right order, and using conversation and studies to draw people towards perfection were
Ignatius on Apostolic Activity (1551) Read More »
