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Decree 6: “Collaboration at the Heart of Mission,” General Congregation 35 (2008)

The last decree issued by the 35th General Congregation concerned the “dynamism” begun by the previous congregation of Jesuit delegates in 1995. The decree below contains the delegates’ call for renewal by the members of the Society of Jesus of “our commitment to apostolic collaboration and to a profound sharing of labor of the life […]

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Decree 5: “Governance at the Service of Universal Mission,” General Congregation 35 (2008)

The fifth of six decrees promulgated by the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus concerned the order’s “governance structures and ways of proceeding.” The decree, appearing below, is a highly technical and internally focused document. Among its measures, the decree directs the new superior general “to undertake a comprehensive review of the central

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Decree 4: “Obedience in the Life of the Society of Jesus,” General Congregation 35 (2008)

The delegates at the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus address the topic of Jesuit obedience in the following decree. They define “obedience” in the context of the vow the members of the Society of Jesus make to the pope as a vow “grounded in the desire to be sent effectively, to serve

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Decree 3: “Challenges to Our Mission Today,” General Congregation 35 (2008)

The third of six decrees promulgated by the delegates at the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus articulated some of the main challenges facing the Jesuits and their works. The decree, appearing below, reaffirms the Society’s mission in the face of challenges, places that mission the new context of the dawn of the

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Decree 1: “With Renewed Vigor and Zeal,” General Congregation 35 (2008)

On February 2, 2006, Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, having reached an agreement with Pope Benedict XVI to allow for his resignation as the Jesuits’ superior general, dispatched a letter to the Society of Jesus indicating that “it had become more and more clear that the Society has arrived at a situation…which required a General Congregation.” That gathering—the

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Decree 23: “Congregations and Governance,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The following decree, from the 34th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, establishes rules for future general congregations and for the selection of a vicar general as well as rules for province congregations and for the congregations of procurators and provincials. Acting at the request of the superior general, the decree importantly modifies the

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Decree 17: “Jesuits and University Life,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The 34th General Congregation issued the following decree on the Jesuits’ work at universities, where “teaching, research, and scholarly publication” had continued “almost since the foundation of the Society.” In the text below, the delegates acknowledge that “Jesuit higher education has undergone very rapid development” in recent years—such as with the decreasing number of Jesuits

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Decree 13: “Cooperation with the Laity in Mission,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The delegates of the 34th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus argued that Catholic Church of the 21st century was to be “unmistakably…the ‘Church of the Laity.’” To praise, foster, and guide further collaboration with the laity, the Jesuits at the congregation issued the following the decree. It considers what the Society can offer

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Decree 8: “Chastity in the Society of Jesus,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

The following decree from the 34th General Congregation is a lengthy discussion of chastity within the context of the Society of Jesus: the call to chastity, its apostolic character, the meaning of the vow of chastity, and some normative principles and guidelines for a chaste lifestyle). The delegates, in approving this decree, did so as

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Decree 7: “The Jesuit Brother,” General Congregation 34 (1995)

Ignatius accepted men at different grades when they were admitted into the Society of Jesus. Traditionally, the status of a “brother” was the most popular alternative to the priestly status. The delegates of the 34th General Congregation responded to “a substantial number of” requests from their Jesuit confreres and depicted the Jesuit brother’s role with

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