At the time of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), Jesuits, as with other Catholics, engaged in new labors and in new contexts. The Council’s decree Perfectae Caritatis encouraged those in a religious order to first know their institute’s “original spirit” so that they might make “the best adjustments…in accordance with the needs of our new […]
Decree 2: “Jesuits Today,” General Congregation 32 (1975) Read More »
Pope Paul VI addressed the delegates to the 32nd General Congregation on December 3, 1974, noting similar “joy and trepidation” to when the last congregation began nearly a decade before. Looking to the assembled Jesuits, the pontiff declares, “there is in you and there is in us the sense of a moment of destiny for
Address of Pope Paul VI to General Congregation 32 (1974) 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 »
Along with Francis Xavier, Gaspar Berze (or Barzaeus) was one of the great Jesuit missionaries of the sixteenth century. Before entering the Society, the Dutch Berze had served in the army of Emperor Charles V, lived as a hermit at Montserrat, and worked in the royal treasury of Portugal. With the following letter, Ignatius has
Ignatius on Moderation (1554) Read More »
A college in Padua was insufficiently supported by its founder, Andrea Lippomani. Lippomani had hosted Jesuit scholastics in Padua as early as 1542. The Venetian government, though, stalled negotiations to transfer Lippomani’s bequest to the Society intended to support a college in the city, doing so despite a bull by Pope Paul III in support
Ignatius on Poverty (1547) Read More »
Ignatius addressed this “Letter of Perfection” to the flourishing scholasticate at Coimbra, in Portugal. Though the scholasticate prospered with vocations and zeal, the latter was at times quite indiscreet. Concerned observers felt that Simão Rodrigues, the Portuguese provincial, was too compliant in allowing the scholastics to become “fools for Christ,” in such manifestations as self-flagellation and
Ignatius on Perfection (1547) Read More »
The Jesuit Online Library allows users to search 39 Jesuit titles, across more than 150,000 pages in more than 1,000 volumes, simultaneously or to browse single volumes individually. Full-text searches can be refined by title, date, publication, or author. To learn more about the titles of books and journals in English, French, German, Spanish, Latin,
Jesuit Online Library Read More »
L’Istituto Confucio at the Università di Macerata hosts an important, three-day conference on new scholarship and perspectives on Matteo Ricci (1552–1610). “New Perspectives in the Studies on Matteo Ricci” features presentations by 21 scholars from October 21-23, 2015. The event also includes a tour of Ricci’s historical landmarks in Macerata, the birthplace of the noted
October 2015: Conference to Offer “New Perspectives in the Studies on Matteo Ricci” Read More »
Harvard University Press has published Liam Matthew Brockey’s The Visitor: André Palmeiro and the Jesuits in Asia. Brockey examines how Palmeiro inspected missionary work in India following a controversy there surrounding the tactics employed by fellow Jesuit Roberto de Nobili. The publisher notes that this volume “tells the story of a theologian whose extraordinary travels bore
September 2014: New Biography of André Palmeiro Read More »
Brill Publishers announces the first volume in the new Jesuit Studies book series. The inaugural volume is Saints or Devils Incarnate?: Studies in Jesuit History, a collection of 15 essays by John O’Malley, SJ. Brill’s announcement notes: “Almost from the moment the Jesuits were founded in 1540 by Ignatius of Loyola and his companions they
August 2013: Jesuit Studies Books Series Begins with O’Malley Collection Read More »
