The 32nd General Congregation convened in Rome in 1974 not to elect a new superior general but to respond to the charge issued by the Second Vatican Council, in Perfectae caritatis, that religious orders rediscover their original charism. The congregation ultimately issued sixteen decrees, though none exceeded the importance of defining the Society’s mission as […]
“On Justice with Faith,” Pedro Arrupe (1974) Read More »
The 31st General Congregation held its first session in the summer of 1965, towards the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. It held a second session a year later, after the council had formally closed, after which time it promulgated its decrees. The congregation’s first decree sought to define and, in the end, to encourage
Decree 1: “The Mission of the Society of Jesus Today,” General Congregation 31 (1966) Read More »
The following is one of Ignatius’s most direct and blunt letters. The recipient, Antonio Soldevila, apparently gave more than occasion for it. The Catalan had entered the Society of Jesus in 1551 and came to Rome in 1553. At first, he had a reputation for devotion and spirituality, but Soldevila soon showed eccentric and hardheaded
Ignatius on Moderation (1556) 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 »
More commonly known by its Latin name (Exposcit Debitum), the papal approval of the Formula of 1550 has articulated the purposes of the Society of Jesus since it issuance by Pope Julius III. The formula was based on the Five Chapters of 1539 and of the Formula of 1540. For more on the history, content,
Exposcit Debitum (1550) Read More »
Just before Easter in the spring of 1539, Ignatius and his companions gathered to determine whether or not they should continue to informally collaborate with one another, as they had for some five years. Their deliberations took the form of group discernment, consisting of several days of prayer and discussions. Jean Codure or Pierre Favre later
The Deliberations of Our First Fathers (1539) Read More »
The Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies opens the call for application for fellowships to facilitate the completion and/or publication of academic work related to the Society of Jesus. Applications are now welcomed from scholars in the fields of history, spirituality, and pedagogy, among others. The submission deadline is February 1, 2017. The Institute offers two
December 2016: Call for Fellowship Applications Read More »
The Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies welcomes Jeffrey Muller to Boston College as a Senior Research Fellow for the fall semester. Muller, professor of Art and Architecture at Brown University, is working on a new project about the Jesuit global strategy of accommodation. In this project he asks: How did the Jesuits fashion their interactions
September 2016: Muller an In-Residence Fellow at the Institute Read More »
Institutum Historicum Societatis Iesu has published the first volume of Kilian Stumpf’s The Acta Pekinensia or Historical Records of the Maillard de Tournon Legation. Edited by Paul Rule and Claudia von Collani, the book presents, for the first time in English, the account of the first years (December 1705-August 1706) of the visit to China
December 2015: First Volume of Stumpf’s Acta Pekinensia Published by IHSI 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 »
