Academic formation of young Jesuits proved a popular topic in advance of the 31st General Congregation, as historian John Padberg notes that some 600 postulta (or petitions) were received from across the Society of Jesus (see Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 19–20). The delegates responded with the following decree, which begins with the statement […]
According to historian John Padberg’s historical account of the congregation, Jesuits sent more than 160 postulata (or petitions) on the topic their brethren’s spiritual formation for consideration at the 31st General Congregation (see Jesuit Life & Mission Today (2009), pg. 18–19). That formation, the following decree observes, “is the work of divine grace,” helping Jesuits in
Decree 8: “The Spiritual Formation of Jesuits,” General Congregation 31 (1966) Read More »
Pope John VI opened the 31st General Congregation by noting the “fearful danger of atheism threatening human society.” Through the Jesuit delegates gathered for the congregation, the pontiff gave to the entire Society of Jesus (the “champion of the Church and holy religion in adversity”) a special task: “the charge of making a stout, united
Decree 3: “The Task of the Society Regarding Atheism,” General Congregation 31 (1966) Read More »
The delegates of the 31st General Congregation promulgated the following decree, which recognizes both the limitations of the reforms encouraged by the Second Vatican Council and Paul VI’s Magno gaudio (1964) as well as the need for change nonetheless. The decree concludes that “the entire government of the Society must be adapted to modern necessities
Decree 2: “The Renewal of Our Vows,” General Congregation 31 (1966) Read More »
Girolamo Imbruglia has published The Jesuit Missions of Paraguay and a Cultural History of Utopia (1568-1789). The new books “explores the religious foundations of the Jesuit missions in Paraguay, and the discussion of the missionary experience in the public opinion of early modern Europe, from Montaigne to Diderot,” according to Brill Publishers. In particular,
August 2017: New Cultural History of the Jesuit Missions in Paraguay Read More »
Jesuit Sources has published a new English translation of The Duties of a Teacher, a handbook issued by the National Education Commission of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1787. Duties was written by Grzegorz Piramowicz, a former Jesuit teacher who sought to guide how grammar school teachers could serve the larger society. According to the publisher, Piramowicz “lays out a
August 2017: New Translation of The Duties of a Teacher Read More »
Barton Geger, SJ, and the Seminar of Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits host the second annual Faber Symposium from June 16-18 at Our Lady of Angels Mission in Chicago, Illinois. In keeping with the efforts of George Ganss, John Sheets, Martin Palmer, and David Fleming to heed the Second Vatican Council’s call to
June 2017: Second Faber Symposium Held in Chicago Read More »
The 35th General Congregation took place during the first two months of 2008. Its delegates approved six decrees and appointed a new superior general. At a Mass closing the congregation, Adolfo Nicolás remarks to his brethren: “I believe that we are all aware that we have had a great experience. The Word of God, however,
Homily of Father General Adolfo Nicolás Closing General Congregation 35 (2008) Read More »
Nicolás delivered the following homily in Rome’s Church of the Gesù on January 20, 2008. The day before, the 217 members of General Congregation 35 had elected Nicolás, the former provincial of Japan and president of the Conference of Major Superiors of East Asia and Oceania, as their order’s new general. For more from the
Homily of Father General Adolfo Nicolás at the Mass of Thanksgiving (2008) Read More »
In 1965, the Second Vatican Council issued Perfectae caritatis, a proclamation that mandated religious orders seek renewal through reflection and honoring “their founders’ spirit and special aims.” In 2008, the delegates at the 35th General Congregation of the Society of Jesus, in part, responded to that mandate with their second decree, “A Fire that Kindles
Decree 2: “A Fire that Kindles Other Fires,” General Congregation 35 (2008) Read More »
